I had the pleasure of directing the behind the scenes documentary for Breakwater, Behind Breakwater. This was an exciting and ambitious production – and I was also keen to direct a documentary before graduating – so I was thrilled to be presented with the task.
I began by creating a rough outline for the film in the late stages of pre-production. Because of my involvement in Breakwater as the Associate Producer and Production Manager from early on, I was familiar with the elements I thought were most important to highlight. I designed interview questions for members of the cast and crew and a list of b-roll footage I wanted for each interview.
It is important to note that this documentary was shot for £0. I booked the OUFF camera and sound kit to film (I originally meant to have a Sound Recordist). Unfortunately Max dropped the lens of the camera and broke it a few weeks before filming, and the repair was not properly completed. The footage shows the damage: it is frequently out of focus or overexposed because I was unable to adjust the focus and aperture correctly. It looks fine but I am still disappointed. Jemima, the Producer, accidentally left the microphone I needed in Oxford, which meant I had to use my phone for the first few days (during a wind storm). I also did not have any other crew members to help with filming. As a result, the sound quality is poor. We later found a Zoom H6 I could use, but I did not have time to re-record what had already been done.
I was not quite prepared for how busy or intense the filming days would be. It was difficult to find time for interviews and almost all of them had to be recorded on set. This meant that I could not control the environment (the backdrop or background noise). I learned that in an ideal scenario, I should ask for two interviews: one on location and one in a studio / office.
Many of the filming days the Producer did not allow me to come on set, which meant that I did not have enough footage to create the documentary. I had to film additional bits after wrap in Oxford.
Originally there was meant to be an Editor on the project; however, she was unable to work on both the film and documentary. I did the edit myself, which in some ways was beneficial because I was familiar with the material. It was difficult to balance editing the documentary and revising for my finals, especially as I had to prioritise the latter. I had to be firm about my boundaries and the time I could commit the production – this was important to me following issues during filming and given that I had not initially agreed to editing it. The Producer presented me with various deadlines, claiming that a festival needed the cut by a certain date; however, it was later revealed that this date was created only to hurry me through the process.
There are definitely shots from the documentary that I am happy with and it was particularly exciting to interview members of the Privileged crew – Andy Paterson, Mike Hoffman, and Rick Stevenson – on their experience making a feature film in 1982. However, the camera and sound quality frustrate me (in addition to the damaged lens, I did not have a tripod or shoulder rig). I asked for a Colourist and/or Sound Editor, as I have no experience or talent in either of these areas of post production, but unfortunately I had to do it myself. I also think the film also could have been much shorter; there is some repetition and not everything included is compelling. It is 30 minutes, which is the length that I was asked to make it.
After I did the initial edit, Jemima and Max did not have any notes (other than removing the times the production was referred to as stressful or intense). As I had limited time, I only made slight tweaks from there.
Behind Breakwater had a premiere screening in Magdalen College (9 June 2023). The Producer and marketing team promoted the screening through social media, which was exciting. However, I had to have four or five conversations with the Producer and Marketing Department about crediting me for the stills used from the film (this taught me to watermark my materials before sending it to be used). My name was also cropped off the poster when it was posted – I was very disappointed in the overall carelessness. Nevertheless, I was incredibly grateful to have a whole screening organised around a project I had made. There was also a premiere of the Breakwater trailer at the event. The film looks beautiful.
There was a review of the documentary that was published through a student newspaper. The criticism of the production was valid: he noted the poor camera and sound quality and wrote that he hoped this wasn't a reflection of what the film would be. The last part made me chuckle, as it does not acknowledge the immense difference between £0 production filmed by one crew member and the scale that was the production of Breakwater. Given the time, love, effort, and funds that went into creating the feature film, I certainly hope it is of better quality. However, Jemima and Max were influenced by the comment and are seeking to re-edit the film. I hope that the sound issues can be fixed and I'm curious what they decide to change.
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