Lucifer's Dream Box Productions...The filming stages Day 1

So here is my chance to show off my individual 'talents'. Having just filmed 'Securus Viaticus' it was my intention to take this on with great organisation and planning so that I didn't hit any unnecessary obstacles. I met up with the subject of my documentary, Tessa Weaver aka Bucklemunki on the evening of Monday the 26th April to go through what I had planned and also to see if there was anything that she would like to include that I hadn't thought of. Here is a list of the main objectives I wanted to film:

• Interview at home
• Acoustic set in Morrab Gardens
• 2nd Interview in Morrab Gardens
• Mixing on the decks
• Fruity Loops and Computer instructional brief
• Dinner prep
• Family dinner

The following day i set up the equipment to start off with an interview. I intended to record the audio separate onto an R-09 Edirol and using a Rode videomic. However, the SD card that was in the Edirol seemed to fill up very quickly and the battery seemed to run out very quickly too. So I decided to just record the interview onto the camera and use the Edirol when Tess played the acoustic set to get the best quality sound. During the interview I tried to make Tess feel comfortable, reassuring her that this is my first time filming on my own so I was just as nervous as she was! I felt that I didn't want to be visible in the film and I would rather have it as Tess telling her story rather than me telling it for her. Here is a list of some of the questions I asked:

• If I were from another planet and had no idea of what 'genre' is, how would you describe your music?
• Explain to me your musical background: who you grew up listening to, what bands or artistes you find inspiring?
• What made you decide to start making your own music?
• What do you think of the Cornish music scene?
• At what point did you decide to get rid of your TV? How did your children react? What impact do you feel it's had on their lives?
• Is it difficult juggling motherhood and your passion for music?
• Do you hope your children will follow in your musical footsteps?
• Explain to me a typical day in the life of Tessa Weaver
• Is there any particular message you're trying to get across in your music?
• Do you have a message for anyone who is thinking about starting to make their own music?
• Where did 'Bucklemunki' come from?
• What's next for Bucklemunki/Tessa Weaver?

I feel that Tess answered the questions really well, she was able to elaborate and not just give one-worded answers which was really helpful. As the interview went on I think she felt more comfortable in front of the camera, maintaining eye contact with me rather than the camera. I feel that the lighting worked really well as there was some natural light coming in from the window adjacent to where Tess was sat.

Once we had wrapped up the interview I decided to film her doing what she does best, having a good mix on her decks. This was really interesting to film and I think I took some great shots, especially close ups of her hands at work. I used one camera on the tripod to film a static viewpoint and used another camera, free-hand to get some other shots. I did encounter a couple of problems with too much natural light coming through the blinds but I think i can scrap those shots in editing.

I then decided to film Tess working on her computer and music editing software. Tess uses Fruityloops, now known as FL Studio to create her music and than exports it into Cubase to layer any vocals on top. While doing this I also filmed a few shots around her house to get a feel of her home.

I was really pleased with how day 1 panned out. There were no major issues that I couldn't tackle and it was a fairly successful day. Tomorrow's filming is set to start in Morrab Gardens so we're praying for sunshine! An early start is in order so plenty of coffee and inspiration from Dave Grohl is needed....