At the very end of last year we were put into groups for our first project this year, because the last group I was in didn't really understand or care to, want to help me and be nice about it, I discussed it with my (lovely) mentor and she suggested that each time I have a new group we should have a meeting - with teachers as mediators.
At the start of this school yeat I did just that; I organised a group meeting. I felt it was useless. Everyone knew we were there just for me, the teachers tried to make it a universal understanding meeting and one of my teachers just kept going on about herself, her experiences and pretty much everything that had nothing to the price of cheese.
One guy in my group 'S' said he had no problem with it 'just as long as you do your job then we'll be good' - which seems nice but that wasn't the case. It was all about his ideas, his grade, his way or no way; he just took over everything. He didn't really give anyone much of a chance to do what they wanted or for any of us to even discuss our ideas.
We had a mini project (which was mainly to get us working well together) unfortunately I had a hospital appointment so I arranged o do post production, foley sound recording. All I needed was a copy of the film and a list of what sound effects they particularly wanted; To this day I haven't seen the film and that was back in October 2013. Sam appointed himself the group leader, he circumvented me, made all the sound and editing decisions himself. He also excluding me from EVERY decision regarding the group and our projects; it wasn't just me but it was mostly me (if that makes sense). He took over every aspect of my jobs and a lot of the others.
When I brought it up with the teachers they knew he was taking control but they saw it as someone intent on getting a good grade when grouped with lazier students, not focused on what they want to do. In front of the teachers he came across as caring, 'just trying to help'... If I wanted help I would (probably) ask for it, I wouldn't want someone to just go ahead and do it for me, how would that help.
The filming was awful. Nobody, even the girl in my group who lived in the house we were filming at, knew or told me there was a step to get in the house! It was a kafuffal. They couldn't lift my chair (they tried even though I told them they couldn't; they built a ramp from rolled up carpet and flattened cardboard boxes... CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?! IDIOTS! that was NEVER going to work. they made me drive up it anyway and in the end they had to use 4 people to help get me in... the carpet did help with the initial lift off the ground that they were struggling with.
Next, I wasn't able to go into the living room where they were filming because it was too small and my wheelchair takes up, about, 2-3 peoples worth of space and they already had the producer, director, editor ('S' God knows why he HAD to be in there), both cinematographers and the actor. on top of that they had all the props and furnishings needed to create the scene. I had my LSA there so, I set up the sound recording equipment, showed her how it worked and sent her in to record it.
The hallway was one long hall from the front door to the kitchen, which seemed to be the only room I could go into, the only problem - there was another step. We had all the kafuffal again. I was stranded in the kitchen until fish when my carer was coming to help take me to the toilet... and guess what, there was another step to get to that and there was no way my wheelchair and another person would get into that bathroom.
We had to get me out the house... not fun, all that jiggling around, all the sitting and I was just feeling horribly ILL. As my carer was running late, my LSA and I went looking around for a disabled bathroom. in aldershot. You'd be amazed at how much space there is between them. We found one in the park - 10 minutes away but you needed a Radar key... and NOPE, I didn't have one. so we walked 10 minutes one way down the high street with no luck finding an accessible restaurant with toilets or an accessible toilet so we stopped and went back the other way. Back to where we started we worked out that the shopping centre was 30 minutes away and they'd have to have one there.
This was not making me feel any better! An Awful day, spending most of it feeling like I'd been banished or punished to sit alone, away from everyone and unable to do my job, with awful people, awfully unaccessible places - both house and toilets and I felt faint, drained, and altogether... AWFUL!
The whole time we were walking around Aldershot I was having to be on the phone to my care agency telling them my change of area as to where they could find me.
We finally got to the shopping centre and found a disabled tilt and low and behold... it needed a Radar key. at this point I was desperate for the toilet. I thought, being as we were in a shopping centre, we'd be able to find a cleaner, manager, or security person to unlock it but no luck. I thought I'd have to make my way up to the cinema another 30 minutes away, when, as we left the centre we found Costa - AND it had a disabled accessible toilet that was open. It was A-M-A-ZING!!
After all that I had to head back to the set, I just wanted to go home!
When I got there they were filming the external shots (which saved me from having to try and get back inside), the next day we were filming in the same place so I took the producer and director aside and explained to them that I wasn't able to do my job, I could show someone (like the producer or editor - that doesn't really do much on set) how to use the equipment and I would be at the next location the day after as it was somewhere else.
'S' got involved and said 'okay' but he didn't look pleased and I heard him mumbling something about me to some of the other people but, what was I to do?? It was making me ill and I was useless. I would still do my post production duties. So they agreed.
At the new location I got the equipment back and whoever used it didn't record it properly or take notes that you're supposed to do to accompany the recordings. Plus, this new location had a step to get in! AGAIN!
Fortunately, they had random bits of wood floating around in this house's garden which we were able to use as a ramp and it worked. For once, on this project, I felt like I was doing my job and it felt so good :D
Until lunch. My carer was coming to meet me but the bathroom was upstairs so we had get me out the house - they blocked the path to the front door so I had to do the back door which had three stairs and they begrudgingly (may I point out it was already the lunch break) stopped what they were ding to help me out but they did it wrong, the wheel fell off so they had to lift and jiggle... quite painful. and I had to go on another disabled accessible toilet excursion which took 45 minutes - hard to explain that bit but I forgot I was closer to one than I thought and told my carer to meet me much further away, I didn't have my phone to call her so I had to go there.
After which I had to return to set, where they had continued without me and they thought it was too much trouble to get me back inside so I had to sit outside and do my job (was still better than the first location) with my LSA doing the stuff on the inside. I was out there for hours, in the dark and cold.
Later, they chose to reshoot some scenes and mess around - too much- with the remaining film I chose to leave as I was no longer needed and it hurts for me to sit in my chair so I prefer to only do it as much as I need to, no longer. You can guess that 'S' wasn't happy, but who cares.
After 'S' had edited the film it was my turn to do the sound edit, I was having fun, although I wanted to never, ever see that film again because I had to watch it repeatedly, little things over and over I just wanted to kill the actor but I thought I did a good job and when 'S' saw it he was actually nice, and wished me happy holidays - that was weird! - I think he realised I could do something, I wasn't just the girl in the chair that needed everything changed to suit me; but I can't say for sure.
I'm so glad I'm done with him!
*huggles* for everyone!!!
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