Media shoot day reflection

Today I reflected on how I thought our shoot day went. Here is a review on what went well, what didn't and much more:

Our shoot day, in my opinion, was really successful and much better than anticipated. We were engaged, focussed and enthusiastic in bringing our vision for our opening sequence to life. That's not to say everything went according to plan, because it didn't, but we adapted and worked around any inconveniences or obstacles that got in our way. 

Our day began at 8:15 after we arrived to the site with all or props, makeup, costumes etc. We grabbed a quick breakfast and were in the studio by 8:30. Following our shoot schedule, we had arranged to meet Hannah, our main actress and Raff at 8:45 so we could get the costume, makeup, blood etc done to avoid a rushed environment. This worked really well because once Ted arrived we only had couple of things to change before we got into filming. 

In terms of the set, we had unclear expectations of what it would look like so designing it was a bit of a jump into the deep end but it actually turned out much better than expected. We began moving some boards covering a brick wall with help from our teachers. Doing this created an appropriate background for as club (the brick wall) which we then placed neon tube lights on as they were the main "club" giveaway. We also used LED tunnel lights which were very expensive so we had to be SUPER careful with those. Once we chose the desired colour it looked like this:

The day before we filmed Sienna, Danny and I had arranged where we would get our props from on the day which were either in our class room or a different area around school like the tables and boards.  

 We had 2 tables and 3 chairs brought up which we actually used to keep things on and for our actors to sit on as we only needed one of each. Sienna then started applying the blood to Raff while I arranged the lights and helped Danny set up the camera and the tripod. 

Throughout the week beforehand we had brought in our props like; hammers, fake blood, costumes, and empty bottles of alcohol.

So, that morning we gathered everything we needed and brought it into the studio, including all our porps we had placed on a table.  By 9:30 we were ready to film.

One thing that went well for us was the cinematography of the shoot. I loved the way it turned out on camera. The LED lights created the perfect club atmosphere. Especially the reflection of the strobe light in the glass, which was an idea thought of on the day. 

I think due to our test shoot being so rushed and disorganized, we learnt to be more prepared and on it. That's why on our shot we worked collaboratively and were very prepared as well as focused and open to new ideas improvised on the day. I also think the makeup (fake blood) ended up looking very realistic and just gave it that extra detail on camera which amplified our thriller genre. Hannah's makeup which we had asked her to do at home also translated beautifully on camera and made her look about 21. 

As a group we listened to each other and took our jobs seriously whilst still having fun. There wasn't a moment where we were standing around doing nothing. Sienna and Danny would often swap between calling out the directions and would be on the set to touch up makeup or rearrange the props. I think I tackled the camera operator pretty well, without tooting my own horn, I was surprised at the shots I captured and some of the movements like the pan and quick shot from hammer to face which came across really well. The actors were super professional and Ted brought his own leather jacket- which we were worried about before. We had previously scrapped the idea of an abstract, funky jacket and just told Ted to bring what he thought would look cool (quite unprofessional, I know) but it looked really sick on him as well as on camera.

We even finished before lunch with more than enough footage. This also shows how organised we were and we striked the kit even faster than we set it up. 

The shoot day in general ran smoothly although, there were a few issues that arose. We realised for our opening shot (pan) we would need a dolly-type piece of equipment to move the camera backwards. As a sort of "DIY" alternative, we found a wheely chair which did the job perfectly. We had stuck up our story board although we barely stuck to it, however that wasn't an issue as we were told to be flexible on the day.

For Hannah's costume, I had lent her one of my dresses which was silver with cutouts on the sides. I had previously spoken to my teacher, Mike, about it possibly being an issue so he suggested we ask her to bring some other options and see how it looks on the day. Ultimately, he was right as it looked slightly inappropriate, so to fix this we got her to try on a green silk dress that was perfect. 

Also, Ted arrived in a black shirt (meaning he was wearing all black like the victims) and mentioned he brought a white one too, we told him that it would make him stand out so we made him change. Midway through the shoot we were stuck on how the hammer hitting mike would look realistic. To fix this issue, Sienna tore some kitchen roll up and wet it with the fake blood, she then stuck it on his forehead and poured a bit of blood down his face. I was thrilled with how this turned out- very grateful for Sienna in that moment. 

When we looked at the opening shot on camera before we filmed it, there was a plug socket standing out to us that looked really obvious and took away from the actresses face. So, to fix this problem, someone suggested we used one of the equipment cases to put in front of it. This both did the job as well as sparking the idea of somewhere to put empty bottles on. The case was reflected so the lights bounced off it and shadows were scene on it too. It looked great and I'm glad we discovered that problem with the white socket. 

In terms of what we could have done differently on the day, I'd be boastful and say not much. We could have included some small details like the rings on the finger. Although the characters were wearing them, we didn't get any closeups. We could have used more bodies on the floor, just to exaggerate the killings on the scene. However, I liked how we implied there were many killings instead of showing each one. 

Perhaps if I were it do it again we could have added some more panning shots as the first one went really well. We could have ended the sequence by reversing the opening and do a zoom in on the girl as the man walks towards her. That could have looked cool but i liked what we did on the day.  

I learnt a few new skills on the day as camera operator. Calling "camera rolling" after pressing the record button was part of the job I liked. Keeping the camera balanced- with one hand below the lense and the other on the handle was how learnt to move the camera smoothly. Double tapping the screen will zoom in on your picture and tell you whether it's in focus or not. I also learnt about the focus point as which you zoom into the eyes (when filming a close up shot) to get the clearest outcome. When following the subject, you have to keep the camera steady and be in control for the sharp movements. When I was filming Teddy with the Hammer I had to focus on the hammer whilst follining the movement of it as he quickly struck it upwards, that was one of the most challenging parts for me. I learnt that different lenses will give you a clear or closer shot and sienna would help me when changing those. 

All the skills I had learnt in the camera workshops prior to the shoot day definitely helped me. I made sure to be careful with the equipment when moving the camera on the tripod as well as altering the height of it. Bubbling the camera at the start was another thing I remembered from the workshops. And the 180 degree rule was vital to the shoot as well. Other than camera skills, i was taught how to control the lights, the intensity, colour and strobing or not - i enjoyed doing that. 

The equipment we used were; those tunnel lights, the microphone as there was a small piece of dialogue, Thew wheely chair for our opening shot, as well as each lense for a clearer shot.

I thoroughly enjoyed all parts of the filming but my favourite parts of the day were doing the pan at the start as I felt like a professional camera operator, we also had music in the back at that point which made the experience memorable. I loved designing the lights and placing them around the set. And a good part of it all was calling that's a wrap!

I'm super happy with the the footage we've shot and I'm even more excited about editing. I think i'm looking forward to finding a contrapuntal soundtrack that will go with our sequence but mainly putting all the quick and long shots together. As Danny is our editor i will be behind him shouting out some tips I hope. I'm will intrigued for how the long shot, quick shot, and close ups will look. 

For our next project I can take this experience and channel it into making an even better spectacle. I've learnt that lights have a big effect on the cinematography of the shot. That it won't always turn out how you've planned. Improvising on the day is a big thing. And keeping the camera rolling is crucial so you don't miss any good bits. 

I think what will be challenging in the editing sweet is making the story make sense. We got a lot of footage and what will be challenging is the best order the shots in. I have high hopes and expectations for this so I hope the editing will do us justice.