I think that our shoot was very successful, because throughout the day we all incorporated our ideas to ensure that the shots we had planned to get, we got and on the day, we saw new shots that we could capture. Our main aim throughout the day was to get a more detailed understanding of the practise behind production which will allow us to become better film makers. Our shooting day allowed not just me but the group to increase our knowledge about the equipment that we used on set, and about the technical procedures that we needed to follow. Prior to this day of shooting, I had only ever shot one video before, which was our preliminary task and this has been a significant development. On our preliminary task we did not take into consideration any costumes, lighting, mise-en-scene, or location, we just filmed a conversation between two people.
On the day we experienced a major issue in which members of our cast were unable to come for the day due to logistical complications and therefore we had to find some more elderly people in order to make the retirement home appear authentic. However, we overcame this problem and found some elderly people who agreed to be shot. We also experienced a change in lounge location, because the lounge that we had previously agreed to shoot in did not appear authentic as a peaceful retirement lounge. However, this was easily overcome and we used a different lounge which appear to be much more realistic.
We managed to adhere to our shooting schedule, despite some initial difficulties with choosing which room to shoot the old people’s retirement lounge, as the chosen space did not appear sufficiently homely and was consequently rejected as this may have undermined realism. We managed to shoot the waiting room scene fairly quickly and this enabled us to wrap the actors early and prepare the doctor’s consultation room. Having shot the doctor’s arrival and entry in the morning we were then able to concentrate on shooting a significant number of close-ups in the afternoon breaking briefly to visit the church yard to shoot ms and ls shots of the doctor standing by the grave. Fortunately the weather was bright and dry providing excellent light conditions and easy access.
In order to shoot our sequence we implored a range of semi-professional technical equipment. This included:-
- Camera, Sony PDR 170
- Fluid heat
- Viten tripod
On the day we experienced a major issue in which members of our cast were unable to come for the day due to logistical complications and therefore we had to find some more elderly people in order to make the retirement home appear authentic. However, we overcame this problem and found some elderly people who agreed to be shot. We also experienced a change in lounge location, because the lounge that we had previously agreed to shoot in did not appear authentic as a peaceful retirement lounge. However, this was easily overcome and we used a different lounge which appear to be much more realistic.
We managed to adhere to our shooting schedule, despite some initial difficulties with choosing which room to shoot the old people’s retirement lounge, as the chosen space did not appear sufficiently homely and was consequently rejected as this may have undermined realism. We managed to shoot the waiting room scene fairly quickly and this enabled us to wrap the actors early and prepare the doctor’s consultation room. Having shot the doctor’s arrival and entry in the morning we were then able to concentrate on shooting a significant number of close-ups in the afternoon breaking briefly to visit the church yard to shoot ms and ls shots of the doctor standing by the grave. Fortunately the weather was bright and dry providing excellent light conditions and easy access.
In order to shoot our sequence we implored a range of semi-professional technical equipment. This included:-
- Camera, Sony PDR 170
- Fluid heat
- Viten tripod
All shots were executed on a tripod with the exception of the occasional low angle shot where the camera was placed on the floor and angled upwards. When shooting tripod shots we had to ensure that the camera was level and that all technical adjustments (exposure, gain, white balance, focus and audio levels) were consistently monitored to ensure continuity. We used a directional microphone suspended within a rubber suspension unit and covered by a Rycote Softie which ensured that ‘clicks’ and ‘pops’ were eliminated. We also made use of two Redhead video lights which were placed behind the camera and covered with blue gels in order to achieve tungsten light. This light was seen by the camera as external light and thus we had to set the white balance accordingly. Using two lights enabled us to cancel shadows as each light compensated for the other.
Each member of the crew took on a specific role and responsibility, this included, director, camera operator, sound recordist, producer and continuity monitor. The key roles on shoot were those of director, camera op and sound recordist. The director checked each frame and ensured that its composition was acceptable before ordering the camera op to roll the tape. The sound recordist had to ensure that the directional microphone was constantly pointed at the source of sound even whilst it was moving. The continuity monitor continuously re-checked the mise-en-scene to ensure that all props remained in the same position in the frame.
The storyboard provided a useful structural guide, but many shots were improvised when better alternatives were viewed. The storyboard prescribed the need for continuity editing and therefore we ensured that there was a sufficient variety of long shots, close-ups and mid shots. The essential establishing shot of the external view of the rest home had to be shot as a pickup on a later date as we ‘cheated’ the audience’s perception by using a completely different location. However, the vital continuity shots of the doctor’s arrival and entry into the house were shot according to the storyboard. We also improvised a wide shot of the waiting room which we could cut into when editing. The key shots of the victim being taken from the waiting room and her arrival in the doctor’s consultant room were repeatedly shot to ensure that they were completely useable as they were essential continuity links between the different sets/locations.
The experience of researching, planning and shooting this sequence taught me a great deal about the process of film making. Important lessons learnt included, sticking to our key roles assigned prior to our shoot so that people could focus on one specific job and ensured that this was done properly. This was also important because on our shoot by sticking to our roles on the day of our shoot none of our shooting time was wasted. This process has also taught me the importance of tight organisation and planning to ensure realism and authenticity and the careful choice of actors and the metical sourcing of props certainly helped us to create a believable environment. One of the key skills of filmmaking is to always aim to achieve high production values and this means the close monitoring of continuity and careful and informed adjustment of fine technical details (specifically camera and sound). This attention to detail allows film makers to compose shots carefully following the basic rules that guarantee professional looking production. Filmmaking is a creative process yet requires a high level of technical skill and this has been one of the most profound learning curves as prior to this course my technical, filmic and compositional knowledge was limited.
Each member of the crew took on a specific role and responsibility, this included, director, camera operator, sound recordist, producer and continuity monitor. The key roles on shoot were those of director, camera op and sound recordist. The director checked each frame and ensured that its composition was acceptable before ordering the camera op to roll the tape. The sound recordist had to ensure that the directional microphone was constantly pointed at the source of sound even whilst it was moving. The continuity monitor continuously re-checked the mise-en-scene to ensure that all props remained in the same position in the frame.
The storyboard provided a useful structural guide, but many shots were improvised when better alternatives were viewed. The storyboard prescribed the need for continuity editing and therefore we ensured that there was a sufficient variety of long shots, close-ups and mid shots. The essential establishing shot of the external view of the rest home had to be shot as a pickup on a later date as we ‘cheated’ the audience’s perception by using a completely different location. However, the vital continuity shots of the doctor’s arrival and entry into the house were shot according to the storyboard. We also improvised a wide shot of the waiting room which we could cut into when editing. The key shots of the victim being taken from the waiting room and her arrival in the doctor’s consultant room were repeatedly shot to ensure that they were completely useable as they were essential continuity links between the different sets/locations.
The experience of researching, planning and shooting this sequence taught me a great deal about the process of film making. Important lessons learnt included, sticking to our key roles assigned prior to our shoot so that people could focus on one specific job and ensured that this was done properly. This was also important because on our shoot by sticking to our roles on the day of our shoot none of our shooting time was wasted. This process has also taught me the importance of tight organisation and planning to ensure realism and authenticity and the careful choice of actors and the metical sourcing of props certainly helped us to create a believable environment. One of the key skills of filmmaking is to always aim to achieve high production values and this means the close monitoring of continuity and careful and informed adjustment of fine technical details (specifically camera and sound). This attention to detail allows film makers to compose shots carefully following the basic rules that guarantee professional looking production. Filmmaking is a creative process yet requires a high level of technical skill and this has been one of the most profound learning curves as prior to this course my technical, filmic and compositional knowledge was limited.
