Kirsty - AS Media

 We filmed on Sunday the 15th, from 10am until around 4pm. Lauren couldn't make it, but Winn, Yoli and I managed to get most of the footage we needed. Upon arriving, there was a small problem - we were filming in a barn that was still in use, and one of the spaces we needed free to film using the dolly, was instead taken up with a big van. At first we couldn't find the owner of the vehicle, but we bumped into him later - at which point, we had already decided to film the scene on another date (so it was no use hassling him to move the van). Tyler, one of our cast members had to leave around 12:30pm, so we structured ourselves in a form that allowed us to film her scenes first. This meant Yoli filmed/directed her shots until around 11am, I filmed/directed my shots until 12:30, and Winn, not needing Tyler, filmed/shot her scenes once Tyler had left. 

 We all helped with each other's scenes, whether it was offering to film on other cameras, suggesting different ideas and angles, or helping to solve problems that the other members faced. For example, I climbed up into a small 'study' area outside in the yard, whilst Winn and Yoli filmed my hands against the window. When Yoli was filming her seen, she was hoping for an shot that represented Tyler as small and weak. Where this shot was based, a ladder was horizontally balanced above our heads - something I thought we could use to our advantage. My camera has a strap, so I suggested we tie it to one of the ladder rungs. Yoli, inspired by this idea, hooked it onto a nearby metal pole and Tyler, the tallest of all of us, reached up and balanced the metal pole on top of the ladder, the camera dangling in between the rungs. 

Previous problems, such as lack of light, were solved as we arranged to film at a different point in the day. General problems such as the freezing cold were solved by bringing several hot water bottles, blankets, flasks and a kettle - as unfortunately we can't change the weather. 

This was the first day shooting my scene and I felt it went really well. Having decided to split the director role in correlation to who took charge of each section of the story arc, I had to take charge for an hour and a half in order to film my scene. I believe I was efficient yet fussy - reshooting certain shots to make sure I got what I wanted, but not wasting precious time by doing so. I made sure of continuity throughout my scene - though I had imagined it elsewhere in the barn, Yoli's scene ended in a way that made me have to relocate within the cramped space. Though it was a silly mistake that we hadn't realised could be so crucial to our film being of a professional standard, I felt as though I approached the situation efficiently by quickly applying my logic, and trying to map out where my scene would now have to go. At that moment in time, it was important not to waste time as we didn't have long left until Tyler had to leave, and my scene only featured her on camera. 

Overall, I think the day was a great success and I was really proud of my team!

 Charlie (left): Tyler Munson, Tyler (right): Yolanda Wallbanks

Our crew arranged to film on Thursday after school, however, Tyler, a key member in our cast, couldn't make it. We decided to go to our location anyway, as it was the first time all of the media group were together to film. We thought it best to shoot some test footage and solve any initial problems caused by filming in our location when our cast wasn't there and we weren't wasting their time. We wanted to experiment with camera angles, our dolly, lighting and the space that we were in.

 As we didn't have an opportunity to work with the dolly previously, so we thought this the perfect time to see what sort of footage it produced in our location. Unfortunately, the barn's floor was uneven and stony,
causing the dolly footage to
consequently be very shaky.
Using initiative, I suggested placing one of the many surrounding boards down to use as a smooth base for the dolly to run on.

We also experimented with how shadows looked and formed in our lighting, as several of our storyboards involve them. Additionally, we played around with the flood light to alter the warm and cold colouring, and to find an optimal between low key and high key lighting (as low key lighting may be a thriller convention, but it also reduces the quality of the footage).

In terms of camera angles, I wanted to practice one of my last storyboard shots. The character Charlie has only half of her face framed in the shot, whilst a shadow moves behind her. Though Tyler, who plays Charlie, wasn't there, Yoli volunteered to take her place as I experimented with the shot.
I decided to frame it slightly further away than I had originally planned (a mid shot rather than a close up).



I felt this not only made the character seem smaller (and thus weaker), but it made the shadow in the background easier to see. It also made sure that the whole frame was in focus, rather than just the background or the character's face.