Fiction Adaptation - Test Shoots
Test Shoots
So that I could ensure my production run smoothly, while also ensuring that what I want to experiment with works. I did some test shoots so that I can make sure I am prepared and can overcome any issues I may face during production.
As I've mentioned, due to current circumstances, I am having to do production on my own with no production or crew team. Firstly, I wanted to look at a few things I already feel nervous about due to the circumstances and initial problems this may cause.
1 - Filming in POV
Initially I am extremely worried about filming in POV, as although I feel this will be crucial for the audience and will create a tone/feel for my character, of the audience being inside the characters mind. I am nervous of how I am going to pull this of. I will be using my Canon 250D and have looked for a strap or a harness to purchase so I can get the POV affect, however, without being extremely expensive, there didn't seem to be many available to me.
The obvious option would be to use a stabalizer lens and hold the camera in position with one hand, however I want this to be as authentic as possible with both my hands being able to feature within the film.
I started by putting my camera on the tripod and holding it up, however as I mentioned above it didn't help me as I wasn't able to use both hands which i don't believe is authentic.
As you can see above, this is the type of equipment I needed; however didn't have available, so I attempted to strap my small tripod to my body safely with heavy duty tape. Although, this sounds crazy, this did actually work. I was able to get some test shots to see how it would look.
As you can see from the test shoot above, I used the tripod attached to my body with tape. Pictured below. Although this did actually work and I am happy with the outcome, unfortunately you can hear the sound of the tape when I move. At parts also I don't feel the tape was as secure as what It could have been.
To ensure that this isn't a problem while filming, I have purchased some heavy duty tape and a hardware vest which means that the tape should be less noisy. Should also mean the tape is more secure and allows the camera to move freely without the risk of the camera falling off. I am happy with the outcome of the test shoot and this has taught me that you can in fact improvise safely without needing to pay for equipment. Obviously, the equipment would have been so much better, but unfortunately it was not something I could afford.
2 - Lighting shots
Also lack of equipment was hard with lighting, I was worried that with only one ring light, it would be hard to actually light a whole scene, however although I used my ring light within the test shoot, I actually found that the natural light was really good for the tones I was trying to create. I want a cold lighter blue tone as I feel that represents the mood/tone I am going for which I talk about in my Ideas and Development page.
I always film flat, I feel this is beneficial as it allows you to put in the colour cleanly after, easily making the colour or tone more vibrant or the other, I feel its extremely beneficial so that's how I filmed. As you can see from the video below, you can see the difference between the natural light and then the colour I am able to add in, in premiere pro.
Although, I felt this was going to be difficult to conquer, by doing the test shoot it has allowed me to see that the natural light is actually beneficial while filming flat. Because it's natural light it allowed me to adjust the colour without there being to many shadows etc that can be highlighted when messing around with colour. However, when filming with only the one ring light, I felt this caused extra shadows that then would have been hard to add in the blue tone I wish to have. If I would of had more lights, a back light and a fill light, I could of avoided the shadows, however I didn't. So doing the test shoot helped me understand that the natural light was more beneficial in this circumstance of production.
3 - Editing montage clips together
From the beginning I've wanted to be able to show a numerous amount of days almost like a timelapse, so that I can show my characters mental health getting worst. By ensuring my montage is on point, this should mean the audience see the routine of my character and the days passing by quickly. For my test shoot, I decided to put my test shoot clips together, repetitively to see the impact it has.
After reading the Filmakers Eye, I came across a quote that put everything into perspective for me and made me realise how important it is to get it right for the audience and relevancy is a part of that. Within the book, Mercado describes a time in which he feels a director didn't quite get it right saying that 'In the opening scene, he framed a shot that was visually dense, filled with details that turned out to be extraneous to the story and prevented the audience from getting the point he was trying to make.' (Mercado, 2011)
Reading this within the book, made me realise that every shot of mine needs to be relevant and to the point, especially as my storyline is serious, it needs to be done correctly. From the research within the film makers eye, It has taught me that all the POV shots needs to be direct with what I'm trying to tell. I'm glad I have now put the clips together as you can see below, so that I can put this into practice. The alarm clock showing exactly the time, the fact its the morning and when I start production, the alarm clock will continue to go up in time to show that the character is getting lazier, so I feel this reflect the research that my shots are exactly relevant.
I was hoping by putting the test shots together, it would allow me to see how the pace of clips can impact how the story is told. I also plan on having this broke up and told by the shot of an alarm clock, which indicates it's the morning again, so I also shot this.
As you can see below my montage I created attempting to shoot three days in a small timeframe.
Again, the test shoot has made me feel more at ease with this segment and I am so happy with the alarm clock sequence, as I really feel this works to show the new day. Although, I feel this worked. I want to ensure the pace isn't boring and I actually think it should be sped up to what it is in the test shoot. Start of slow, get quicker and then slow down again as this is what I feel would show the audience the symbolism of how quickly her life is going down hill.
List Of Illustrations
Amazon (2020) Glide Gear Medusa POV Camera Harness (online) At: https://www.amazon.com/Glide-Medusa-Harness-GoPro-Camera/dp/B011Q6AN76
[Accessed 15/12/2020]
Mercado, G. (2011) Filmmaker’s eye : learning (and breaking) the rules of cinematic composition. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Focal Press. At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4267584 [Accessed 15/12/2020]
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