Technical aspects of filming

The camera settings and techniques I will employ to achieve a 'cinematic' look;

- Manual control
- Movie exposure - manual
- Shoot in 24 frames per second
- Shutter speed 50, (180 Shutter rule)
- low ISO
- Picture style - neutral
- Shallow depth of field

Unfortunately due to the DSLR I am using - Sony alpha 85 (below) - the fpr rate is not adjustable and set to 30 fps, as a result I will also increase the shutter speed to 60.

I will shoot most of my footage with a tripod (below), as shaky footage, if accidental, creates a cheap, tacky look, however any handheld footage that is shaky can be corrected within after effects.

This tripod is especially useful because the platform on which the camera sits and be rotated smoothly using the attached lever. I used the lever system for tracking shots and cut away shots.


I watched a few instructional videos (one of which is below) in preparation for filming with a DSLR. 

Filming 14/01/18

Below is call sheet I have distributed to the cast and crew.



Cast/crew required; Amy, Billy, Matty, Michelle, Dennis.
The following risks apply to this shoot, these are similar to the previous shoot.
The weather is appropriate for filming, as it is dry and not too bright.

Left - A prop/equipment list I used in preparation for the shoot.


28/12/17 I phoned Matty to ask if he had the following clothes; Smart trousers, shirt, smart shoes etc, and confirm the date of filming. Having confirmed the previous we are set to film. 

Below is a video summarising the day's filming.

Filming 07/01/18

In preparation for the shoot I contacted Dennis to confirm suitable dates/time.



Today (04/01/18) I contacted Dennis to arrange his costume, as this is a zero budget film I am hoping he will have appropriate clothing for the role, if not, I will find a source to borrow from.


He replied and has a suitable costume.

Luckily the weather looks to be pretty clear, and crucially, dry.



I have sent the following call sheet (created from this website), with all information above, plus casting, times etc to the cast.


I created a table to asses any risks the shoot may pose, and how I intend to deal with them.

I used this checklist to ensure I remembered all equipment, props etc.













Filming today was a success; although not all planned scenes could be shot, scene 4 has been recorded, along with multiple scenes including only Halliam. I have evaluated the footage in the video (below).

With next Sunday an arranged date, any shots missing, or that are of poor quality, can be reshot then.

The shoot took more directing than I thought it would. By directing, I mean giving specific directions on how to act, advising on voice, and body language, how to come across more emotive. This is understandable as the actor playing the protagonist (Billy Eyre) hasn’t had any experience in acting. This wasn’t the case with all the actors though: Dennis could improvise with ease, and with little direction could add colour and variety the few original scripted lines. 

Side note: Having enjoyed his role in the project, Billy, who plays Halliam, has since gone on to join a drama group. 

Filming 29/12/17

Planning to shoot early morning.

Cast/crew required; Amy, Billy.
Equipment; Violin, music stand, camera, SD card.

The room for risk in this shoot is very low, regardless I have analysed the one possible risk in the following table.



Footage to shoot;

- Halliam playing the violin... badly.
- Halliam realising his lizard I lost and searching for it.

Evaluation of shoot - The footage from this day regarding the violin playing was very jolty, as I was not using a tripod - I will reshoot this scene with a tripod shortly.

I am however, very pleased with the lost lizard footage, and have started editing this scene.

Mise-en-scene

There are a few cut away shots of objects with encoded meaning and reference in my film eg. the lost teddy bear poster.

I hope to use blue lights are to foreshadow police involvement.

Colour 

The narrative of my film becomes progressively more sombre and sinister -- the colour should reflect this (from warm, bright colours, reds, oranges, to dark, cold shades, blues and greens). 

Props

I have used pages to mock up the lost teddy poster that will feature in my film.