Shoot-day Reflection
What I think went well, overall, was the organization and productiveness of our group. We made the most of our fleeting sunlight (we only had 5 hours to shoot our entire thriller). Due to this, we were economical with our time and spent next to no time messing around. My crew and our actors were very professional, despite the first time being in such a forum. I think we were productive, because we got all the shots we needed, plus extra shots, such as handhelds and extreme closeups.
What didn’t go so well was the initial choreographing of the first couple of scenes. It was slightly overwhelming to go to the transition of planning our actor’s movements on paper to having to manage 8 people, simultaneously. What was especially frustrating was that 10 minutes of choreographing only equated less than a minute of film time. What we did to deal with this issue, as our piece required a lot of choreography, was that each group member managed a group of actors (around 3) and ran through what they would be doing in their scenes, going through motions, dialogue and positioning. We then ran our piece through, all actors going at the same time, receiving cues from us. I believe we integrated the choreography successfully, and helped solve our timing issues, due to our large number of actors and limited time.
What didn’t go so well was the initial choreographing of the first couple of scenes. It was slightly overwhelming to go to the transition of planning our actor’s movements on paper to having to manage 8 people, simultaneously. What was especially frustrating was that 10 minutes of choreographing only equated less than a minute of film time. What we did to deal with this issue, as our piece required a lot of choreography, was that each group member managed a group of actors (around 3) and ran through what they would be doing in their scenes, going through motions, dialogue and positioning. We then ran our piece through, all actors going at the same time, receiving cues from us. I believe we integrated the choreography successfully, and helped solve our timing issues, due to our large number of actors and limited time.
Our idea did change, but the heart of the thriller remained unscathed. Originally, we had planned to only have 6 actors. This evolved to 8. With this addition of two more characters, we had to plan new positioning and new action sequences that would fit with the three lead characters. Additionally, due to the fact that we had not seen the film site prior to the shoot-day, we had to rearrange and re-plan certain shots and movements. For example, the bus, the centre piece of our thriller now, was not mentioned in the planning stages. However, even though we had many changes, I strongly believe they were for the better of the film.
The night before the shoot, I prepared the warm clothes I would be wearing: the thermals and thick socks. I also put my pair of combat boots (for the shoot) and 32oz of fake non-staining blood into a plastic bag, ready to be taken with me on the shoot. The morning of the shoot, I made sure I had all these things: the fake blood being an essential.
When we arrived at our meeting point on campus, we organized all the props we would need: 8 fake guns, the smoke and flash grenades and the fake blood. We then got our actors to change into their costumes: a camouflage jacket, black track-bottoms and black combat boots. Once our actors we changed, and we had all of our production gear: tripod, camera, spare batteries and microphone, we packed up the minibus and left campus for Delta force.
When we arrived at our meeting point on campus, we organized all the props we would need: 8 fake guns, the smoke and flash grenades and the fake blood. We then got our actors to change into their costumes: a camouflage jacket, black track-bottoms and black combat boots. Once our actors we changed, and we had all of our production gear: tripod, camera, spare batteries and microphone, we packed up the minibus and left campus for Delta force.
On arrival, we looked at all the paintball fields Delta Force had, we had been given unrestricted access to use all paintball courses, alone, for the whole day. We found two fields that upheld our ideal mise-en-scene, and so we began to unpack and begin shooting.
However, before any real shooting took place, we did some choreography. This was the first time we've had access to all actors at the same time, and so gave them a rundown of their roles, and what they would be doing. What took the most time was probably the choreography. Once that was established, shooting was relatively simple, as we had a large freedom of movement.
However, before any real shooting took place, we did some choreography. This was the first time we've had access to all actors at the same time, and so gave them a rundown of their roles, and what they would be doing. What took the most time was probably the choreography. Once that was established, shooting was relatively simple, as we had a large freedom of movement.
The most difficult element of the shoot was intergrading all of the characters into one narrative. Due to the nature of the piece: combat skirmish, we had to convey that there were too opposing teams fighting against one another. This meant a lot of simultaneous movement, that had to be timed perfectly for continuity purposes.
What I enjoyed the most during shoot was doing the handheld filming. I got to follow the action of the actors, and got to chose what I wanted to film. I gave me 100% creative influence, and I was able to tell the actors what I wanted to see in the shot; I was able to frame the shot again and again and obtain the perfect motion to film it. Running with the camera and shaking it to adhere to the action-moviesque filming style, definitely gave me a rush and suspended reality: it felt as if I was one of the actors in this war. Even though it was incredibly cold (0ºC) I had to take off my jacket and scarf before doing the next handheld shot, due to the intense amount of adrenaline. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will definitely utilize that filming style more than traditional static shots in the future, regardless of genre.
What I enjoyed the most during shoot was doing the handheld filming. I got to follow the action of the actors, and got to chose what I wanted to film. I gave me 100% creative influence, and I was able to tell the actors what I wanted to see in the shot; I was able to frame the shot again and again and obtain the perfect motion to film it. Running with the camera and shaking it to adhere to the action-moviesque filming style, definitely gave me a rush and suspended reality: it felt as if I was one of the actors in this war. Even though it was incredibly cold (0ºC) I had to take off my jacket and scarf before doing the next handheld shot, due to the intense amount of adrenaline. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will definitely utilize that filming style more than traditional static shots in the future, regardless of genre.
Overall, I think we did well as a group. We got all the shots we needed and more. We worked well as team, and everyone had an equal creative say in the production of the piece. If given the choice, I would definitely work with them again.
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