PRODUCTION REPORT: DAY 1 / LOCATION 1 : HERTFORDSHIRE Today was the first day of the two day shoot. We decided that it would be most effective to film on two separate days divided the two locations into to the two separate days. This also ensured that we had enough time to get all the shots that we needed and extra time in case anything went wrong. Overall todays shoot was really successful. Due to the first scene needing bright outdoor natural lighting, we decided to make an early start to ensure that we didn't run out of day light. We started at around 8:00AM. The first scene that we shoot was the scene where Harlow walks through the gates and down the lane. When she was walking through the gates we, as a group were set on having a tracking shot. We first attempted this shot by using a off road dirt buggy, and placing the camera in the back of the buggy. As its a buggy designer for off-roading the shots ended up being quite shaky, meaning the camera would never focus fully‌ however we were still adamant on having the shot. This meant that we thought a bit about our options. We decided to get my Dad to drive a van very slowly down the lane, asking him to drive as slowly and controlled as possible. This worked really well as the van was more stable than the buggy, overall the shot came out nicely I think. We still had hours of day light left therefore we managed to film some establishing shots of the countryside of Hertfordshire. The second half of this day went very smoothly. The only scenes that we had left to film was the kitchen scene. There were no difficulties at all when it came to this part of filming.
DAY 2 / LOCATION 2 : LONDON The only hard part about this day was organisation and time management. We knew what scene we needed to film and what shots we wanted due to our story board and shot list. However London is a very busy place and that makes it more challenging to shoot in a location full of people that you can’t direct or control since they have no idea what you're doing. We left for London early around 9:00AM. We headed for our first location of the day; Trafalgar Square. This shoot went reasonably well. Although going back to my earlier shot it was hard to maintain continuity as tourist were climbing over the lions therefore they would appear in one shot and not the next. The next location was South Bank. This was very quick as we literally only had to film an establishing / focus pull of the London Eye, and then a long and medium shot of Harlow looking out towards the Themes. The third location was across the river, meaning we had to walk over the London Bridge in order to get the other other side. We then sat on the bank, set up the cameras and waited it for it to get darker to get our final shot which was the time lapse. We also filmed on a platform on the way home as it was very empty and it could possibly make the cut as an establishing shot. Overall I am very please with the shoot today in London. As a group we worked really well in order to time manage, organise, navigate and ensure that nothing gets lost or stolen.
Here are a few pictures from the shoot.
I will answer these questions briefly in order to asses the efficiency of our team dynamic:
• How did the shoot go? Very well! Any problem that we encountered we soon overcame through the mean of discussion. •
What problems do you encountered?
First of all we encountered the problem of how to shoot the tracking shot. We tried filming it with an off-road buggy, however these shots came out very bumpy therefore we tried using a vehicle and sitting the boot of the van to record the scene and this came out a lot smoother. The second problem we encountered was not knowing the best way to shot the kitchen scene. We were unsure about certain shot sized however decided in the end to go with a medium long shot. The third problem that we encountered was in London. We had a mix up with tickets and oyster cards costing us valuable filming time, however in the end we managed to get all the shots that we desired. The fourth problem that we encountered was when we were filming the time lapse. As the sun was setting the wind was becoming SO heavy meaning the camera kept of slightly moving. This meant we had to hold the tripods down. We had no gloves on and the temperature was becoming increasingly colder. This meant we didn't get enough footage of the darkness, but after reviewing it we think that it will turn out just fine in the final edit. •
How did you overcome the problems?
Communication was key for our group. We managed to overcome the bumps in the road by talking. We discussed our options if a problem presented itself and then talked through the best solution to solve it. •
How well did you work as a team?
Very well In my opinion, especially in London. It was vital to have good communication and work as a team in London as it was very possible that equipment could get easily lost or stolen. In addition to this we also had to work with a busy surrounding, therefore we had to work as a team to get the right shots.
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What do you think of the footage you shot?
Overall I am very happy with the footage that we have shot. I think that we have managed to shoot every single shot that we needed and more for back up. In addition to this our group wasn’t afraid to experiment and try something new, such as using a van to create a tracking shot. Therefore I am very happy with the footage that we have shot. •
Are there any areas for improvement in the technical execution?
At the current moment in time, I don't think that they are any major improvements necessary when it comes to technical execution. We experimented with different mic’s, lenses and software therefore I think we tried our best with everything we did. • Is there anything you will need to do now as a consequence of the footage you shot? No. • Have you abided by the rules of continuity? Yes, although it was a challenge. Because our character teleports, you have to shoot the character jumping and then landing. This normally takes around 5 minutes to get each on perfect. Therefore if you introduces a very busy area populated with loads or tourists it can be very challenging due to continuity. However we waiting for the right moment to shoot, where it was as bare as possible and got the process done very quickly therefore continuity was abided by.