For our first filming session, we decided to go with the shots that showed the Protagonist walking home, therefore showing the downtrodden area that she lives in, then later on we filmed the scene where she arrives home and runs upstairs after hearing her Parents arguing.
Overall, the shoot was very successful, we managed to film everything we wanted to film, and also got plenty of extra shots that we may want to use later on. The equipment was simple enough to book out and use, and all of our cast and crew worked efficiently and without complaint. We did have a basic shot list that we followed, however for the most part we came up with interesting shots on the spot, hoping to capture each moment in as many different way as possible.
Below you can find the call sheet for the shoot, describing which scenes we filmed at what time, who was needed etc.
For our piece, we required quite a few extras for small roles here and there in the film, this of course required us to find and hire said extras. In order to do this, we simply cast ourselves where we could and also asked some of our close friends and acquaintances to take part, getting each one to sign a consent form, and telling them when and where they'd be needed.
All the consent forms have been gathered, and each gives us the information needed to contact the cast, and gives them the information as to what it is they're signing up for.
Before being given permission to use the equipment, we must be sure that we fully understand the risks we will be taking in accordance with the locations we have chosen, and understand the repercussion's should anything go wrong. In order to establish this, we created a Risk Assessment that applies to all of our shoots, therefore letting both the University know that we know what we're doing. Once we had it made, we got a member of staff to check and sign it, therefore giving us permission to use the equipment.
Having secured everything we needed for filming to begin, we discussed and decided amongst ourselves which days would be best for filming, and Amelia made a basic Schedule, covering everything we would need to do filming-wise over the next few weeks.
Throughout the course, there have been multiple workshops available for us to attend, of which should help us to gain a better understanding of how to both book out and use the equipment, along with the basics on editing. While I and other members of my group had previous experience in filmmaking, it was still beneficial to us to attend these workshops.
Not only did learn the fundamentals as to as to how to book out the equipment, but we also gained a better understanding as to how to use the specific equipment that we would have access to during the project. We were also given the chance to practice using it, of which helped later down the line when we were on set, therefore reducing set up time and allowing us to keep punctual.
One of the key elements of our film is the Music that will be playing over the top of it for the majority of it's duration. It is a decision we made in early pre-production as we felt it would minimise the risk of having poor sound quality when it came to dialogue or sound effects, therefore making the whole thing seem more professional. This however, came with a tough decision - what piece of music to use.
For obvious reasons, we couldn't simply pick a song from our favourite artist and plaster it on top of our piece, as it would infringe copyright. Plus, even if we did try to gain the rights to use it, we haven't got the time nor the budget to accomplish this feat successfully. We therefore turned our attention to the internet, and such websites as AKM and Audio Jungle, where you can purchase music for small prices to then use however you see fit.
In terms of the type of music we wanted, I was dead set on getting an instrumental piece, preferably consisting solely of Piano that had a Sad, Somber and almost whimsical feel to it. The tempo couldn't be too slow however as I still wanted it to have almost a sense of urgency, as if time was running out, again linking back to the theme of the film.
Amelia and I spent the majority of an evening listening to countless tracks online, but not many seemed to fit what we had in mind. Some were too short, others were too long, some were too happy, others too sad etc. In the end, we managed to narrow it down to three pieces that we felt could work in the film that weren't too long or too short. However, rather than simply picking our favourite, we decided to consult Sophie, as she was the one that would have to come up with a dance for it. In the end she said she liked a piece simply entitled 'Sad Piano'. This piece of music is therefore the one we have chosen for our film.
