Filming diary - Second Draft

Day of filming: Saturday 7th February
Scene filmed: park scene
Time spent: 2.5hrs
Money spent: £10 bus and train fares
£12 drinks and snacks for actresses and myself

Organisation

Again, as Maia and I go to the same college some of the organisation was done face to face.  Communication with Manda over Facebook was essential as Maia's bus was late which made us over half an hour late for picking up the girls.  This was unavoidable but this communication was essential for keeping everyone in the know.  (Thankfully the delay had no drastic effect on filming or on anyone's plans for the day)

Filming

Filming, again, went fairly well.  However, I think I'll need to film some of the shots again and get some of the same shots from different angles.  I'll experiment with these in the process of making my 3rd draft in order to get the best looking video possible.  Another problem is that the girls were wearing different outfits, which interferes with the continuity of the storyline and effective portrayal of the narrative.  I may film these shots again but next time I'll ask the girls if they can wear the same thing which will hopefully make it more obvious that they are the same person.  (Failing that I'll buy something for them to wear, perhaps a simple dress and pumps.  This will be cheap and it will make it easier for the audience to identify them as the same person.)

I also still need to film some of the slow-motion abstract shots.  These can be filmed in the first week back after half term using an iPhone.  During my week off I'll buy some more items to smash and film other abstract shots that don't require any actresses.  This time can also be used to make the 'moon' prop.  This then means that I can film these scenes one night after college (as I'll need it to be night time), maybe even in the first week back.  (Maia can just catch the college bus back with me, we'll film then she can catch the train home)    I also plan to film at the park again in a few weeks, if this is okay with all my actresses.  I may also use my week off to make a camera rig so that I can film a wider variety of shots without having to worry about camera shake.  I think that the second session of filming will take much less time as I'll know exactly what I'm doing and the actresses will also be more familiar with what they need to do.  I can also plan my time more effectively and make more lee-way for interruptions e.g. public transport delays.  All in all, the rest of the filming should go smoothly.

Overview

I managed to get some good footage which is definitely usable and I may not even have to re-film most of it.  I just need to film some of the 'moon' shots and the clips for the intro and the end part of the video.  The video is nearly finished!!

Filming Diary - First draft

Day of filming: Saturday 15th December

Scene filmed: Bedroom (waking up)

Time spent: 1hr

Cost: £5 (train fares for actress)

Organisation:

 

Filming:

Maia and I go to college together so some of the organisation was done face to face.  However we also used facebook messenger and texts to make sure we could contact each other out of college.  This is important for effective organisation, as one person can easily notify the other if there are any changes or disruptions to plans.  In short, noone is left in the lurch if something goes wrong. 

What went well:  I remembered the rule of thirds while filming which meant my shots looked balanced and fairly well composed.  Organising the set before the actress arrived highlighted a few issues and allowed me to address them accordingly.

My original plan was to have the matress on the floor so that the pillow side was near the window therefore closer to the natural light.  However when I actually put the matress there I realised that it was too big and got in the way of the door.

The door wouldn't close because the foot of the mattress was in the way.  This would have interfered with some of the shot types I wanted and would have also made it difficult to leave the room in case of health and safety emergencies etc. 

So instead I put the mattress in the opposite corner of the room.  Further away from the source of natural light but this didn't make much difference because as you can see, the whole room was well lit.   The mattress was no longer in the way of the door and it fit perfectly into the space.  

I put the clothes rail at the end of the bed for three reasons.  It was originally going to go against the wall where I had now placed the mattress, but I obviously could no longer do this.  It also saved space to put it at the end of the bed which was vital as we already had limited space to work with.  It also helped to conceal the boiler in the corner of the room.  

Overview:   Filming went well overall.  I'm pleased with my choice of actress.  I remembered to take each shot from a different angle so I could experiment with them in editing.  Forgot to take a couple shots but this wasn't a major issue as I was still able to piece together the footage that I had got to create a strong enough sense of linear narrative.   This session did highlight the importance of a highly structured storyboard as this was the main reason I forgot some of the shots.  

Next time I'll have my storyboard fully organised so that I can plan the filming properly.  I hope to get all the shots I need finished in one day.  This will require good organisation because we'll have to travel across town to get to one of the locations.  What's more is that we'll be using public transport and filming in winter when the sun sets around 4 O'clock.  Therefore, a good storyboard is very important because if I miss a one vital shot in the location across town, it'll be a lot of effort just to go there again and film it.
However I'm satisfied with the way the day went, especially considering that this was the first filming session and that it's only for my first of several drafts.  I managed to get some good footage and I learnt from my mistakes.