FP: Film Shoot Reflection

On 10/1/16, we went to our chosen location (Westerham woods) with the aim of shooting our entire slasher film opening. My principal role throughout the shoot was cameraman, although both Ollie and Leo participated in filming whilst they were not needed as actors. As a group, despite having each having separate roles of our own, we all shared part of every role. For example, if I was not operating the camera for a shot because, for instance, Leo was not acting in that shot so he took over the role of cameraman, then I would act as the director, deciding where to place the camera, which props to use, exactly what the actor in the shot (in this case Ollie) should be doing etc. Also, due to our extensive use of the jib and tracking, I was often required to operate this equipment. I provided the camera for the shoot, so part of my job was also changing lenses/settings etc. in order to ensure we were using the correct setup for each individual shot.


           There were numerous challenges that we were forced to overcome. For example the specific location we wanted to use is not directly accessible by road, which meant walking for approximately 30 minutes reach our destination. This was not made easier by the fact that it had rained heavily for most of the previous day, and the duration of the morning leading up to our shoot. Furthermore, we were carrying all of the equipment needed for our shoot, including the tracking and dolly, the jib, tripod, camera and lenses, props and a fold up chair. Also we were accompanied by a large, energetic and impatient dog. This leads me on to the next challenge we faced as a group: working with animals. As an individual I had previously failed to predict precisely how uncooperative animals can be when filming. We ended up filming around fifteen takes for a shot that I had predicted we would be able to capture in one take, involving the dog simply running away. However, despite dog related challenges we hopefully managed to record all of the clips we had planned to. Near to the end of the shoot, the camera started to run very low on battery, so we began to worry that we would not be able to finish the shoot. Because of this we were forced to hurry slightly in order to get the shots that we needed, and then when we had completed these shots there was enough battery left for us to film extra shots and establishing shots etc. Hopefully, the lack of time will not affect the quality of our final piece.
  
            Despite unfavourable conditions at times, I am pleased with how our shoot went, especially with the fact that we were able to complete it in one day and at one location, and in my opinion the footage that we gathered was of good standard and will lead to the production of a good quality film opening.