Reviewing the First Test Shoot

What were you filming and why?

We filmed Jamie walking through a forest, from different angles, as we wanted our shoot to focus on the camera angles in which we would be filming our sequence. We filmed him doing a simple walk to test how the shots would look as well as the time frame and how we would be able to build suspense from that.

What substitutions did you make in the test filming and why?

We used Jamie instead of an older business man, because we did not have anyone of that age who was available for our shooting day. It was simple to use Jamie because he is a male, and is part of our group which meant he knew exactly what he had to do and was very cooperative when shooting different angles with the same pace.

We also substituted a black pipe for a dead body because we wanted to work on camera work instead of mise en scene. This did not affect the way in which we filmed our test shoot, it was not necessary to have a dead body.

The lighting was not what we wanted for this sequence, we wanted it to be set in the night time but unfortunately we were unable to film it at night due to restrictions and regulations as well as schedule clashes.

What camera angles and camera movements were you testing and why?

We tested the over the shoulder shot, to see how effective it would be in terms of tension building and mystery towards the character of the girl. I thought it was effective because there was a sense of unknown because we cannot see the girls face, however we can tell she is watching the man walking very intensely and suspiciously which worked well when referring back to building suspense within the sequence.

We also tested a close up of the man's face when he senses that someone is watching him, this was meant to intensify his emotions and convey to the audience that there is something wrong. However, when shooting did this not work well, as we did not find the correct angle to show his face, I think it would have worked better as a low angle but instead we went for a straight shot of his face. This was so badly filmed that we decided not to include it in the test shoot edited version however it was a good learning experience.

Finally, we tested a point of view shot that I found very unique and effective. It puts the audience in the victim's perspective, therefore intensifying the thrill of the sequence as well as creating a different way of showing a character's nervousness in the situation.

Did you find this process useful as a group?

I found this process useful to a certain extent as we realized how much work our sequence needed in many sense, i.e. timing, the sequence was extremely short, as well as our story line was not suspenseful enough and not enough was happening for it to create an audience reaction. We also had a group member missing when we filmed this shoot which made the process more difficult because we had less people to work with and less creativity in the group. However it was very helpful in terms of going out and shooting something, how time consuming and precise it is.

What worked well? I.e. what camera work are you going to carry forward to your idea? What location? Pace?

The over the shoulder shot worked well as it carried a sense of mystery that we definitely want to keep in our new sequence because the man's identity remains a secret till the end. It is very effective because you can see the back of their head which instantly makes the audience want to know more about the character which is exactly the kinds of emotions we want the audience to be feeling throughout the sequence. A sense of 'who is this person?' and 'why can't I see him?'. When thinking about these questions it almost then gives the character a sense of authority and power.

What didn’t go well?

The location for this sequence was wrong, it seemed almost unrealistic to have that scenario in the woods or even more stereotypical of any thriller one would see where someone is brutally murdered when they were wondering alone in the woods at night.

The close up on Jamie's face did not work because it did not convey the right emotions and had no meaning to just add a close up on his face where as it would have made more sense to go for a low angle as if someone might have been looking up at him or even a high angle to give his character a sense of vulnerability. The establishing shot, also, did not work as well as we had hoped. It did not contributed in any way to the story line nor did it create a certain mood or tone for the sequence.

The sequence as a whole did not build as much tension as we had hoped because the timing of the shots were not thought out properly, so for the cuts to make sense when it came to editing we found that the shots were all very short and static which killed the tension and suspense that was supposed to be created with the mysterious girl following him.

The effect of the girl being in different locations while the man walked on the same path did not quite portray the supernatural effect we were looking for. I thought it was going to look as if she had quickly ran from one place to another with super speed powers or something of the sorts. However it just looked as if it was an error or it would have simply confused the audience. We also tried to abide by the 180 degree rule but at a certain point we fail to abide by it and the girl is on the other side of the screen.

How has this influenced you with the next stage of your idea?

This test shoot has helped me realize the importance of deciding the timing for each shot, and why it will last as long as we decided it too. This will help our shooting day process move much more smoothly and effectively. It has also helped in deciding what camera work we want to use for our shoot, i.e. the point of view shot is unique and will make our piece stand out as well as building the character's tension within the scene effectively.