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.
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