A2 Advanced Portfolio: Location Footage and Test Shots

Here I wanted to see how much the lighting differed from room to room for my tracking shot at the end of my film. As you can see in the shot, on the way out of the living room the lighting changes causing the camera to lose focus on the subject. This is something I will have to consider when I come to film this sequence. furthermore I want to film this sequence in the evening as part of the narrative to create an eerie atmosphere, which will mean there is no natural light from outside, so I may have to use artificial lights.

In the bathroom I was trying to get a good shot of the character looking in the mirror as this is something I want to include in my film. I found it hard to get a good shot without the camera being seen in the mirror. When I am filming I will try this again, however I may also try filming from outside through the window. Also the light in the bathroom doesn't always work so I will have to try and get this fixed before filming.

I also tried experimenting with pull focus. I did this by putting my camera into manual focus and turning the focus ring. I like this effect however I found it hard to do this without the footage being shaky because it meant I only had one hand on the camera. When I come to film any scenes with focus pull I will ask someone who is with me to be a camera assistant and pull the focus so that I can keep the camera steady.

EXAMPLE OF MULTI-CAMERA SET UP (IN A STUDIO)

In the scene where you can see a conversation between the girl and a man, I had to experiment with the framing a lot. This was because in a medium close up I could not get the focus to pull so that it went between the two characters being in and out of focus. When I did more of a close-up shot I managed to make it so that I could pull the focus between the two characters and I really liked this effect. Here is the full video where I experimented with framing during the pull focus. You can see how I move closer to the girl so that I can pull focus so she is in focus in the foreground and the man in the background is out of focus, and I can also do the opposite of this where the man is in focus.

However, because I only had one hand on the camera the footage was shaky so this is another scene where I will need an assistant. Also, in my script the conversation is quite long and I think using this same shot for the whole conversation will be quite boring, so therefore on the filming day I will film the same sequence from multiple angles and then cut it together to see what works best. I will do this either single camera or a multi-camera set up, depending on whether i can get hold of another camera. This is not in my storyboard however I think it will be better for me to over-film than to come to editing and realise I don't have enough footage.

This is the original video that my sister took of the filming location when I couldn't get there. Despite this video being short and rushed, it reminded me of the layout of the house and helped me visualise my narrative more when I was still coming up with ideas and writing my script.

This is the first time I tried to do a tracking shot through the house. It is too fast and very shaky because of this. However it did help me to get used to using the DSLR camera and now I know that if I move the camera too quickly the footage will be out of focus and shaky. This is the first time I have filmed using a DSLR so despite the poor quality of the footage it was a useful experience.

Here I tried to do a pan of the kitchen to see what it would look like in my film. I did it handheld and it was very shaky. I think when I come to film this properly I will use a tripod to make it smoother.

I did a shot of the conservatory through the window because it gives the impression of an outsider looking in, which is what my character is when she is looking back at her memories with her Grandad. I really like this shot and would like to replicate it in my film, however I might try moving the chair and framing it differently. Like the conversation I talked about earlier, this is a scene I will film from multiple angles so that I have a lot to choose from in the edit.