3-6 SHOT EDITED EXERCISE:

The planning process for the 3-6 shot edited exercise involved two members from our group going on a location scout while the rest of the group began discussing possible shots based on the script. However, we knew our ideas for our shots during the planning and discussing stage were subject to change based on the location chosen. The time that we spent planning whilst not on location, seemed to be almost a waste as when we arrived on location and saw what we had to work with we basically started planning from scratch.

The location chosen was a balcony with a view of the Old Melbourne Jail grounds and the city skyline which provided a nice backdrop to our scene. However, the space was quite cramped and there was piping and other objects crowding our space. Acting out the scene in the space helped us decide on the shots we were happy with, and we planned the maximum six shots that we were allowed. Having decided to swap the production roles as much as possible throughout the shoot, we managed to all get behind camera except for the two actors due to us running out of time. It was difficult to review the shots in the location as the space was so cramped, we could only have one person behind camera at a time. Having to move along quickly, we trusted that the shot was good without reviewing it and moving on to the following shot.

Filming the over the shoulder (Amy) with the phone was probably the most difficult shot to film, however it was the one we were most excited about. Our aim was to try and get both Amy and Tom’s reflection in the phone clearly, then pan right to frame them together facing each other. Due to the fact that we didn’t have a mirror and had to work with the reflection from the phone, the reflections weren’t as clear as we had hoped, however, it still turned out quite nicely. The other shot that excited everyone on the day was the close up of Amy looking into the camera lens as if it were the mirror on her phone. Being something quite different than what we had seen before made us all quite excited to see the final shot. The shot turned out quite well except for the fact that the camera lens was dirty.

During the editing stage, I was able to review all of the shots and see what I had to work with to create the scene. When I began cutting it together, I realised that one of the cuts in particular was a bit awkward – Tom introducing himself to Amy’s over the shoulder shot. To try and make this as smooth as possible, I shortened the clip with Tom walking into frame as much as possible. I also created a J-cut with Tom’s voice coming over the top of the close-up shot of Amy looking into the camera. These two things helped to create a smoother scene.

For a couple of the shots, the tripod wasn’t level and the boom also ended up in frame. To fix this I used the motion feature on Premiere to rotate and zoom the clips. I also used the brightness/contrast, and three-way colour corrector to correct the blueness throughout all of the clips. I also added some wind sound effects to add ambience to the scene.

Watching other people’s cuts of the scene, it became clear that they were all quite similar, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however if we had chosen to film less but lengthier shots, we would’ve had more opportunity to create different cuts of the scene. The main lesson I learned from this exercise was that even though we had more freedom to cover the scene (a maximum of six shots) if we had focused our energy on covering it in two fantastic shots we could’ve been more creative with our scene. Putting more constraints on a shoot can mean that the outcome is more creative and adventurous than expected.

FIRST INDIVIDUAL DIRECTING EXERCISE:

The first individual directing exercise was really exciting. Having the freedom to pick whichever part (or all) of the scene and how you want to cover it was an exciting prospect. When I looked at the script I was immediately able to visualise the shot I wanted to direct. I decided that I wanted to try shooting the first half of the script with the first frame being a mid-shot of the two characters crouching down looking for the book and then panning to follow the book in close-up and then the last frame being the two characters in a mid-shot sitting down with the book.

The first decision we all had to make was which exterior location we should use. We tried to find somewhere that wouldn’t be too noisy or too bright. After deciding on our location we began setting up the equipment and organising the roles for the first shot. We came across an issue with the white balance on the camera where if we tried to set the white balance to A or B, the image would appear either green or red. After trying to troubleshoot, we decided we were wasting too much time trying to fix the issue and so we used the preset white balance, which wasn’t quite right but was better than before.

Allowing the person who was directing to have complete control over the shoot ensured that their visions were (hopefully) met. It was clear that everybody felt a lot freer to choose what they wanted and how they wanted it done, and it was really nice to see everybody’s creative sides.

While I did have a clear idea of what I wanted my shot to look like, it did change when we chose the location. The location didn’t really allow for the almost 90 degree pan I had envisioned. With the time constraints putting us under pressure I decided to still try and film the shot the way I had planned, but with a smaller pan. The experience was fantastic and I would be able to do it again, now understanding that you need to be quite flexible and work with what you have (eg; the location). The main epiphany I had during this exercise was that while I’m not really confident that I pulled off my shot the way I envisioned, I tend to gravitate towards moving shots as I find that they can create depth and you can be quite creative in what you focus on. My intention was to focus on the book during the pan, however my camera position wasn’t correct and it didn’t quite work the way I thought. However this exercise gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to think outside of the box and focus my energy on creating an interesting shot.

Unfortunately not everyone in my shooting group had a chance to film their shot as we ran out of time, this would be the only thing that I would change going forward – to allow for more time for the shoot as a whole.