For Part 14 of the working from home series I decided to plan and shoot the script NO WORD. I enlisted my mother for the main role of the shoot and began planning.

This is the link to the video: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1o75FCN4VKO2qspCK-mdBKUL9Ee7_PM0J

this is the shot list I prepared for the shoot.

Originally I found it very difficult to think about how to shoot this. What angles should I use? What feeling does this scene have? Does it require lots of close ups or long shots? Should it be slow or fast paced? I didn’t really understand the story or where it was going, but I suppose that was the point! We could interpret it our own way. But even though we have now been shown endless examples of great coverage, I still found it hard to envision how I was going to shoot it.

I ended up deciding on attempting to do a very slow paced scene with long and somewhat awkward shots, I found the script very vague and mysterious so I wanted the scene to replicate that.

For the first couple of shots in the scene I planned them to be slow and have good sound design. I wanted there to be sounds of wind and maybe a couple of dogs barking and birds that I would edit in. This would make the set up of the scene really show how quiet and deserted the suburban streets are. But I did something wrong with the microphone, so a couple of the sounds of some shots were not useable, therefore I decided it would be better to simply have it silent. Mostly because I assume that sound design is not meant to be something important in this course at all. Although I do think this ruined some of the aesthetic of the scene which it could have gained from sound design. But the first few shots visually came out how I imagined and wanted, so I am happy with that.

I also rushed some of the shots as people were constantly walking by, so I was a bit embarrassed…A few of the shots were a tiny bit wonky and/or out of focus. I should have spent more time setting up my tripod so that it was straight. I also realised a couple of shots where Volker walks into or out of shot, she isn’t in focus. The shots were too long to leave at one focus setting, I should have used duct tape and marked each focus setting I needed!

I tried to fix up the colours in the scene as the inside shots were very yellow and I wanted to match them to the outside shots. I’m not sure I matched them up as effectively as I had liked to, but I did successfully make it less yellow!

I also think that I should have followed my shot list a bit more effectively. I thought about some new shots and angles while I was shooting, then I forgot to film some of my original ideas. I should have included the full shot of Volker walking to the couch and sitting down, but I couldn’t get far enough back to shoot it with my lens but then when I changed to another lens it didn’t look as good. I also should have shot Volker walking to the couch and opening the letter all in one and then at different angles. When I shot this section I didn’t film it all in one motion, so it was difficult to edit without feeling awkward. It was pretty much the same shot cut into two, which didn’t look great. I suppose next time I would get the actor to act out whole thing, then film it again at different angles and positions and edit it and cut it up later rather than film less and then edit it later.

I think the shots of Volker sitting on the couch should have been more eye level. And as I think about this, I didn’t even stop and think about eye line and angles while I was planning or while I was filming, which is something I need to think about next time!

When I first read the script, I imagined the scene to be a bit uncomfortable and mysterious, so I had the idea of filming the outside section and breaking the ‘180 degree rule’. I planned this with the intent for it to feel slightly uncomfortable, although I don’t think that it quite achieved this. To me it didn’t feel wrong or uneasy. But this could be because I shot it and therefore it makes more sense to me. Maybe I need an outsider perspective to tell me. I showed the scene to my mum and she thinks that it looked good and made sense, although I think she was trying not to be harsh! And I had explained the scene and how I wanted to shoot it, so I think it also wasn’t an outsider perspective to her either.

My last thought is a small one, but originally when I imagined the shot of Volker walking to the mailbox I imagined the frame to originally be empty and have her walk into the frame and check the mail. I didn’t cut it like this because it was way too dragged out and long and I think this was because the driveway was too long. I think I still cut it a bit too long, but I don’t mind it!

Overall, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I like the last shot the best out of all!