TRACKS
Turning Script to Screen
The script we chose was my own. The original title was 'The Shining Thames' due to the script being based in London. Of course, we didn't have the ability to film in London due to our production budget and wasn't efficient to where are home editing base was.
So our first challenge was to take the source material and change the locations without damaging the integrity of the script. Another problem we encountered was the use of trains. We had around three weeks to complete the project and legalistically we couldn't film within the trains its self. We spoke about we could work around it and came up with a few ways we could.
Shooting Manually on DSLR Cameras
Shooting on DLSR cameras gave us complete creative control on our image and that was a new experience for the whole group. We were able to create the look we wanted through the manual settings on the cameras. (ISO,FSTOP)
Through these settings we could create the style and feel we wanted. For example during the toilet scenes we could set a darker tone. However this did come with a downfall, we had the issue with the ISO making the image looking grainy. This was because of the lack of lighting in the area was ambient and wasn't strong enough.
Gaining Adequate Coverage
When shooting our short film we wanted to ensure we had enough footage for cutaways. So if we couldn't shoot key scenes due to absence of the group we didn't waste time. We went out and shot cutaways and anything we could throw into the time line to fill the gaps.
We had to be organised to do this. We had to plan shooting dates weeks in advance and within that we had to organise what we were specifically filming on those days.
My Own Sequence
The sequence I storyboarded and shot was a scene set in a public toilet. The toilet is a key point in the short as this is the scene where our heroes find out that the briefcase they possess contained the blood diamonds. This sets the stage and increases the pace of the short drastically.
When storyboarding I had to key mind the fact that we didn't have a location. This made it difficult as I couldn't get specific within the camera direction and had to be more general. For example; during the scene my character Clark places the case down on the sink and stares into the mirror. Now this is a very general way to describe the action because I didn't know if the toilet would have a mirror facing the sink and if it was big enough to fulfil what I wanted the scene to look like.
If I could re storyboard the scene; I would definitely like to visit the location and get a scene of the location. This would help me visually when storyboarding the scene. And maybe the scene might have turned out better in the long run or maybe not.
I wanted this scene to be intense so I made sure to film lots of close ups and give a claustrophobic feel.
When shooting our short film we wanted to ensure we had enough footage for cutaways. So if we couldn't shoot key scenes due to absence of the group we didn't waste time. We went out and shot cutaways and anything we could throw into the time line to fill the gaps.
We had to be organised to do this. We had to plan shooting dates weeks in advance and within that we had to organise what we were specifically filming on those days.
My Own Sequence
The sequence I storyboarded and shot was a scene set in a public toilet. The toilet is a key point in the short as this is the scene where our heroes find out that the briefcase they possess contained the blood diamonds. This sets the stage and increases the pace of the short drastically.
When storyboarding I had to key mind the fact that we didn't have a location. This made it difficult as I couldn't get specific within the camera direction and had to be more general. For example; during the scene my character Clark places the case down on the sink and stares into the mirror. Now this is a very general way to describe the action because I didn't know if the toilet would have a mirror facing the sink and if it was big enough to fulfil what I wanted the scene to look like.
If I could re storyboard the scene; I would definitely like to visit the location and get a scene of the location. This would help me visually when storyboarding the scene. And maybe the scene might have turned out better in the long run or maybe not.
I wanted this scene to be intense so I made sure to film lots of close ups and give a claustrophobic feel.
Ben,
ReplyDeletePlease embed your video rather than linking to it.
Merit achieved for the video and distinction for your management of the production.
EllieB