Production NOtes

Production NOtes

Scene 2 Shot 2For this shot in post production this will be shown as a sequence of images, therefore for this I needed a really really fast shutter speed with as bad of an aperture as possible because the dog moves that fast that focusing on the dog is an extremely hard feat, especially when hes in full flight like on this shoot. However I managed to get six images which was a plentiful amount that I picked out of 230 other images, these images matched the storyboard images almost identically and they body of the dog filled the full frame, using the whole frame allowed for a visually better image, optimised quality and cinematography, as none of the frame went to waste and the subject was in focus throughout.

Scene 3 shot 2For the star trail shot I needed to have a clear sky at night and by shooting in December it was helpful in the way that as the nights become more frosty therefore clouds dispersed and the sky was clear. I left the camera exposed for 30 second bursts over approximately a 4 hour process. Initially I compressed all the photos on photoshop to show a star trial in one image with all the images from an hour and a half segment (because clouds came over)

My issue with the image was that when the image was taken it appears a spotlight or some light source was lightened and it had a negative effect on the lighting of the tree. Because the sky was mainly black this acted as an eyesore and this created a rather large eyesore and it also doesnt look natural at all. Therefore I must reshoot this image or edit the image in post production to tone down the green in that area

Scene 6 shot 1 For my first shoot I decided to shoot in the media studio for the penultimate scene. Here I framed the shot so that the Dummy camera was in the bottom left of the frame and the actor would be in the right third of the screen. This frame is almost identical to that of which I drawn my storyboard with.

Because the room was dark it meant that the aperture had to be low in order to have a decent shutter speed and ISO level to reduce the noise. This meant that there was a large depth of field difference between the camera and the chair. Therefore I used a technique I learnt online called follow focus. This is where you make a mental note of where to focus the lens on different points of the scene.

Scene 6 shot 2For the portrait shot I adapted my storyboard image from an extreme close up to a mid-close up. Here by I felt that I could add more detail into the image with adding my shoulders and chest into the shot. I framed it so that the eyes were in the middle third on the eyeline line of the grid. Moreover I also added the shoulders onto the bottom line and more specifically onto the intersects.

Scene 1 shot 2Every noticeable change in exposure or angle means a cut in that sequence. I compiled all the different ones in one video because it was easier for me to see them all at the same time and pick one to use for the final advert. I felt that by using different angles and ways to frame it it would lead to vastly different but equally similar shots. I Also adjusted the exposure on the last one to make the darks more darker and still keep the lights at the same level of colour. This made them stand out a lot more and reduce any unneeded attention around the screen. This acted as an alternative to using focus to attract attention to a certain area of the screen.

Scene 4 shot 1This scene I felt worked out well because I adapted it from the storyboard. Rather than put the hand into the frame with the camera pressed up against the flower at arms length, I felt that putting my eyes closer to the viewfinder and acting like a proper photographer I felt this also incorporated the actor much more and drawn attention to the 2 subjects in the frame. The framing of the shot too is also good I feel because half of the screen is filled by the subject and the other half is filled by the photographer.

Scene 4 shot 2For this shot I had to improvise abit because the storyboard was a vague setting. Therefore for this shot I had to freehand shoot the flowers, something that I felt comfortable with. Because there was so much detail in the different layers of flowers, with some being closer to the lens than others. This led to a hard time framing and focusing the flowers, therefore I had to reduce the shutter speed to up the aperture whilst all the wile not having any motion blur and minimum ISO. However I managed to get these shots that I was happy with and all three should feature on the advert because of ho much screen time they have and the ability to switch between the different images is something that I can incorporate in pre production. The framing of the shots was so that the photos are framed using the rule of thirds. Especially the last one, which showcases a little background, that is all bokeh, with the foreground being in focus and showing crisp and detailed texture on the flower, this therefore leads to it being a compelling image and something that I had in mind when I drew the storyboard, even with how basic it looks.

Scene 5 shot 1We tried to film this shot however it was impossible due to the high volume of people stood on the second floor as us, This made it impossible to use our production notes and use time sparingly, to co-ordinate a fast, successful shoot that coordinated with the pre production documents. Therefore I decided to leave this shot and proceed onto the next shot and reshoot this at a later date.

Scene 5 shot 2This shot required a longer than usual shutter speed to maximum motion blur and a wider aperture to show the surrounding area. However what an issue with this was is that there was no room for me physically on my vantage point because of the amount of people up there with me also. Therefore I had to use a monopod and try my best to hold it still and steady without any movement. Because this scene and framing was done because I wanted the main actor (Frankie) to be stood in the middle of the frame, and the people who move around him to be blurred out. I felt these initial shots had a backbone for me to build on and the potential is there for me. However I would prefer more people to be in the frame and walk around the actor aswell. I was happy with the framing because you can clearly see who the subject is, even though the shot is a wide angle shot with no area of the frame dedicated to the main subject, but the use of movement and flow indicates the main subject to the viewer without any eye sores or issues.

Scene 2 shot 1This shot was I feel an almost identical replica to the storyboard shot. This here is an imperative example of how important pre production was to me and how well I worked with my pre production notes. The only noticeable change here was the background. My initial idea was to frame the sky behind the actor but this gave no subtle indication of location. Therefore I went to a back up place on the same location that features some nature behind me, that helps it act as an anchor point that roots the image, gives it a sense of perspective because you can see how far off the ground the low angle shot is too, which helps the issue of continuity editing and emphasises how important tis location was to me, because otherwise with just a sky in the background, you would have no indication you were in a rural environment

Scene 3 shot 1This shot was much harder than I had expected because of how dark the shot was. I thought lighting at the location from lights on the ceiling would be enough but it was almost undetectable. So therefore I had to position a high powered spotlight at the right side of the frame, so that the actor and the camera were both well lit in the frame. I was happy with the framing of this shot, because it is another case of copying the storyboard image. The only improvisation in the entire production of this scene was the spot lighting which was an unexpected incident that was resolved due to positive on the spot thinking.

Scene 1 shot 1The initial scene in the chronology of the advert was important to nail in order to get off to a good, fast start. The light was perfect in my opinion. It was low key lighting that was just bright enough for no need of a spotlight or any other type of lighting. The bright costume wear along with the blue sky on the background makes for a dark lit image that is still viewable to the human eye without struggling to see anything. The framing of this advert was good because the whole screen is filmed with the actor and camera, meaning that there is no space gone to waste at all, using the whole framing to its complete use without letting any of it be empty, create a void and make the advert look too detached from the viewer.

Scene 7 shot 1 & 2Personally this was my favorite shot in the entire production. I felt that this is another case of where the storyboard matches the shot very well.In terms of production the only variable thats changed was that a spotlight was held just out of the frame above the camera to light up the camera and make it the obvious main subject of the advert.I was extremely happy with the strong bokeh in the background from street lights, which also runs along with the ethos of the advert being this is what you can do manually without use of an automatic mode on a mobile device. I felt this was a very strong scene and something that will definitely not be needed to reshoot as this was exactly what I had in my head. The framing of this shot was perfect because the subject is in the very left of the screen complying with the rule of thirds. The large vacant space on the right hand side of the screen is reserved for the tag line and logo which will fade in on the advert in the right hand side of the frame. Therefore filling the entire frame and satisfying the pre production notes.

Reshoots and datesScene 3 Shot 2 needed reshooting because of the luminous green on the trees making a distorted and unrealistic image.Shoot Day for Scene 3 Shot 2 will be 15/11/16 (due to bad weather, cannot be shot on the 14th which is one week after the initial shoot like I specified)Scene 6 Shot 2 will also be re-shot due to a dispute over the angle and framing of the shotShoot day for Scene 6 shot 2 will be 15/11/16Scene 5 will also need entirely reshooting again at an appropriate time, Scheduled for 18/11/16

Scene 3 shot 2 reshoot

My reshoot of this scene will need another reshoot because of the cloud spurts that glade over in large quantities. Moreover glare from the sunset creates an orange tinge on the shot which blinds the lens for a few seconds and makes the stars not come out for a while. Moreover, I wasnt particularly happy with the framing of the shot because it is completely wayward from the storyboard, as well as being quite off target. The angle of the shot is canted anti clockwise slightly, this is evident through the angle of the roof. For my next shoot I will frame this properly like on the storyboard and create a time-lapse with minimal deficiencies and errors.

Reshoot of scene 6 shot 2

Im happy with the reshoot of this shot because I can fully see why I initially had a gut instinct about the initial shoot being incorrect. I changed the angle and shot of the shooting, resulting in a shot that mirrored the storyboard heavily, it is almost an identical replica and couldnt have been framed much better. I fell that the dark black void in the left side of the screen has gone in the new shoot, with a much tighter framing

Second reshootI will need to reshoot scene 3 shot 2 again because of ambient lighting and sunset throwing my image off what I want it to look like as well as clouds looking like motion blur blocking the stars.This reshoot is scheduled for 21/11/16

Reshooting this for the third time was helpful because of what I had learned from previous shots. By framing the shot so that the north star was in the to right, the trees at the bottom right and a clear night sky, it enabled me to take a good time-lapse photo of the stars, satellites and planes. I felt this collection of images sped up was the correct time-lapse for me. There is no visual distraction from the stars movement and twinkles. The only variable I couldnt control was sporadic cloud bursts in the sky. This was purely down to luck, even on a forecasted frosty night, one could not predict random clouds appearing.

End of productionIn Summary I believe that my production went well. Only a handful of shots were needed for reshoots and only 2 scenes were cut due to issues with filming. However this is not all at loss as during pre production it means theres much more time for the other scenes to be on screen then to fit in the 30 second slot. I am happy that I kept with my shooting schedule, my production schedule and my storyboard, proving that preliminary work helps eradicate any inaccuracies than just going to make up shots using improvisation