Filming Day 2: The Studio

The Studio.

For the studio links, we're planning on filming with an actual set, and 2 presenters. We want the set to represent our brand, but not be too distracting. We're planning on using purple and teal as our brand colours (although the logo in the example is purple and yellow, which we initially were going to go for).

After the shoot

We did change from yellow to teal because we thought that yellow connoted to much younger children, and teal seemed to match the pale purple that we were going for; however when the logo was printed, it was printed in the purple and yellow, so we stuck with the original instead.
We shot on 17th Oct. and managed to get everything we needed in the time that we were filming. We mostly used the script to know what to film next, however I feel it would have been easier to use a shot list, which we didn't have.

What went well?

Teleprompter

After the practice in the green screen workshop, I was pretty happy with how to use the teleprompter equipment, and I was glad to have had practice with how to speak using the prompter, as it can take a lot of practice and adjustment. You also have to be melodramatic in the way you speak and move, as you can appear unnaturally still if you don't make the effort to move and speak in an interesting way.
I was happy that Jay was able to pick it up almost immediately too, as he had never used one before, but he appeared very natural on screen with some guidance. I did need to try to not appear as though I was reading, but this came with getting used to the script, and it was easier to remember what to say with the teleprompter as just a reminder of what's to say next.

Casting

I was happy that we were able to get Jay on board with the project, as I knew he would do well on screen as he has a good personality. Me and Jay are also good friends, so we were able to laugh and joke together on screen with it looking natural and not forced. However, at times it did look a little scripted, but I think this is unavoidable with it actually being scripted, and if we had been doing the same shoot for a few days rather than just 1, it may have become more natural.

Set

We knew we wanted something simple for the set, and we stuck with what we planned throughout. It worked really well and looked just how I imagined. I think we kept our idea realistic and simple. It could have been improved with maybe some coloured lights on the wall to make the white wall more interesting, but aside from this I think it was good that we stuck with something realistic. We could have planned an extravagant set with professional background like BBC or This Morning, however we never would have had the budget for something like this. If we had used green screen, it would have run the risk of appearing very unrealistic and may have looked strange.
One way I would have used green screen for the background would have been to film the view from Great Lines Heritage Park and then use that as the green screen background.

Sound

Sound on the set, recorded by Ebony, is at a good level, and noise isn't too loud. It will still need some changes in post-production, such as removing the 'hiss' which will be fairly simple with the use of Highpass and Lowpass filters.

Shots

We had a very simple plan for the shots, as we wanted to keep it simple for the studio so that the audience would be able to quickly understand what's happening, and focus more on the information. Our basic coverage gave me more than enough to edit with.

What could we improve on?

Lighting

When booking the equipment, we booked 1 aperture kit. We should have got 2, as this caused problems when trying to set up. It took a long time to light the set well with just the 2 lights (and room ceiling lights), and meant that our shoot over-ran. This wasn't a disaster, but had we booked the room for a shorter time, or had other commitments in the evening, it would have really taken up much more time having to pick up shots another day.
The actual lighting of the shots turned out okay in the end, but it would have made it much easier had we had 2 kits, and the set may have looked more professional also.

Shot List

We didn't make shot lists for this project, as Esme had said she didn't think they were necessary.
Looking back, I think it may have sped the process up, as we would have known exactly what we needed, rather than just trying to remember and risking missing a shot.

Clarity in roles

Although we've each assigned roles, it wasn't very clear on-set, and roles were crossing over a lot. It was agreed that;

• Esme- Director
• Harvey- Camera
• Ebony- Sound/ Lighting
• Effie- Producer/ Presenter

However, although Harvey was camera, he also took on the role of lighting, which meant that he was running back and forth moving the lights and looking on the camera. Ebony insisted on him telling her where to move them but he refused to let her, which also took time. We needed direction from Esme to get everyone back into the correct roles, however this didn't happen. Both Ebony and I tried to help Harvey with the lighting but he just wanted to move them himself.

This all took longer than it needed to, and in the future I think we need more of a reinforced idea of roles and what is involved in those roles.

What did I learn?

How to use a teleprompter

This project has been the first time I have used a teleprompter in 3 years, so it's been interesting to have to remember how to read while still looking natural on camera. I've found it to be a valuable experience and I enjoyed revisiting the topic.

Confidence on camera

Although I started the project saying that I didn't want to be on camera as I wanted to try something different, I'm still glad I did as it meant that I was able to build my confidence and get used to speaking directly to a camera, which can be daunting at first. I found it beneficial to have Jay with me on camera, as I felt I could relax more with someone else with me. Which leads me to...

How to interact with others on camera

With past experiences I've struggled with on-camera interactions, as I was more shy and having the camera watch our conversation made it more difficult. However, as I've grown confidence whilst being at university, I've also grown more comfortable around people and this really helped when it came to filming.

Directing Crew

I've learned how to explain what is needed to crew in a way that they will understand- it can sometimes be difficult to get across a vision that you have for a project and put it into words. However, I think in this project I've excelled in communication.

Lighting

I learned how to properly light a set. I've always struggled to remember lighting techniques and it's never been one of my best skills, but this project, the green screen workshop in particular, has helped me fully understand what is needed and why- what effect each light is having on the look of the shot and how it can change with just a slight movement.

What could I develop?

Pre Production

As a producer I feel that I should have taken responsibilty for the pre production more, however I ended up only working on half of the script (Ebony on the other), casting and set design. I feel I did a good job at what I did, but I think I could have done more, such as pre production paperwork, although it was quite good that we all shared that responsibility as it meant that we saved time.
In the future I want to have more of a solid idea of what to expect from each day, as I think that a shot list, production schedule, and maybe even a rough story board could have helped.

Learnt the script

There were sections of the script that I should have learned. I managed fine on the day with a few practices, but learning the script would have saved time.

Conclusion

In conclusion this shoot was successful with the output but it could have been structured much better. I can take from it the importance of pre production paperwork, and also how important it is for everyone to be completely clear in what to expect of the day and who will be doing what. However, I think we all managed well and despite some of the difficulties we still all worked really well together, we all took each other's constructive criticism and I was glad to have kept the shoot simple.