Filming Day 3

We have completed our third day of filming. Today we filmed the monologue scene within the car. Filming is coming along on schedule nicely and we are expecting to be finished at the end of the next couple of filming days. Below is a short video outlining what we will do next and what we have filmed today.

Behind the Scenes

Here is the first 'Behind the Scenes' video of our filming progress. The result of this days filming can be seen below this video.

These videos contain some swearing, as part of the dialogue.

Now watch The First Edit

In this production, we are trying to stay well clear of the typical 'school project' film. Therefore, we decided very early on during the planning stage that we would not use a tripod at any stage of the production and that, where appropriate, we would have the shots last a long time, especially when there is dialogue. We did not want to use a tripod in our production as we feel stationary shots, whilst ideal for photography, lower the overall quality of a film and does not show off much technical ability. This can be seen in my AS production, where there were many shots filmed on a tripod. This film definitely has a 'school project' feel to it, and although the shots were not the only factor that contributed to this, we have learnt from this and want to create a production that can be considered a film in it's own right.

We wanted to use long takes in the dialogue, but again to avoid the school project trap we had to look at how professional films use these effectively and we found that although the shot lasted a long time, there was also a lot of movement. One notable example of this is in the Quentin Tarantino film 'Pulp Fiction', where the camera follows the character Butch Coolidge, played by Bruce Willis,  through an estate. So, using the steady cam and our purpose-built slider, we set about doing this. This is especially evident in the chase scene, filmed using a rig and a steady cam, and the scene in the car where the antagonist tells his story. This was done using the slider, which we made especially for this shot.

Testing Our Slider

Below is a video of us testing the slider prior to it being used.

As you can see, it works very well and slides smoothly. I am very pleased with how it has turned out and hopefully it will help us to create more professional and interesting shots.

First Rough Edit

After our first day of filming, we now have a rough edit of the footage we have shot so far. This can be seen below:

First Edit

Bearing in mind that this is a raw edit, I am very pleased with the way that the project is progressing. We will be adding foley and atmospheric sound in due course.
We need to add reaction shots of the other characters whilst the antagonist is talking, and it is very annoying that you cannot see the top of his head due to the 16:9 aspect ratio.
These issues can both be fixed, however.

We want to add shots such as the antagonist moving the character next to him our of his way when he enters the car, and some extra dialogue between the protagonists.
We can also make the colour grading a bit warmer, as at the moment the shots are very cold and there is a lot of noise.

A behind the scenes video will be coming soon.

Making a Slider

We wanted a slider for a shot in a car. The slider will enable us to have a moving pan whilst the characters are talking.
Originally we looked at the possibility of buying a slider, however these are expensive and in order to fit the car we needed ours to be 1.5m long, so that it can rest in the open windows.

For the slider we used:

*All measurements are in millimeters unless otherwise stated.

Two blocks of 120x50x30 scrap wood.

One block of 100x50x50 nylon.

Two 1.5m lengths of tubular steel, with a diameter of 22mm.

To start with, we cut the steel to the correct length and cleaned it with emery paper.

We then used a 22mm forstner drill bit to drill two holes in each of the wooden blocks, making sure that they were 60mm apart from each other so that the tubes stayed equal distance apart throughout. The holes went through about 2/3 of the block, so that the tubes would stay in place. 

Next, we measured and cut the nylon block, where the camera would sit.

We then drilled two 25mm holes through the nylon, allowing it to slide along the steel tubes. 

We then sprayed a silicone spray on the steel to make the nylon travel smoother, and fitted the end pieces of wood at each end of the tubes. 

Here is the finished result: