Production

Day two of shooting

Today we filmed scene 2 of our film. It is split into three parts; the walk to the gym, the cash machine and the lecture theatre.

Moritz – Cameraman

Luke – Sound guy

Me – Director

Stephen and Harry – Runners and After Effects guys

The walk to the Gym

We wanted to get a few different close-up shots for cutaways but camera shake was a bit of an issue so we had to keep trying till we managed to get smooth enough shots. The noise of passers-by affected the sound dramatically especially if they wore heels or walked on the pebbles. I kept an eye on filming devices we had to consider like continuity and the 180 degree rule. We had to time each sequence very well as students were walking to and from lectures. We acquired some decent close-up, mid shots and a nice pan. At one point while we were filming this section Harry and Stephen booked the green screen studio for next Friday because the actor plays on his phone in one of the walking sequences and we had an idea to have an overlay of someone texting on the screen so it looks like he is texting someone.

The cash machine

We decided that filming the walk to the cash machine would be tedious even using a range of shot types, also it wouldn't really help with conveying the story so we shot a few sequences of the actor at the cash machine, taking money out and leaving. Our plan is to have a map, created in after effects, which is enlarged on the screen and make it seem the cash machine is closer than it really is; this style is very similar to a video game. We used mainly close-up shots of inserting the card and mid shots for the rest.

The Lecture Theatre

We tried a variety of shot types; long shot, mid shot, close-up and even a low angled shot which was rather dangerous in the cameras’ perspective and didn't turn out like we’d hoped. We had a bit of refection problems in the window but I think with some crafty editing we can make sure it doesn't affect the final piece or worst comes to worse have a re-shoot.

All in all a successful day of filming, it’s surprising that it only took around three hours to get the scene done. Harry and Stephen also created some nice graphics in after effects for the overlays in that time when we didn't require their assistance in filming. 

The medical, restaurant and cash machine symbols will be used on the map to show where the character 'is' and other possible places to explore.