Shoot Day Reflection

We shot our thriller a number of days ago. Even through the experience overall was positive our group had to overcome a number of obstacles throughout the day. At the beginning of the day we gathered in front of our educational facility and together with one of producers and our actors travelled to our shooting location after packing the appropriate equipment for the shoot. After a short amount of time we realized that we do not have a lot of time to shoot our scenes, so we picked up the pace when preparing different types of shots. At first our group was able to capture a number of fantastic shots through the use of a slider and a tripod. Eventually our third actor, which was unable to come in the morning, came to our shoot. The first issue that appeared during that time was our third actor could spare us only 30 minutes. We tackled this problem in a way by capturing only two noteworthy shots and than taking a wide and mid shot of the whole scene outside. Later on we continued to film inside the house and from that point on everything went well until lunchtime. At this point in our shoot we realized we will need more time to capture the entire footage necessary but our location owner allowed us to stay at his house only until lunchtime. Thankfully after speaking with the owner of the house we were allowed to come back after lunch and finish our shoot, which is exactly what we did.  Overall the shoot was a success with a minor amount of incidences throughout the day that our group was able to tackle anyways.

Behind The Scenes

On the day of our shoot our group collaborated accordingly to capture the best possible footage. We took turns directing, setting up the equipment, holding the microphone, and speaking to our actors so that all of us could gain more experience in each field. By doing so each of our shots was captured quickly and easily. We were able to correctly position our actors and tell them how to act throughout the day. Subsequently we set up the equipment, such as the slider faster every time we used it thanks to the experience we gained through the course of the day. Furthermore while our group members set up the equipment and positioned the actors another one us was able to calmly set up the camera with the correct white balance, focus and ISO. In general although maybe you cannot see it by watching the footage our group did our best to create the best possible shot whilst working behind the scenes.

Using The Shot List

During our shoot we were able to incorporate the shot list into our shooting routine quit easily. We a scene at a time and did so according to the shot list. We would progressively shoot a shot listed on the shot list, make sure that we are satisfied with that shot and would than move on to shooting the next shot on the shot list. Overall I think that we would have not been able to film our production as quickly as we did and as efficiently as our group did without the shot list. In other words the shot list was a fundamental part of our shoot. In some cases we still altered some of the shots slightly and captured a couple extra shots outside of the shot list thanks to the excess of time we had to shoot. Mainly through we were able to do all of the following thanks to the knowledge that we captured the continuity we planned on capturing in accordance to our shot list and storyboard. In general using the shot list was stress-free and resourceful.

Shot List

Our group collaborated in order to create a comprehensible shot list that all our group members would be satisfied with.  We took turns saying what we think are types of shots that would be appropriate for situations within our thriller and then we would all together decide whether to use the suggested shot or not to. Moreover each of us developed upon almost all of the shots after finishing the shot list to further improve upon it. Continuing for every shot we chose to either use the tripod, slider or to hold the camera. For instance for the shot representing the husband opening the door to reveal the mysterious figure we chose to use the slider as we thought it would fittingly build suspense.  In order for us to remember from what angles we took the shots listed and from what position in the location we shot we wrote small detailed notes on the right hand side of the shot list. While creating the shot list we also looked on our storyboard to get a better idea of what we want to capture during our shoot day. I can positively say that after our group finished writing up the shot list I was able to easily visualize the way in which our sequence would be shot using the shots written in the shot list. In general I think that writing a shot list together with my group was a big step for us towards being prepared to shoot on our shooting date.

What Is A Shot List

A shot list is a full log of all the shots you want in your media product. Essentially speaking a shot list is a checklist filled with miniscule details that give a media product a sense of direction and efficiency during and before the media product’s shoot. Except for stating the type of shot, a shot list can also list the equipment that accompanies every shot and what shot will be filmed inside and outside. Additionally small details can be listed next to every shot so that the director and the filming crew know what types of preparations/special notices need to be fulfilled for every shot. Lastly a shot list can also state what shots belong to what scenes. Shot Lists are essential for directors and film crews to know what they are filming and in what order they are filming a media product.

Costume/Make-up

Costumes and makeup can be used in order to enhance a media piece, although are not always necessarily used. Our group chose not to use any make up in our thriller introduction. We chose to do so because we wanted to realistically portray the way that people look when they wake up and or are in the midst of their morning routine. On the other hand costumes will be a significant of our thriller. The husband in our sequence will wear a suit, his wife will wear a robe and the mysterious character will also wear a suit, although a one that is more refined than the husbands. We chose to make our actors wear the following in order to aid in the portrayal we want to create throughout our thriller. For instance the husband wearing the suit will display him as a powerful character, and the wife’s robe will show her as the weaker dominated character. By doing so we can make the wife killing the husband all the more of an astonishing and tension building event. As for the mysterious figure, our group wanted him to be shown as a very commanding character, which is why we chose that the actor playing him would be wearing the most refined suit during the filming of our sequence. In conclusion the costumes help set the correct mood and theme in our thriller by portraying the characters within our thriller in certain ways.