R&P post 18: Our test shoot

The purpose of our test shoot was to experiment with our ideas and to have an idea of how the final product will look like. We made several mistakes during the test shoot but we hope to avoid making the same mistakes in our real shoot. Alex kept note of any issues that arose during the shoot so that we could be better prepared next time.

Before we even began shooting, members of the group met up at the wrong place and later than the time that we had agreed. Our actor also arrived an hour later than the agreed time which meant that we couldn't shoot the shots with the actor. This issue was due to a poor communication, between the group members and the actor, which we aim to improve on. However, we used the spare time to shoot the aesthetic shots that did not require the actor, such as the sun across the lake and the leaves on the trees.

Another problem was that while we were in Alex' house, a socket blew and the whole house lost power. Most importantly for the shoot, we had no lighting. We resolved this by changing the shots so that the actor was positioned near the window so that we could make use of the natural lighting. However, it was late afternoon in winter, so we were aware that the sun would go down soon and we didn't have much time to film. In the end, we finished filming on time with relatively well lit shots.

Holding the clapper board

Balancing act

Filming precariously on the top of a levee

We encountered many problems during our test shoot. Whilst we might not have ended up with our ideal shots, I think that our shots are satisfactory and we dealt with the issues as best as we could. Our experience enables us to prepare better for our main shoot and I am confident that we can solve any problems that may arise.