I was in a group of 4 and in this group I was an actor. We had to use the storyboard that we were given to film a scene. I was person B. We decided to do it so that it appeared that B was scared.
To ensure that we got all the shots that the storyboard required, we had to run the scene 3 times all the way through and each time, film it from a different angle.
The first time we filmed it as a long shot to make sure that we got all of the action in the scene. We then filmed it as an over the shoulder shot, over my shoulder. The final time, we filmed it with a close up on my face.
Filming it all the way through was the most effective way to do it because it means that when we come to edit the scene, we will have enough footage to cut down and change it to how we want it. If we had done each shot individually, it would've not only taken longer, but also meant that when it comes to editing, we will not have enough footage if we want to change it around.
We applied all the rules that we had previously learnt in the other camera lessons to ensure that we set up the camera correctly. We also put into practice the terms that you use on set; "standby", "rolling", "action", "cut" etc. This was important as it made sure that everyone in the group was aware of what we were doing and because we were filming in quite a busy environment, it made sure that people not involved knew what was going on and so were able to be considerate and let us film.
After we had filmed the sequence, we realised that the camera had been on auto-focus and so we had to re-shoot the main parts of the scene. Although this was frustrating, it was alright as we had saved time by shooting the whole scene 3 times and so we had enough time to go over them again. Another problem that we ran into was that once we had decided where we would stand within the scene, it was difficult to remember the exact position that we had stood in. It is important to make sure you stand in the same place as it needs to match up in the edit. To make sure that we stood in the same place each time, we used markers. These ensured that we knew where we had to walk to and from to make sure that it was the same place each time.
A problem that we ran into quite a lot was that the other actor and I struggled to remember all of our lines. As we had such a short amount of time to look at the script, it was difficult to remember the lines. To solve this, we tried to hold scripts up behind the camera as much as we could and we took our time, instead of rushing and causing us to mess up the lines even more.
One problem that we had was continuity. It was important to make sure that we were turning the same way each time and using the same hands each time. To ensure that everything was accurate, we made sure that the director and the camera man made a note of everything that we did as actors so that we could keep it the same each time.
Doing this prelim task has taught me a lot for my upcoming thriller shoot. Putting the camera terms into practice was particularly useful as I was able to realise the importance of using these terms when working in a busy environment where people can't always hear you clearly.
To solve the issue of not knowing lines when doing a scene, I will make sure the actors know there lines and what they have to do and where they have to be well in advance of shooting to ensure that the scene looks as professional and slick as possible.
The prelim task has also taught me the importance of continuity. When filming a scene, if you do not take extra care to check the accuracy of everything in the scene, you end up wasting time by having to re-shoot all of the sequences. When filming the thriller, I will pay extra attention to the finer details because although it may take time initially, it will end up saving time in the long run.
No comments:
Post a Comment