P4 Filming Diary

 Shoot 1 (13/12/21):

This shoot only involved the main character, played by Amy. For the first part of the shoot we filmed in my sister's bedroom. As she is the main character in my video she gave me permission to use this location. Before filming we ensured the floor was clear so there wouldn't be any obstructions to the tripod. I set up the tripod on the second highest level in order to get an eye level shot of the main character sat on the bed. In terms of lighting I didn't have any professional lighting so I closed the curtains to avoid natural light and used the light in the room which worked well and gave an authentic look to the idea of being at home. The camera I used was a Nikon D3400 DSLR. Before filming I charged the battery to ensure it would last throughout the shoot. I used a 16GB SD card which I will use throughout filming to keep all of my footage together. To set up the camera I first tested the white balance using a piece of paper and decided that the automatic setting worked best. I also used automatic focus. I made sure the camera was set to 25 FPS and shutter speed 1/50 so the video will look as good as possible. I set the camera to ISO setting 200. 

I filmed each shot twice in case one of them was not useable. At the start of filming I forgot some scenes needed to be filmed in a different bedroom so some shots won't be able to be used however I did refilm those shots in another room later. In the opening scene I filmed at a high angle and slowly panned down to eye level as this is what I planned in my storyboard. Most of the shots I filmed were in the set up in the picture but I also did some insert shots where the camera was angled down. We also filmed in the bathroom which was a bit tight as I set the tripod to the highest level but it resulted in the shots I was aiming for. Throughout filming I had a list of what shots I needed and I ticked them off as we went along so I wouldn't miss any.

We then moved to my other sister's bedroom, who I also got permission from to film in, to film the scenes towards the end of my video. My video is about a girl moving away from home so I need a different location to give the impression she has moved. Once again I set up the tripod on the second level to get an eye level shot. I then filmed a shot of the character putting up photos on the wall and for this I moved the tripod up to the top level and angled it upwards. The lighting was slightly warmer in this room so I tried to fix the white balance and put it on incandescent, I found that auto was better however some of my footage is warmer than I was hoping for so I may have to fix it in post production. 

Lastly, I moved the camera downstairs and set up the tripod on the highest level. I then angled it upwards and filmed some shots of her walking up and down stairs. I didn't have much issue with lighting for this part as it was dark outside so no natural light was coming in. Also the indoor lighting works for the shot because it's set in a house so it makes sense. I filmed these shots quite a few times due to the fact I wasn't sure how long they would need to be to fit into the song so I may need a slightly slower or fast pace.

Shoot 2 (14/12/21):

My next shoot took place at school in a music classroom. I filmed with 3 of my friends who are playing the band. Initially we had a bit of a problem with the background setting because we were given a music room to film in but it wasn't quite what I had in mind as I planned to have a plain black background and experiment with different lighting. In the end I found a position that I think looks good despite it not matching my plan. The setting being a classroom could make sense as the characters in my video are around the age they would have just finished school so it makes sense for the band to also be of that age. We set up the instruments in the formation I had planned. For most of the shoot I put the tripod on the highest setting but for some scenes it needed to be slightly lower so I adjusted it as we went along. The natural lighting in the room worked quite well so I used the auto white balance setting. Once again I tested this using a white piece of paper and it looked accurate. 

The performance aspect of my video involves 3 different outfits. For each one I filmed the same shots so that I will have a choice when it comes to editing. I first filmed a wide shot of the whole band and then one slightly closer. Then I filmed 2-3 shots of each band member from different angles and shots. I tried to get the length of the full song for each shot as a contingency in case I decide to add in extra shots which weren't planned for that specific part of the song. 

I also filmed some extra shots in-between the main shots. I may add some of these into my video just to show the band having fun because ultimately my music video is for the purpose of entertainment so people may enjoy seeing this as oppose to the band being serious. It was quite hard to film in focus because the band moved around quite a lot but overall I think a majority of the footage is useable.

Shoot 3 (05/01/22):

My final shoot took place on the moor, outside my house and on the field. We first filmed on the moor.

I took a picnic blanket with me so that I could put the tripod down without getting it wet. I was worried about what the weather would be like as it had rained quite a lot previously but luckily the day we filmed was a clear day. I then set up the camera and I had to experiment quite a lot with the white balance as the sky was appearing white on camera despite being clear in person. Eventually, I chose to set it to auto. The footage doesn't look exactly how I wanted it to but hopefully I can fix this in post production. For this section of the shoot I filmed Amy walking up the hill from a few different angles and positions. As we got higher up we found a bench which I hadn't previously noticed, this was very beneficial as I had planned to have a shot where she is looking out over the valley sat on the floor but this meant she could sit on the bench which made it easier for me to get a good shot. We saw a few people walking around the area but I made sure not to get anyone in the shot as I don't have their permission to be included.

We then went home to film outside my house. Initially I had planned to film this section when I filmed the scenes inside the house but it was dark by the time I had started filming that day. I had to get my mum's help for this scene as Amy can't drive so we used my mums car and she drove off the drive but you can't see her in the footage. In general the lighting for this part of the shoot was much better and the footage looked much better. I filmed the shots of the car on the second height of the tripod. Then for the remaining shots I used the tallest height as I wanted a higher angle for shots such as putting the box in the bin. Luckily the bin was empty so she could put it in and then rescue it. 

Lastly, we went over to the field with Annie. There was already a goal in the middle of the field so we set up nearby it. I put the tripod on the highest level as I was quite far away from them. I asked my two actors to kick the football about and try scoring a few goals. I filmed most of the time just so I have enough footage to cover what I need. I had a similar issue to earlier with the camera being overexposed and I struggled to fix it, I think in post production I am going to put the parts that are flashbacks into black and white so the overexposure is less obvious. I also wish in hind sight that I had filmed from a few more angles so I could have more variety. Finally, we went over to the playground and I set up for the shot of Amy opening the gate, this was difficult initially because the ground is a sort of pebbled path which meant the tripod couldn't stand on it. Eventually I decided I would have to hold the camera and try keep it steady. Then we went into the park and I filmed them on the swings, again I filmed quite a lot so I will have enough when it comes to editing. The overexposure was less of an issue for this section as there are trees behind but I do think putting it in black and white will look better.