Evaluation of the Filming

My Experience Filming

I really enjoyed filming, learning a lot from the experience. For example, I really got to grips with how the  camera operated; I was able to watch the footage we had just recorded on the small screen by using the rewind and play buttons. I allowed a few seconds of recording before and after filming so I had more flexibility in the editing suite; I learnt this from when we filmed our Preliminary task. I used the handle/rod attached to the camera to achieve smooth shots. I used a blank white piece of paper to white balance the camera; I also used the lens focus towards the front of the camera to shoot in focus shots opposed to blurry ones. The poor lighting conditions made it difficult to see where the buttons were, however as we had torches with us someone was able to shine light on the buttons so I could navigate my way around the camera successfully. Regarding lighting when filming outside the bus, we either used one or two red heads with a yellow gel over the bulb to create the effect of bus headlights. We also did this inside the bus; we used one red head to subtly illuminate the characters using inspiration from Film Noir lighting.

What went well when filming

We stuck to the schedule rather well; we finished at roughly 10:30 pm. In the hours that we filmed I felt we achieved what we wanted to achieve. I am glad we brought two fully charged batteries which we needed - we filmed 45 minutes of footage which we shall be cutting down to roughly 2 minutes.

As we filmed, we recorded all sounds including dialogue. Even though we may not use all the dialogue  we still thought it would be a good idea to record everything so we could have a choice whether to use them or not in the editing suite.

I also filmed a lucky/spontaneous shot; we asked Steve (the man who works at the depot) to drive the bus towards the camera (and stop) but instead he simply carried on driving the bus past the camera. We hope to use this interesting shot when we edit our footage.



What went wrong when filming

On the night that we filmed numerous things went badly and not according to plan. For example, as all four of us took it in turns to film, there was constant debate as to what a shot should look like, or what constitutes a good angle and so on.

I believe that it is evident from the footage that four different people have filmed; there are different types of camera skills and techniques throughout the rushes.

When filming the tracking shot of the buses, the car's reflection (which the camera was in) is visible on the buses in the shot, we struggled to avoid this as the lighting was stopping us from preventing this.

The tracking shot of the buses at the very beginning took a long time to set up as Steve had to turn on every single light on each bus. In addition, it took time for him to replace the destination blinds for the one he had printed out for us. We are going to use these blinds as one of our titles (the director). The setting up for the tracking shot delayed us, however we started to pick up the pace as we filmed as we become increasing familiar with the camera, lights and directing the actors.

When filming outside, we used the tripod to achieve a steady smooth shot; however when filming inside the bus, due to the lack of space we held the cameras. By holding the camera we were able to manoeuvre easily when inside the bus. Another advantage of holding the camera was the fact that the cameraman and the camera could fit in smaller spaces. For example, for the shots of the two men having a converstaion (at the back of the bus) we sat on one of the bus seats holding the camera; if we had used a tripod this would not have been possible.

In addition, when filming inside the bus we held and adjusted the red head lights. This became an issue as the red heads became increasingly hot and this interrupted our filming as we were repeatedly close to getting burnt. In fact a light was dropped on the bus floor while I was filming the conversation between the two characters. The bulb smashed and delayed filming further.

 

Furthermore, we were unable to bring the dolly and tripod onto the old bus as it was so cramped. This made it difficult to achieve a smooth POV shot as the antagonist approaches the depot worker who is at the back of the bus. Finally the footage may have not been the best quality due to the fact that it was outside, at night and we did not want to shine too much light on the actors and set  - we wanted to create a dark, spooky Film Noir atmosphere/mis-en-scene.

If I was to film again, what would I do differently?

Firstly, I would wear warmer clothes as well as gloves to stop me getting burnt by the lights. In addition, I would allow more time to film by somehow arriving at the location earlier. And perhaps filming should have taken place during the day in order to get sharper, better quality shots  - although this would have taken away from the dark atmosphere that we have created.