Evaluation of the Shoot Day

We began our shoot day late in the day due to some difficulties concerning the set. In order to create an effective and efficient thriller video we had to build the appropriate set which took us longer than we had expected. When building the office we felt that the white walls looked too much like a set so we had to put black curtains over the walls in order to create the right atmosphere. Another problem with these white walls was that they reflected in our stage mirror so we could no longer see the actor in the investigation room on the other side of the wall. Because we only had access to a school table we knew we needed to transform it into a more realistic looking prop. Thus, like the walls, we pulled a black curtain over the top of it. Once we finally felt that our set was to our liking, and the camera (a Sony 3X50) and actors were prepared we began our shoot. During the shoot we noticed some problems with our stage lighting. It became difficult to see the actors faces and so we had to incorporate some extra light. We did this by adding an extra spotlight which reflected into a white piece of cardboard so, along with the new camera exposure, the combination gave the entire atmosphere a colder and more blue tone, essential in establishing the vibe of tension we wanted to create. As a group we really appreciated that they actors were on top form, doing there very best, giving us time to shoot more shots that we could then use in the editing suit. We took various angles and shots - more than we had in our story board - because we suddenly had new inspiration such as shooting from the corner of the room so that it looking like our main actress was being watched in a security camera. As a group, Katie, Santi and I worked really well together. While we all tried the different roles, we each had our specific station which we felt brought out our best strengths. The roles we felt we most enjoyed were roles that fit our individual abilities: I was the set coordinator and director; Katie was on camera; and Santi worked best with the sound and lighting. We are all very creating minds, but I felt that I was still able to take charge at times and bring in creative ideas of my own. As an over all I think the entire process went really well. I am so surprised by how much I enjoyed the process of creating a thriller video and am thus even more excited to begin the editing process so that we can finally present our ideas to the world.