Filming Evaluation

We all met at the location planned on Monday the 21st December at 12.00pm. We ensured that we had everything we needed for to film our film opening, including the camera, tripod, black boots, black coat, black trousers, dagger, phone, fake blood and the top covered in blood.

What went well?:
I think that out choice of location was successful as it was open and outside so we could film at different times in order to get different lighting effects. We chose to film between 12-2 as we thought the lighting would be darker than in the morning but not too dark that nothing can be seen on the footage, this chosen time also allowed us to film in lighting that looked eerie and creepy and helped to set the scene for our film opening. The location was also successful as it was close to one our of houses and so we could access the woods easily whenever we wanted.

I think that we followed our storyboard very well when filming by ensuring that we included the variety of different shots that we wanted to use to make out film opening effective. By using the range of different camera angles and shots we were able to make sure that our film opening was interesting and that the suspense built up throughout until the end. However, we did change some parts of our storyboard towards the end of the opening scene by adding in some different camera angles and shots that we hadn't planned to, to help built tension as it got towards the end.

What went wrong?:
When we first arrived at the filming location we had slight trouble getting the camera to work correctly. We had to test filming in the location a few times before it began to work properly. We also had trouble finding the correct settings on the camera in order to ensure that the footage wasn't too dark and that everything could be easily seen when watched back.

Once the camera was set up we found that the uneven floor and the outside location made the filming a little tricky as the wind made the filming shaky and the floor made it wonky. This meant that the quality of our footage wasn't as good as it could've been first time and so we had to shoot each frame multiple times in order to ensure it was as best as it could be. We also found that the use of an outdoor location made the filming trickier than expected because of the un reliable weather conditions, the cold and rain meant that the camera and equipment was getting wet and that we were all struggling to carry out the tasks because of the conditions.

Filming Evaluation

What went well?

Our chosen location and time to film worked well because it was not too dark, yet it was still dim enough to look eery and create a creepy atmosphere. Since the location was close to one of our houses, it was easily accessible and so we were able to complete all our filming in one day.

I also think that we included a lot of different camera shots and angles throughout our filming to keep the film opening diverse. It also helped in building tension and keeping the suspension high.

What to improve?

I think one area of improvement is the quality of camera filming. At certain points the shot was not completely straight because of the uneven wooded location and appeared wonky or a little shaky, making it look unprofessional.

Another improvement to be made was the standard of acting; although we are all unprofessional actors, it was found to be very difficult to keep the filming at a high quality when it was difficult to stay so serious.

Choosing an outdoor location had its disadvantage because due to the time of year the weather was very unreliable. It was extremely cold and slightly rainy, so made it even more challenging to get all of our filming completed in one day because we were so uncomfortable, particularly for those acting in the film opening in very thin costumes.