Workshop Films - BP4

Workshop films

 

Our first location shoot was at Vinter’s Park not far from Maidstone Studios.  We walked our equipment down to the park and when we got there we got into our groups.  We had spoken about what we were planning on shooting on the day we were given the brief.  The brief was that we needed to film something as a group and practice being on location.  We had decided we wanted to do a “The Office”, inspired episode of a “series”.  We had planned out characters and what they would be like and how they’d come across.  We wanted to incorporate typical tropes of a comedy sitcom.  For example, the comedic timing and the suttle looks where characters break the 4^th wall.  We got straight into filming.  We each took turns on camera, sound, set and acting.  We made up what we said as we went along which worked well for comedic timing and for being able to focus on location.  From this location workshop I learnt how important it is to use as much of the location as possible and get lots of b-roll as this is very useful for editing.  I also learnt that investigating the location is important as I was not as prepared as I should have been for the mud.  It is important also to prioritize the equipment.  For example, we all took turns to carry thing but whilst we were all busy and had the equipment somewhere we made sure it was all safe.  I learnt that the legs are okay to get muddy if the camera is protected it is okay because the legs can be cleaned.  It is also important to remember to think about the public and leaving space for them to get past especially in a place like we were where there were often dogs running past.  I really enjoyed editing this as we managed to get lots of footage and b-roll which meant it gave me a lot of creative freedom to edit it as I want.

 

Our second location shoot was at Historical Chatham Dockyard.  We were briefed beforehand that we needed to shoot something on location as a group.  Our group decided we were going to shoot an advert for the dockyard.  We took turns on camera, sound, set.  We were given a tour of the dockyard first to look at possible places we could shoot.  We decided to start at one end of the dockyard and work our way to the other end. This was successful as it meant we weren’t wasting time on carrying equipment up and down.  We got lots of good shots and we also practiced with the Tascam to shoot sound separately.  This worked well to get defined sound especially when we had someone walking towards the camera talking, as we could therefore get a constant level of sound which sounds more professional when edited together.  We wanted to get as much done as possible so only gave ourselves a short break and it was very cold, so we needed to warm up but also get things done.  If I had checked the weather forecast, I would have been better prepared for the cold and therefore would need less breaks.  I am glad I have learnt this now.  We got lots of good shots of the boats and historical facts.  I really enjoyed being on camera this day as I had some creative ideas of shots we could get.  I also tried holding the boom and practicing that, however, I did struggle to hold it for very long as it was quite heavy.