Our first filming day is complete, with lots of struggle and achievement. Creating the set was fun, and we worked around the absence of an easel since my sister had a large desk, which the surface was able to move just like one, so it was perfect for the set, and we cleared most large furniture for the set we desired. However, since our desired space was set up against a large window in a corner of the living room, there wasn't much space to maneuver in, which constricted the variety of shots, angles, and compositions we could use. Despite this, we were able to film generally smoothly, with only little frustrations due to doubt - doubt that will most likely clear up in post-production.
The camera we used was rented out from a program called Beacon which provides free usage of professional film equipment, by Nyx because of being in TV Production for 3 years. I'm not sure the specific model but we used a Canon camera and a tripod mainly, since we forgot to bring the ring lights Nyx owns. I loved the way the camera's quality performed, including its features of different focuses. During filming we played with different focuses in one shot, overshooting in case it didn't come out to our intended vision. But I believe the shots' variations between specific areas of focus and unfocused shots, especially within close ups, definitely improved our opening much more than I had imagined. The tripod additionally allowed for precision and improved our still shots, which make up the majority of our opening, as we played with handheld shots and camera movements as the story progressed later.
Personally, I believe the first about 40 seconds filmed - about 5/6 shots - were phenomenal. It included the long shot of walking into the room, a medium of walking past art mediums/utilities, close ups of pouring paint and turning on lights, setting up a record, and beginning to paint - which was an overhead shot that I absolutely adored. In each of these, we had to play with lighting to make up for the area's weaknesses. For example, since we didn't bring a ring light, we used a nearby lamp (established through her turning it on) to shine light upon the desk since it was considerably dark due to the natural light coming in opposite the desk (casting a shadow on the desk). Additionally, the background of the turning-on-light shot was again considerably dark since we wanted to utilize mainly natural light. It didn't bode well with the opening's tones and characterization so we had to use the house lights (that were naturally yellow/orange which helped keep the facade of natural light) to make up for it. Furthermore, despite the limited space for our movement and freedom in filming, we were able to open the window and shoot from the outside in, and that idea entirely elated me since it was a clever addition and displayed a more professional use of space and shots.
This beginning sequence is entirely for 2 things: establishing characterization and introducing credits. The slow pace of the character, still shots, and music indefinitely sets up heart-warming, serene tones which contribute to characterization and ease the introduction of credits, additionally highlighted by natural light and warm tones of the surrounding objects, including light brown wood tables and desks, a hanging threaded hearts, and numerous plants.
The frustrations mainly came up later in filming, where we begun to film our serene painting freedom section. This sequence mainly used close ups and extreme close ups (ecu) of the character's eyes, paint brush, the painting itself, and also a long shot from behind the character, which in post-production will be changed into a slow zoom out, another shot I believed was phenomenal. However, this vision of a slow zoom out is perfect for a sense of finality, and organized/settled peace within the character, a shot I intended to use as the final shot before the increasing anxiety sequence. But, this was argued against as a slow zoom in to portray the transition from serenity into anxiety. Personally, I believe the shot as a slow zoom out would portray the finality much stronger than a zoom in acting as a transition, since the transition could be portrayed through other mediums/shots, for example through acting and distorted shots (editing, angle, indiscernible shots/images - out of focus ecu's). The matter was settled undetermined, to simply see how it plays out in post-production. Also, the order in which some/most shots are presented is currently undetermined.
Since the serenity section used many close ups and ecu's, the anxiety section must vary in numerous ways to definitively portray a distinct contrast and anxiety. However, in the most logical sense, close ups and ecu's (as aforementioned through editing, angle, indiscernible/out of focus ecu's) would easily portray such. And so, repeated shots of similar if not the same angles and composition were used which quite frustrated me since there also wasn't many variations to work with. One aspect that can solve such an issue would be to incorporate more out of focus shots, quick cuts and distorted angles, all of which we used/will use. However, this feeling of frustration due to the limitations is still present, which again, I assume can only recede during post-production.
Furthering my frustration, the ways in which we portrayed a frustrated, anxious character was... questionable. It was previously undetermined in our methods of portrayal, not by editing, composition/angle, and focus, but by the content being shown. Instead of staying on the same painting (which we also included different mediums like color pencils), the character switched pages and scribbled random, indiscernible images of whatever came to mind. Frankly, the images looked stupid, the ways in which it was portrayed weren't. For example, (another solution to the same-shots) we now used extravagant camera movement, handheld techniques, and focus to portray such. But honestly, I don't believe switching pages was the right way, content-wise. It did provide some phenomenal shots, such as following her hand as she frantically switches mediums (brush/pencil), and switched pages, shots I loved. But I don't think it makes sense, and I believe it looks abruptly unprofessional, and extremely contrasts our previous performance level. However, I will not delete the footage, since in post-production I'd like to create different variations of the film opening, one will use the shots aforementioned, and another will void usage of drawn/painted images I simply don't like, instead using the same painting and mainly portray anxiety through shot techniques, camera and character movement (and acting), and editing through quick cuts and vastly different sound (as discussed in previous posts).
One more production limitation was time. Since the opening mainly utilizes natural light, there is a small window in which we can film. Again, since the Beacon equipment is rented out by Nyx since I am not apart of the program and am ineligible, Nyx must be present for its usage. However, Nyx is busy with many field trips and TV Production jargon stuff - practically the majority of the month, limiting our filming days to 2. So, the remaining sequences; obstructive piece/title transition, drinking water story continuation, and reshooting of the anxiety sequence, will have to be conducted on the one remaining filming day, starting afterschool, in other words, from 4-7, 3 hours. Extremely, extremely constrained, and extremely unfortunate. We would film over spring break but I don't believe Beacon equipment is allowed to be rented out during it. Luckily, from 4-7 is daylight hours, and we only need those hours just for the reshooting anxiety sequence, which is not the majority of filming, and we can make up for the facade of natural light through other lighting mediums... hopefully. Therefore, from 7 and on is fair game - again, hopefully. I will ask to see if it can be rented out over spring break so that we have more filming time freedom.
