Filming analysis

We filmed over the course of four days, three of which were dedicated to our narrative shots, and the other was dedicated to our performance shots. For each shooting session, we arrived at our chosen location an hour before our actors were scheduled to, which gave us a lot of time to set up everything we needed to, including the framing for each shot and putting the props in the right locations for the shots.

First day of shooting

We planned to film two scenes on our first day; these included the night before the male protagonist leaves, and the day that the male protagonist leaves.

We went to our chosen location an hour and a half early as the scenes we were filming on this particular day had more props and the most amount of actors featured. We did this to make sure everything was fully organised for when our actors arrived and to make sure we could film as much as possible.

To make sure we were using our time efficiently, we had two people setting up each shot (including both camera equipment and props/setting) whilst the third organised the actors and explained/directed what they needed to do in the shot we were about to film.

Following our filming plan made the whole shooting process much easier. We had previously numbered our shots into the order which was most suitable to film them in. Any shots we would later return to were all filmed at once so that we did not have to set the camera up again. For example we had a long shot of the room where we could see both characters, and later on we would need this shot again with them positioned differently, and so we filmed both together.

With regards to disputes between group members, we had passive solutions. For example if somebody wanted a mid-shot from one specific spot, and somebody else wanted the mid-shot from an alternative spot, we filmed both in order to have more options when it comes to editing the final cut. Apart from the few and small debates regarding camera placement, as a group, there were no arguments, making filming easy and enjoyable.

For some shots we filmed alternatives, for example a close up on the male protagonist lip syncing a line from the song to the female protagonist. We weren't certain if this would look great in the final cut as it may be too 'cheesy'  or it might just break the fluency of the narrative (as there are no other speaking parts). To resolve any doubts we filmed an alternative close up where he does not lip sync the line.

Second day of shooting

For the specific shots we needed on this day, the male protagonist was not needed; therefore we only filmed with the female protagonist. We planned to shoot the female in her bed breaking down as her husband had already left the story. We only had 1 hours 30 minutes to film all of the stuff we wanted as the actress had other plans for later that evening.

We arrived at our chosen location 30 minutes before out actress was scheduled to arrive, as we knew we didn't have as much time and we couldn't do as much, so we knew it wouldn't take as long to set up as we did not want to try anything complicated on that specific day, because it might have been difficult to finish in the time we had. We got organised very quickly; within 5-10 minutes, which then gave us time to discuss ideas and what we could do to get more filming done and to avoid any confusion with regards to what we wanted to do and when.

As only the actress was used, we didn't need to have two people working the camera and one directing the actor. The shots we filmed on this specific day were all in one room, which was one of the bedrooms in the house we were filming at; therefore we could all work the camera and all direct the actor together as we were all within the same space and it was a lot easier to do so compared to the first day of filming.

Following our filming plan made the whole shooting process much easier. We had previously numbered our shots into the order which was most suitable to film them in. Any shots we would later return to were all filmed at once so that we did not have to set the camera up again. For example, the shot of the actress throwing the pillow at the wall doesn't come into the video until near the end, however we filmed it earlier in order to avoid setting up the camera in the position we wanted and adjusting the focus etc.

As we did not have a lot of time to film, setting everything up and organising everything was a lot easier compared to other days, which meant that there were no disputes or clashes of opinions as we could resolve any problem very easily, because the majority of the shots we did that night we very simple. This made filming a lot easier and quicker, and it also made us enjoy it more.

We filmed alternative shots for some of the scenes. For example, we filmed two shots with the exact same camera angles and framing, however the actions of the actress were different. One scene sees her throwing a pillow at a wall in anger, and the other has the female simply laying on her pillow, where you can see her face and the emotions she is feeling at the time.

Third day of filming

For our third day, like on the second day of filming, the male protagonist was not necessary; therefore we only filmed with the female protagonist. We planned to film anything that was on the plan that had not been already filmed - so ultimately, we wanted to finish all of the narrative shots by the end of this session.

In order to give us the best chance of completing our target, we arrived at our chosen location an hour before we told our actress to arrive, as this could give us more than enough time to set up everything perfectly and exactly how we wanted it, but also giving us time to discuss if anything needed improving or any new ideas.

Although only the actress was used on this specific day, we had a large number of shots that we had to record, using a number of different angles. This meant that everything had to be very organised if we wanted to complete everything. To help us, we had two people working the camera, and the other person directing the actress, as this helped everything run a lot more smoothly.

Following our filming plan made the whole shooting process much easier. We had previously numbered our shots into the order which was most suitable to film them in. Any shots we would later return to were all filmed at once so that we did not have to set the camera up again. For example, the shot where the actress gets up out of bed in the morning at walks downstairs, we shot from four different angles. This made sure that we could get a good view of the female from several different positions, but it also allowed us to create some match-on-action shots, as we had used various positions to record her actions. Also, during the dinner scene in the living room, we did the same thing. We recorded her playing with her food and grabbing the drink bottle from different angles and positions, which like the previous shot, gave us the chance to create several match-on-action shots, but also gave us the chance the choice of different shots and angles to play experiment with if we didn't like one of them.

There were quite a lot of discussions and different opinions regarding camera positioning and framing, however there were not big arguments or falling outs, as we knew that if something like that happened, it would affect the whole group and the actress, which would slow the whole process down and prevent us from completing our target.

Fourth day of filming

The fourth and final day of filming was for our artist shots. We wanted the sunset in the background of the shot and so we were faced with the task of filming all of the required shots in a limited amount of time (the time it takes the sun to set).

As this was the only day we were filming exterior shots, a concern we had was regarding the weather. If it was too cloudy we would not be able to see the sunset and would therefore have had to reschedule filming for a different day. We were fortunate that the weather on the day we had planned to shoot was perfect for our needs.

Whilst one member of our group went to pick up our artist, the other took some of the equipment and props to the location to begin setting up.

Since the window of time we had to film in was very small (roughly 2 hours) it was very important that out artist knew all of the lyrics and was fully prepared. Fortunately he was, which made it possible to swiftly set up each shot without having to delay and wait for the artist to get their part right.

As filming went on we began loosing light very quickly and so we were concerned that some of our shots might turn out too dark when it came to editing. However if there is an issue then we can reshoot these shots to fulfil our target to make the best possible video we can.
When filming on our other days we made sure that we 'over-filmed' to ensure we had the right amount of footage. Unfortunately we were unable to do this on this filming day due to the lack of light towards the end of the filming period.

Overall summary of filming

As a whole, we feel that filming went well. Initially we were not expecting to have needed so many days to film, however when we realised that we would, we were very organised in scheduling and organising the extra days that we needed.

We were extremely grateful that our actors and artist all showed up when we required them to, as well as showing up with any items that we requested. This definitely made filming a lot easier as we were faced with no last minute issues regarding lack of props/equipment.

Following a filming plan each day ensured we used our time efficiently and enhanced our fluency in setting up each shot.


Charlie Mower and Will Burnham