Account of Shoot Day
Upon starting our day the first thing we did was meet as a group up in the editing suite and brief ourselves on our schedule and brief Tommy, our assassin we had for the entire morning. We then moved into the studio, the location we would be shooting in the morning and started setting up our set. This involved heavy lifting of props and set used for previous thrillers and pop videos. We sat down and discussed the best way of creating a loft/attic of a hotel for our assassin to be placed, after considering many different options, for example using an outside ventilation unit for Tommy to lie under, we ruled this out as we discovered that it would be difficult to light this situation as our thriller is set at night so we created a set inside the studio working off the idea that a hotel would have a big ventilation unit so our set might have to be very metallic, an idea I think made the thriller look a lot more sinister in the dark setting of a ventilation unit. We created this by using big white boards for the walls, and then covering the walls with a ventilation shaft silver board, creating the look that the assassin was in a dark ventilation shaft looking area above the hotel. We found a piece of silver insulation we used for Tommy to lie on to reinforce the idea that the assassin is in a loft above the hotel. Overall it took us about half an hour to build the set, a task that I thought was handled efficiently and quickly. We ran through the scene that Tommy would be doing to see how it looked on the camera and discovered that as Tommy crawled into the frame of the camera, the insulation and silver boards wobbled, making it look like a set and breaking the illusion that it was a loft/ventilation area. We had to secure the insulation with clamps and secure the silver boards by re-aligning them and stapling them to each other and to the wall board. We then began filming and carried on in the studio until one o'clock when we took a break, before setting up again in Cornhill, one of the boarding houses off campus.
During the afternoon session we filmed Bobby Genower, our middle-aged victim in the hotel room, and used a students room as the hotel room. For this we didn't have to build any set, just clear out all the students personal items and replace that with lights, and the camera, and a few props needed. One of the problems we encountered with this is when we tried to get the effect of Tommy poisoning Bobby from above, we had the camera go through what appeared to be the ceiling (a black cloth) in the studio, we then had to recreate this effect in Cornhill with the same black sheet and ideally the camera would go past the black sheet and then into Bobby's hotel room to give the impression that Tommy was above Bobby, however in Cornhill the sheet had nothing to be draped over and therefore Molly and I had to hold it above Bobby lying in bed. However this did not create the same effect as it did in the studio and we had a dilemma as it would have been obvious that it was a sheet and this was an important element in our thriller. So we had to search around Cornhill looking for a substitute, eventually we found a black/ grey piece of card that looked similar to the sheet in the studio. We were able to create the same effect with Molly and I holding the card close to the camera and Tom controlling the camera, lowering it gently to get the shot of the hotel room containing Bobby in bed. Our day went similarly to how we planned and prepared for it, we did not rush but we did not abide by the timing slots that we had settled with in our shooting schedule and instead filmed each shot as many times as we'd like until we were all completely happy with the shot we had. This was beneficial as it means that we were all completely happy with the shots, however was not very professional as we did not stick with our timing slots which could mean we overran easily. Our original storyboards were not very similar to our shoot day. On the shoot day we scrapped the idea that Bobby would drive up to the hotel in his car and worked with the idea that it was early in the morning and he had awaken from his sleep and begun reading before again falling asleep.
We filmed the scenes with Tommy in the studio because we could create an authentic looking ventilation shaft which would give the impression that Tommy was above Bobby in the hotel. We didn't use a real ventilation shaft or metallic looking area because it would have been hard to create the right lighting that gives the impression that it is three in the morning. It would also have been difficult to light Tommy from below, which we use to give the idea that Bobby has just woken and has turned his light on, and again that Tommy is above him. We used the location of Cornhill as Bobby's hotel, originally because we wanted an establishing shot of Cornhill from the outside with a car driving up, as Cornhill looks like it could be a hotel, however we stopped the idea that Bobby would drive up and enter the hotel as it was a plot line flaw. We chose an extreme close up of the poison because it is a very artistic effect and looks very professional. We chose a wide shot of Tommy crawling in to build suspense and create mystery for the viewer. I think the extreme close up of the poison worked really well and will really make our thriller stand out from the rest. One of the main problems in our thriller was the extreme close up of the poison as it was very hard to get the right amount of poison, firstly on the string and then secondly so that it would go down the string the whole way instead of stopping halfway down the string, as many attempts did, or putting too much so that it was too fast for the camera to catch it.
During the afternoon session we filmed Bobby Genower, our middle-aged victim in the hotel room, and used a students room as the hotel room. For this we didn't have to build any set, just clear out all the students personal items and replace that with lights, and the camera, and a few props needed. One of the problems we encountered with this is when we tried to get the effect of Tommy poisoning Bobby from above, we had the camera go through what appeared to be the ceiling (a black cloth) in the studio, we then had to recreate this effect in Cornhill with the same black sheet and ideally the camera would go past the black sheet and then into Bobby's hotel room to give the impression that Tommy was above Bobby, however in Cornhill the sheet had nothing to be draped over and therefore Molly and I had to hold it above Bobby lying in bed. However this did not create the same effect as it did in the studio and we had a dilemma as it would have been obvious that it was a sheet and this was an important element in our thriller. So we had to search around Cornhill looking for a substitute, eventually we found a black/ grey piece of card that looked similar to the sheet in the studio. We were able to create the same effect with Molly and I holding the card close to the camera and Tom controlling the camera, lowering it gently to get the shot of the hotel room containing Bobby in bed. Our day went similarly to how we planned and prepared for it, we did not rush but we did not abide by the timing slots that we had settled with in our shooting schedule and instead filmed each shot as many times as we'd like until we were all completely happy with the shot we had. This was beneficial as it means that we were all completely happy with the shots, however was not very professional as we did not stick with our timing slots which could mean we overran easily. Our original storyboards were not very similar to our shoot day. On the shoot day we scrapped the idea that Bobby would drive up to the hotel in his car and worked with the idea that it was early in the morning and he had awaken from his sleep and begun reading before again falling asleep.
We filmed the scenes with Tommy in the studio because we could create an authentic looking ventilation shaft which would give the impression that Tommy was above Bobby in the hotel. We didn't use a real ventilation shaft or metallic looking area because it would have been hard to create the right lighting that gives the impression that it is three in the morning. It would also have been difficult to light Tommy from below, which we use to give the idea that Bobby has just woken and has turned his light on, and again that Tommy is above him. We used the location of Cornhill as Bobby's hotel, originally because we wanted an establishing shot of Cornhill from the outside with a car driving up, as Cornhill looks like it could be a hotel, however we stopped the idea that Bobby would drive up and enter the hotel as it was a plot line flaw. We chose an extreme close up of the poison because it is a very artistic effect and looks very professional. We chose a wide shot of Tommy crawling in to build suspense and create mystery for the viewer. I think the extreme close up of the poison worked really well and will really make our thriller stand out from the rest. One of the main problems in our thriller was the extreme close up of the poison as it was very hard to get the right amount of poison, firstly on the string and then secondly so that it would go down the string the whole way instead of stopping halfway down the string, as many attempts did, or putting too much so that it was too fast for the camera to catch it.
We had a little bit of a problem on the day with the costume, as the
costume chosen for Tommy to wear as the assassin was too small and would not
fit, however luckily Tommy was wearing all black on the day so we used what he
was originally wearing. We chose all black for Tommy as it is what someone
doing something illegal, like murder, would aware to avoid being seen,
especially in the location that Tommy was in. Bobby brought his own pyjamas and
dressing gown which worked perfectly and fitted with the middle-aged victim
profile. Having Bobby wear identical pyjamas gave him an innocent, almost
childlike, element to his character, making the viewer feel empathy for him.
The all black works as black is used to show evil and a maybe a dark
personality, so we do not feel any kind emotions towards Tommy.
We picked Tommy for our assassin because he has a threatening and determined look which makes him look like an assassin and yet he has an intelligent look that means he is not the conventional assassin. Bobby is an innocent looking, happy middle-aged man who does not look cruel. I think our casting choices were perfect, we couldn't have hoped for anything better. The look of innocence that Bobby gives off will make the viewers wonder why he is being murdered as the first impression the audience get from Bobby is that he is sweet and innocent so the mystery will remain as to what he has done to be murdered.
In the studio we used a red head beneath Tommy to give the impression that he was above Bobby's hotel room, this makes it look like the light from Bobby's room is shining through the gaps in the floor onto Tommy's face. This creates suspense in the first few seconds as the audience is intrigued to know what Bobby's looking at and where the light is coming from. I think this light worked well as it really gave the impression that there was a room beneath him and means we can create the effect that Bobby is in a room beneath Tommy without using special effects. In Cornhill, while filming the scenes with Bobby, we again used two red heads as they project a lot of light over a wide area. The first red head we set up in the corner with some blinds in front of it so it would project the blinds onto the bed, where Bobby slept giving the impression that it was night and was in a hotel room and whatever light was coming through was natural from the moon and was coming through the blinds in the window. The second red head was set up about a metre away from the bedside lamp on the bedside table so when Bobby leans over and turns the light on, we had Molly switch the red head on, creating the effect that the light from the red head was created by the bedside lamp, so there appeared to be no unexplained source of light. I would not change my lighting if I could, I think it worked perfectly.
We have minimal sound in our thriller, we have no sound coming from Tommys scenes, instead we recorded some sound from an air conditioning system with a boom mike which we will put over the top to give the sound of a ventilation shaft to reinstate the idea that he is in a ventilation system. In Bobby's scenes we will not have much sound, apart form some natural heavy breathing that we will use from filming Bobby and the sounds from the bed of Bobby turning over, There wasn't any unnatural sound in that scene that we recorded.
In my group we all had multiple inter-changing roles. I started off as the director, calling the shots and deciding when to start filming, when Tom should switch on the red head in the studio and when Tommy should start shuffling and then I decided when to cut. I decided whether or not we should re-do that scene and contributed into what shot we should try next. This is a very important role as I was in charge of making sure people were in time with their jobs and that Tommy came in at the right time and that we had the right amount of black shots before Tom switched the light on. I also dabbled in being part of the continuity when we were trying to organise a close up of Tommy putting down the items in his bag but we were trying to figure out what went where in the wide shot and I contributed into placing the different items and making sure they were in the right place. I as also a cameraman in Cornhill, filming the extreme close up of Bobby's face and the close ups and mid shots of Bobby reading. I had to crouch down in a small space just in front of the red head and film the close ups. I really enjoyed this and would have enjoyed filming more.
I think we all worked really well on the day and contributed as a team, working through each dilemma, for example, the issue with the black sheet in Cornhill, we all worked together at finding a better solution for the good of our thriller. We divided up our tasks fairly, swapping every two hours roughly so that we could each have a go at each of the jobs and help each other. We helped build the set together and helped with all the heavy lifting so it would be as quick as possible and we could start filming as soon as possible. We didn't argue and if we had a problem we talked it out as a group and discussed how to solve the problem. We discussed what shot types we would use and worked out what shot to do next and where that would involve moving and re-bubbling the camera and focusing. We discussed what would create the best lighting effect and concluded that having an overhead light above Tommy was too much lighting and looked unrealistic for the situation and location he was in.
I am very happy with the overall result, it is better than I could've hoped. I wouldn't change anything if I could, except for maybe filming an extreme close up of Bobby's eyes or maybe just one eye opening as the final shot, leaving the audience wondering if he died or not. I think our mise-en-scee successfully encapsulated the right effects we were hoping for. the shoot day was better than my expectations as I was expecting many arguments and undecided shots.
We picked Tommy for our assassin because he has a threatening and determined look which makes him look like an assassin and yet he has an intelligent look that means he is not the conventional assassin. Bobby is an innocent looking, happy middle-aged man who does not look cruel. I think our casting choices were perfect, we couldn't have hoped for anything better. The look of innocence that Bobby gives off will make the viewers wonder why he is being murdered as the first impression the audience get from Bobby is that he is sweet and innocent so the mystery will remain as to what he has done to be murdered.
In the studio we used a red head beneath Tommy to give the impression that he was above Bobby's hotel room, this makes it look like the light from Bobby's room is shining through the gaps in the floor onto Tommy's face. This creates suspense in the first few seconds as the audience is intrigued to know what Bobby's looking at and where the light is coming from. I think this light worked well as it really gave the impression that there was a room beneath him and means we can create the effect that Bobby is in a room beneath Tommy without using special effects. In Cornhill, while filming the scenes with Bobby, we again used two red heads as they project a lot of light over a wide area. The first red head we set up in the corner with some blinds in front of it so it would project the blinds onto the bed, where Bobby slept giving the impression that it was night and was in a hotel room and whatever light was coming through was natural from the moon and was coming through the blinds in the window. The second red head was set up about a metre away from the bedside lamp on the bedside table so when Bobby leans over and turns the light on, we had Molly switch the red head on, creating the effect that the light from the red head was created by the bedside lamp, so there appeared to be no unexplained source of light. I would not change my lighting if I could, I think it worked perfectly.
We have minimal sound in our thriller, we have no sound coming from Tommys scenes, instead we recorded some sound from an air conditioning system with a boom mike which we will put over the top to give the sound of a ventilation shaft to reinstate the idea that he is in a ventilation system. In Bobby's scenes we will not have much sound, apart form some natural heavy breathing that we will use from filming Bobby and the sounds from the bed of Bobby turning over, There wasn't any unnatural sound in that scene that we recorded.
In my group we all had multiple inter-changing roles. I started off as the director, calling the shots and deciding when to start filming, when Tom should switch on the red head in the studio and when Tommy should start shuffling and then I decided when to cut. I decided whether or not we should re-do that scene and contributed into what shot we should try next. This is a very important role as I was in charge of making sure people were in time with their jobs and that Tommy came in at the right time and that we had the right amount of black shots before Tom switched the light on. I also dabbled in being part of the continuity when we were trying to organise a close up of Tommy putting down the items in his bag but we were trying to figure out what went where in the wide shot and I contributed into placing the different items and making sure they were in the right place. I as also a cameraman in Cornhill, filming the extreme close up of Bobby's face and the close ups and mid shots of Bobby reading. I had to crouch down in a small space just in front of the red head and film the close ups. I really enjoyed this and would have enjoyed filming more.
I think we all worked really well on the day and contributed as a team, working through each dilemma, for example, the issue with the black sheet in Cornhill, we all worked together at finding a better solution for the good of our thriller. We divided up our tasks fairly, swapping every two hours roughly so that we could each have a go at each of the jobs and help each other. We helped build the set together and helped with all the heavy lifting so it would be as quick as possible and we could start filming as soon as possible. We didn't argue and if we had a problem we talked it out as a group and discussed how to solve the problem. We discussed what shot types we would use and worked out what shot to do next and where that would involve moving and re-bubbling the camera and focusing. We discussed what would create the best lighting effect and concluded that having an overhead light above Tommy was too much lighting and looked unrealistic for the situation and location he was in.
I am very happy with the overall result, it is better than I could've hoped. I wouldn't change anything if I could, except for maybe filming an extreme close up of Bobby's eyes or maybe just one eye opening as the final shot, leaving the audience wondering if he died or not. I think our mise-en-scee successfully encapsulated the right effects we were hoping for. the shoot day was better than my expectations as I was expecting many arguments and undecided shots.
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