Initial Practice Shots

Before we started any filming for our short film, we decided to take some initial practice shots. This was to develop our initial skills with the use of the camera, and what shots we wanted to use within our film, ensuring we discovered any problems before hand within the effectiveness of the shots or how we would achieve them, due to actual filming time being precious so trying to avoid any human errors at that point.

As I had little experience with using a Video Camera before, this was a great insight for me personally on how it works, how to use it to its best, and also any other equipment or environment/setting needs, for example lighting, and the use of the tripod.

In this practice shot we experimented with using our hands to hold the camera and take shots, it worked OK with little shaking, however to avoid any slight moves within our final film, using the tripod in all the necessary shots will ensure we don't have this as a problem. Also using a close up shot of the character, shows evidence here of the best shot for showing emotions, in this case going from seriousness to a sudden laugh, being captured through a straight, eye-level angle, close-up. This proves to be effective and will definitely be used within our final film, in essential portrayals of emotion.

In this shot, we used the tripod, and took the initiative to give an even higher high angle shot by putting the tripod on a bench. This was to replicate the 'CCTV' shot we want to create within our film. As all CCTV camera's are commonly used at high angles from above we decided to add too the versimilitude within the film by doing this too. On the planned shot we want to also add effects such as black and white to distinguish this shot from the others, and again adding to the realism of an actual CCTV camera. The character would be sat on a train so again trying to as much as we can make it similar to familiarise ourselves with how to do it when we come to film.

Here we have attempted to make a 'Point of view shot', this was to create a point of view from the 'stalker, which creates a eree atmosphere, and growing tention of which in this case is a character being followed or stalked by another. To add to the realism of this, and give clear evidence of it being a point of view shot from this character, we decided to film slightly behind a bush. The leaves in the shot are an effective way of revealing the position of the character, and for emphasis on it being a point of view shot.

This was our second attempt at the point of view shot. We purposely moved the camera to create a realistic view through someones eyes watching the character. Again using the bushes adds to the iconography of it being a 'stalker' of some sort, hiding and watching from afar. Both myself and Abigail think this shot has the potential to be a really good one within our short film, adding masses of tension and ere atmospheres, through the suspense of who this persons view is. More practises on film day and taking a few cuts of this will ensure we have the best suited shot.

This was one of the shorter shots we took for our practise. This was because we wanted the shot to focus on not just walking etc but the look back and paranoid expressions of the character. We plan to include a few of these shots within our shot film, again creating suspension into the characters unknown, and there worried looks. For this the actress we plan to use for a short film will be guided to ensure we get the best possible skills are used t o create a believable fear within the person.

This is one of my personal favourite shots. After having the idea of attempting to use the mirror to create an illusion to the audience for an effective shot, we as a group developed this and then evidently practised how we could do it in our short  film. The idea was to fool the audience into creating what they thought was just a close up, to then reveal it being a reflection. We also include a pan into revealing this.

This shot was a practise of either a point of view from the character or their own video recorder, which was yet to be decided. It is showing the character run away from what would be the 'stalker'. We purposely wanted the camera to move dramatically on purpose with the person running, to show the frantic urgency within the scene, and to flow with the character, showing flashes of their feet and where they are running from.

As we want to film the character getting ready within our film, in there natural safe enviroment, which would be refering back to 'Todorov's Theory' as the equilibrium, to build up to the distruption. So for this we though a having a shot of the character coming down the stairs at a low angle would be a nice composition within a frame. Showing natural states of just following the person, to the build of of the other scenes. In this shot we accidentally cut out the characters head, showing flaws within this of which we know for next time to check the angles properly when properly filming.