Equipment
We used two main pieces of equipment whilst filming: a camera and a tripod. Whilst both pieces of equipment were fairly simple to use, we could have used them in a much more effective in order to make the piece more professional. For instance, we used the tripod throughout the piece to get the camera stable. However, for half of the shots the tripod had to be handheld as we couldn't find an appropriate place to put it whilst filming. Whilst this was necessary as we needed shots with motion in them to follow our storyboard, if we had got a more expensive tripod which allowed us to pan the camera without having to touch it then we could have got a much better result.
Additionally, whilst the camera we used was a proper camcorder, it was not recording in HD. It is essential that our final video is recorded on a different camera or using different settings on this camera, as otherwise the quality of the clips will not be high enough and it will mean that no matter how much editing and post production we do, we will not be able to get the clip to look the way we want it too.
Problems/Issues
We didn't encounter as many issues as I thought we would whilst filming our piece (neither me nor Jack had much experience as cameramen or directors) but we still ran into a few problems.
The first of these was problems finding actors. As the piece had to be filmed during certain hours of school time due to restrictions on when we could use the canteen to film in, we found that the range of actors we could include in our piece wasn't very big, and so we had to use who we could find. Whilst they all gave a good performance which helped our piece massively, for our final video we need to organise way in advance who we want to appear in it, and need to sort them appropriate costumes as it was only the gunman who was in costume for our piece.
A second problem we encountered was the background noise of people walking past in the shots. However, this was easily fixed by filming shots again and again until we had them at a point where only the voice(s) of the actor(s) could be heard.
A final problem which we encountered was having no props. This problem occurred due to a lack of preparation, as ideally we would have needed a fake pistol for the gunman to use (we had to use his fingers). Additionally, I would have liked to get some props to make the canteen look more like a saloon as this would have made the piece infinitely better, but hopefully the acting made up for these shortcomings in the piece.
Things which we changed
The main thing on our storyboard and script which we had to change during filming was the line said by the woman who was sitting in the bar. We could not include this as we were not satisfied by the performance of the line, so had to replace it with a different line said by a male character. Additionally, we added in the part where water is splashed in the gunman's face whilst filming, as we decided that the clip was not long enough and needed something else in it to properly showcase the things which we know about producing a media text, and to include another camera angle.
Things which were re-filmed
The only part of our piece which we had to film again after was the part where the gunman falls over backwards after being hit by the bottle. We had to re-film this because he fell over too slowly and dramatically in the original piece, bad acting which would have made the clip seem unrealistic and unprofessional. However, as this single shot had to be filmed on a different day to the rest of the clip, it meant that the costume which had been worn by the gunman was not available to us, so upon close inspection you can realise that he is wearing a different outfit in the final shot. However, as this is only our preliminary task, this was not a huge issue, but for our final task we need to ensure that we have costumes for every single character, as this is a big part of Mise-en-scene which we need to ensure we control in our piece to create meaning.
Did we feel prepared?
We felt very prepared going to film, because we had spent a long time planning out camera angles and the script through the use of the storyboard. We also prepared ourselves by practising using the equipment in the classroom before, such as ensuring we knew how to use the camera and tripod properly, as the time we had available to film in was quite limited. For our actual task, we won't have this limit, so will be able to prepare ourselves even more and ensure that we know exactly what we are doing so that we are more efficient whilst shooting, and being more efficient will mean that we have a better end product once we have edited the piece.
The only thing which I feel we could have been more prepared about was with our choice of actors. As it was filmed quickly in a free period at school, we did not have the time to properly chose which actors to use, which is an important part of Mise-en-scene as each different actor would perform a role in a completely different way. Whilst an appropriate use of Mise-en-scene was not essential for this piece, we need to ensure we properly prepare which actors we are going to use before filming the final piece.
How did the group work together?
I think that the group worked very well together, and this is because we split the work evenly between the two of us, meaning that we could both do the things which we were more skilled in. The feel of teamwork is evidenced in our piece, as the viewer can tell that despite our limitations, it has been planned carefully between two people.
Things which were re-filmed
The only part of our piece which we had to film again after was the part where the gunman falls over backwards after being hit by the bottle. We had to re-film this because he fell over too slowly and dramatically in the original piece, bad acting which would have made the clip seem unrealistic and unprofessional. However, as this single shot had to be filmed on a different day to the rest of the clip, it meant that the costume which had been worn by the gunman was not available to us, so upon close inspection you can realise that he is wearing a different outfit in the final shot. However, as this is only our preliminary task, this was not a huge issue, but for our final task we need to ensure that we have costumes for every single character, as this is a big part of Mise-en-scene which we need to ensure we control in our piece to create meaning.
Did we feel prepared?
We felt very prepared going to film, because we had spent a long time planning out camera angles and the script through the use of the storyboard. We also prepared ourselves by practising using the equipment in the classroom before, such as ensuring we knew how to use the camera and tripod properly, as the time we had available to film in was quite limited. For our actual task, we won't have this limit, so will be able to prepare ourselves even more and ensure that we know exactly what we are doing so that we are more efficient whilst shooting, and being more efficient will mean that we have a better end product once we have edited the piece.
The only thing which I feel we could have been more prepared about was with our choice of actors. As it was filmed quickly in a free period at school, we did not have the time to properly chose which actors to use, which is an important part of Mise-en-scene as each different actor would perform a role in a completely different way. Whilst an appropriate use of Mise-en-scene was not essential for this piece, we need to ensure we properly prepare which actors we are going to use before filming the final piece.
How did the group work together?
I think that the group worked very well together, and this is because we split the work evenly between the two of us, meaning that we could both do the things which we were more skilled in. The feel of teamwork is evidenced in our piece, as the viewer can tell that despite our limitations, it has been planned carefully between two people.
