Test shoot : Reflection

By completing this test shoot we were able to review and get a vision of how our opening sequence may go and a brief idea. As this was a test shoot it was very different to how our real thing will go, as we had to improvise props, use a location that is very different to our actual location and we had different characters/actors. And this test shoot was filmed on our phones and edited using iMovie it means that the quality was not the best and it looks quite messy and all over the place, but for our real shoot it will not be like that and will be completed using a professional camera and a real editing software.

The feedback from this test shoot we discovered we need to make it more interesting and drag the idea more, and by doing this we will extend the amount of time in which the FBI agent will walk around the house to discover the intruder. Instead of her just walking down the hallway and turning to corner to find the intruder. This will intensify the tension which is created and lead on the viewer/audience more. 

For our real shoot we will make the detective walk up the stairs and explore the area before she finds the intruder.

For this test shoot we were unable to film all the different shots, as it was all over the place and we were not really focusing on the shots, we were focusing more on the idea and what was happening. Therefore in some clips it does not match up with what has previously been shown or the actions don't match up with one another, for example:

Neave started off the clip by holding the 'gun' (innocent smoothie) with two hands and then the next clip she is holding it with one hand and her positioning of holding the gun is different in both clips.

We had forgotten to take a wide shot of the whole clip first, and this was a big mistake we made because the wide shot is the master shot and everything follows on from that once that is taken, and without this it makes filming much more difficult as you are unsure what you should film next and it makes it messy and unorganised, and editing, it makes editing the final sequence much more difficult without a master shot. From this experience we now know we need to make sure we film our whole production in wide shot before we continue with any other shots. 

Our idea is just under 2 minutes (1:43) but we are not overly worried about this because in this test shoot, we missed out multiple different sections and different shots which we had in mind that we would get for our real shoot. And the location has an impact on this as the house we will be filming our real shoot in is a large house with grand stairs and long hallways, whereas this is just one room with a table which we had to improvise as a hallway. So overall with all the missing sections and shots this should come up to just above 2 minuets.

The pace of this sequence could be improved as at some points it seemed as if she was just walking in a straight line for a long amount of time and nothing was happening and there was just a build-up, which could be a good thing but the way it was portrayed and shown was not a good thing and made it boring and dragged it on and made the sequence slow. For the real shoot this could be improved as we would portray her walking up the stairs, turning corners, looking behind or looking ahead and this will all add to the tension being created and make it more interesting for the viewer / audience. 

When this is filmed properly and with time and caution and the right props, location and characters, this idea will make an engaging opening sequence and will look very good, once it is all put together. For this test shoot you can see the potential it has but as it was rushed, unorganised and not a lot of thought was put into it, you are able to tell from the final edited piece. From this we now are aware of what we need to do on the day of this shoot and also the editing that will need to be done. We need to be organised, take our time, plan well (which we have done), speak to our actors who will be playing the roles and make sure we have all the knowledge we learnt from the camera and editing workshops in our mind, which will only benefit us.