Final Shoot Evaluation

I was extremely nervous to shoot the last two scenes because I was not sure if Harrison was going to turn up and I was concerned we had a lot to shoot in one day. However I was also excited that this was our last day of filming because I couldn't wait to start editing the footage together.

I arrived at the studio early with my assistant, model and behind the scenes photographer to make sure all the initial images of the preparation were complete and the makeup, hair and styling was finished before Harrison arrived to set up his equipment. My photographer, Fran, unfortunately could not take out the camera she wanted from the hatch so she said she would use her own camera and the try to book it out again later. However when she did try again, they said the cameras were booked out all day. This frustrated me because I had specifically asked a photographer to come and take the images and I had said to her that she needed to book a camera as it was such a busy time; however I was still happy with the quality of the images she was taking.

Apart from the fact Fran did not book a camera before the shoot, I was very impressed with how efficiently she worked. She made sure she took all the images I wanted and if she wanted the team to be in a specific shot, she would wait until an appropriate time to ask and then get the shot very quickly, for example she needed a closeup of me doing the model's makeup whilst clearly showing the SOPHIE wristbands. Fran offered to help when she was not working, for example she helped bring the bed downstairs which saved a lot of my time. I would definitely collaborate with Fran again because she acts very professionally and is very thorough with her work.

Behind the Scenes Image.

I was relieved when Harrison showed up because I was very concerned that if he didn't, I was going to have to do the filming and set up all the lights, which was very stressful and time consuming last time. From previous experience I was aware that he was slow at setting up his equipment; therefore I made sure there was more than enough time for him to set up so that we could start filming on time. This was the first time I had seen him after receiving the poor quality footage, so I was anxious to see how he would work when having to reshoot his previous work. I was concerned his attitude would not be as positive as before, possibly because he felt embarrassed by his mistakes. Although initially, it was slightly awkward I was pleasantly surprised how professional and co-operative he was. I ensured that I checked every clip that he filmed and I reminded him many times which specific part of the scene to focus on. I didn't want him to think I was patronising him; however, I was not prepared to put the quality of the footage at risk because I was worried about offending him.

Even though he is a film student, this doesn't necessarily mean that his suggestions are always effective, for example, I needed a close up of the bed where the camera was steady. He said it would be easier to get a close shot if he held the camera on his lap rather than it being on a tripod. This concerned me because I knew he wouldn't be able to hold the camera completely still, so I insisted he used a tripod. I compared the footage with and without a tripod and I was relieved I was so persistent because the footage without the tripod was shaky.

I had hoped this scene would be shot within two hours, because there were not many clips to film and the lighting set up was the same throughout. However, Harrison suggested moving the strip lighting to look effective in each individual clip rather than limiting us to one standard set up, which allowed us to move the model to the required positions and then alter the lighting to give the most effective footage, rather than adapting her positioning to suit the lighting. For example, a close up shot needed very different lighting to a wide shot to ensure the strip lighting still looked effective.

I was concerned that my set assistant was not able to attend this rescheduled photoshoot, as the bed was needed for this scene and would need to be carried down from storage and also assembled, both of which he had done previously. However, I made sure he talked me through exactly how to assemble the bed and I was relieved that I could assemble it efficiently on the day. Even though I brought spare white paint in case the paint on the bed was chipped, I decided to leave any damaged patches, to add a realistic aspect to the bed, as it would have been used many times by previous patients.

Behind the Scenes Image.

One of the problems which arose from having two shoots on one day was that when applying oil and gel to the first hairstyle, I realised I would need to wash the model's hair between shoots, as her next hairstyle was a relaxed ponytail. I was concerned this would take up a lot of time; however I made sure it was the first thing I did when I got home whilst my assistant was unloading the car, to make sure time was used efficiently.

I felt guilty that the models had to return to reshoot footage they had already done through no fault of their own. I was very appreciative of how willing they were to give up their time, even through they had their own university work to be completing. All models were extremely co-operative and worked with good humour. They took instruction efficiently and remembered most of the choreography from the previous shoot, meaning each clip was able to be reshot in good time.

Behind the Scenes Image.

Looking at the footage, I am extremely happy with the quality and lighting used. I think having to re-shoot made Harrison take these shoots more seriously because he obviously did not want to have to shoot them again. The lighting in the first scene looks effective as it covers the model in every clip, including any close ups. The lighting was a lot brighter in the dance scenes because I worked with Harrison to use more fill lights to make sure there were no shadows that were too dark as even though I wanted the footage to be dark and shadowed, I did not want to lose too much detail.

I was extremely pleased with how everyone in the team worked together to work through the heavy schedule and ensure the filming was completed in the time we had. I cannot wait to begin editing the footage.