Thursday, March 26, 2009

Live Client: Shoot 6 - Children's Interviews

This shoot was completely different to the 5 earlier shoots for various reasons:

  1. The camera was framed, static on a tripod. Compared to the other shoots the size of the shot was decided and it stayed the same for each interviewee. This is the contradicting aspect highlighting the underlying theme of how 'play' has just stopped. This is how the documentary begins - still and static. The pace then picks up.
  2. The set up involved a full 3 point lighting kit. This was challenging as we were limited to space and adaptability in the location. In terms of practicality we had to shoot the interviews in the school in a smaller room than desired.
  3. The shots were more directed rather than 'fly on the wall' as I wasn't just capturing what was happening but actually creating what I wanted to happen.
I found the interview process particularly challenging as I couldn't predict what the children would say. This was when my directing skills were really tested because I didn't want to force an answer from the children but I also needed to achieve and gather particular dialogue to tell my story.

Lighting is an area that is difficult to get right. It was useful to have the crew's perspective and help to achieve the style I needed. We had a black backdrop with strong 3-point lighting. I wanted to highlight the lighting and make it obvious that the 'subjects' were under a spotlight. we had limited space, which affected the lighting technique. Cinematography is an aspect of filmmaking that I would like to explore and learn in depth.

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