We have now started the process of filming our opening for our thriller Never Look Back which is very exciting. All equipment is booked and the actors and crew are ready. Below is a diary of our first day of filming.
The very first day of filming was spent at our first location which was Annie's house (Stacey in the film), filming the flashback scene with Stacey and her dad. In the scene Stacey is sitting in the corner of her house on the floor doing her homework,when her dad approaches her and hits her. Stacey is seen cowering in the corner looking very scared and vulnerable.
Before we could hit record there were a few things that we needed to sort out, things such as the lighting as the sun was reflecting onto the wall which was affecting the lighting on the camera. We also had to make sure that Annie was in the perfect spot in her house in order to set the scene as being dark, dull and miserable to represent how Stacey must be feeling in the film. We had to ensure that all objects were out of the way that could cause continuity.
Firstly we had a rehearsal of Stacey's dad going to hit her and her cowering in the corner just to make sure the framing was right and we had to ensure that the camera was in the right position. We wanted Stacey to be sitting in the corner on the floor to represent how vulnerable she is feeling. This gives the viewers the impression that Stacey is inferior to her dad as she is in the corner and sitting on the floor instead of at the table.
This shot took a few takes as we needed to make sure that the framing was perfect when Stacey's dad was going to hit her. We needed to make sure that he wasn't blocking the shot and we needed to make sure it looked realistic when he went to hit her.
However, we made a big mistake. After filming the flashback scene we started to pack all of the equipment away and we realized
Day 2
After our first unsuccessful day of shooting, forgetting the dialogue. We were hoping for a better day of shooting on the second day.
In this day of shooting we filmed more of the outside scenes, when Alex is following Stacey home from school.
Below is a diary of our day 2 of shooting.
The first bit of footage we filmed was Kyle storming out of the Media suite after Stacey. We first placed the camera inside the Media suite and panned Kyle storming out of the door. We then took the camera outside and placed it looking at the door. We did this to create a match on action when we did the editing.
We then took the camera and the equipment down to the brook where we continued to film Kyle following Annie home. We placed the camera behind him and watched Annie and Kyle walk down the brook away from the camera. We then used a pedestal shot and a tracking shot to make you feel like you are walking with Kyle. When we filmed this shot tracking Kyle we did it hand-held to give it a more realistic feel as if you are there with him.
Day 3
After a successful day of shooting. We were hopeful that day 3 would be the same. In today's shooting we filmed mostly outside. However, we also did the flashback scene again after our first unsuccessful attempt the first time.
Here is a diary of how day 3 went.
The first bit of footage we filmed was the flashback scene (again). We again had to get the camera in the perfect position as we had the same lighting issue. The light was reflecting on the wall so it effected our lighting a little bit but we managed to sort it out in the end. The camera was positioned perfectly so we rehearsed the scene before pressing record just to make sure it looked the way we hoped it would. The scene was perfect (we remembered the dialogue this time) so we moved on to the next scene.
The second bit of footage we filmed was Kyle following Annie out of the brook and then to her house. In this part of the scene we used a dolly to move backwards as Annie was walking towards the camera. Also in the shot we see Kyle crossing the road making the audience suspicious of where he is going.
There were a few obstacles to overcome when shooting this scene as it was quite wet and windy. The camera did wobble and shake a few times and also there were bumps in the floor so when we used the dolly it caused the camera to shake and wobble. We had to film this scene a few times to ensure that it looked perfect.
The next bit we filmed was Alex Watching Stacey from across the road. First we filmed a long shot of Kyle from across the road so we could get a better idea of where he was and where he was standing.
We then went over to where Kyle was standing and filmed an over the shoulder shot so the audience can see what Alex is seeing from his point of view. For the over the shoulder shot it was quite difficult to get the positioning of the camera perfect as we had to do it hand-held to make it look more realistic.
The next bit we filmed was the close-up of Alex's watch. This was a very difficult part to film as we used a hand-held shot again but this time the camera had to be at a high angle to make it look like we are looking down at Alex's watch from his point of view so we had to hold the camera up quite high which wasn't easy. We filmed this scene a few times to make sure there were no mistakes and it was perfectly filmed.
The next bit we filmed was Alex being hit over the head with a glass bottle. This was a very difficult scene to film as we had two people holding the camera one had the camera as the point of view of Stacy and the other had to stand in front of the camera to hit Kyle over the head with a bottle. This was the part that we filmed the most takes as it was quite hard to get right.
The final part of filming for the day was the part of Stacey dragging Alex away. This was quite an easy part to film as all we had to do was hold the camera quite low to the ground and walk backwards as if it's from the point of view of Alex.
That concluded our day 3 of filming.
The first bit of footage we filmed was the flashback scene (again). We again had to get the camera in the perfect position as we had the same lighting issue. The light was reflecting on the wall so it effected our lighting a little bit but we managed to sort it out in the end. The camera was positioned perfectly so we rehearsed the scene before pressing record just to make sure it looked the way we hoped it would. The scene was perfect (we remembered the dialogue this time) so we moved on to the next scene.
The second bit of footage we filmed was Kyle following Annie out of the brook and then to her house. In this part of the scene we used a dolly to move backwards as Annie was walking towards the camera. Also in the shot we see Kyle crossing the road making the audience suspicious of where he is going.
There were a few obstacles to overcome when shooting this scene as it was quite wet and windy. The camera did wobble and shake a few times and also there were bumps in the floor so when we used the dolly it caused the camera to shake and wobble. We had to film this scene a few times to ensure that it looked perfect.
The next bit we filmed was Alex Watching Stacey from across the road. First we filmed a long shot of Kyle from across the road so we could get a better idea of where he was and where he was standing.
We then went over to where Kyle was standing and filmed an over the shoulder shot so the audience can see what Alex is seeing from his point of view. For the over the shoulder shot it was quite difficult to get the positioning of the camera perfect as we had to do it hand-held to make it look more realistic.
The next bit we filmed was the close-up of Alex's watch. This was a very difficult part to film as we used a hand-held shot again but this time the camera had to be at a high angle to make it look like we are looking down at Alex's watch from his point of view so we had to hold the camera up quite high which wasn't easy. We filmed this scene a few times to make sure there were no mistakes and it was perfectly filmed.
The next bit we filmed was Alex being hit over the head with a glass bottle. This was a very difficult scene to film as we had two people holding the camera one had the camera as the point of view of Stacy and the other had to stand in front of the camera to hit Kyle over the head with a bottle. This was the part that we filmed the most takes as it was quite hard to get right.
The final part of filming for the day was the part of Stacey dragging Alex away. This was quite an easy part to film as all we had to do was hold the camera quite low to the ground and walk backwards as if it's from the point of view of Alex.
That concluded our day 3 of filming.
