Test Shoot Day 1

My plan for the test shoot was for my main character to just ask directions to a certain place and shoot her from a far. Before the start of filming we had all kinds of emotion running through us. My main character Siti and I were extremely nervous because both of us are such shy people and in this new environment it felt different. It felt foreign to us to go up asking people. We were afraid although there is nothing to be afraid of. We did not have the confidence to talk to people. Anyway, I just told Siti to start walking and I will shoot her from the back. We walked in every direction just picking the right people to ask. My main character did not know if she should approach this particular person or not. Basically, I kept shooting until my main character gave me a signal that she is going to ask this person because sometimes she changed her mind and end up not asking that person.

I picked a few shots that I have not edited in terms of sound and colour grading. The first two shots were to test out the kind of shots like medium shot and wide shot. When I shot the medium shot I sort of felt closer to the main character. In the wide shot where my main character walks the opposite direction from the crowd it gave a sense of her loneliness and lost in the society. When I followed my character there were certain challenges. Once my main character stops and asked the directions from someone I was not sure if I should have stayed 15 steps away from her or should I get closer to her. When I got closer to her I tried to pan away from both the characters so that they would not know that I am filming them. I wanted to be discreet as though I am not filming them. There was also an unexpected turn from my main character such that she was facing to the camera thus her face was shown. I did not know where to pan so I did an awkward pan to the other direction instead on focusing on them. When my main character keeps walking there is a need to change the exposure because when she is in an open area the sun is shining so bright and when she enters a sheltered area the sudden need to change the exposure again. I felt that instead of following my main character when she ask for directions, I should have stayed at a corner or some other position from a far and not move. I feel that my camera movement was not smooth and that I needed a more steady “hand”. I think I got tired from carrying it for too long. I am not sure if I should try out an even smaller camera so that it would not be obvious that I am filming. The audio was good even though you can hear the main character voice very clearly but I feel that can be done during editing. The audio was done manually instead of auto because when it was under auto the sound level was low so I adjusted it manually and the audio came out great. Overall, I felt that my framing when my main character meets a stranger was not shot that well. It felt rushed and wobbly.

I would not say that it was a terrible shoot but instead it was a stepping stone for my main character and me. At the end, we found that we can actually do it. We just needed to warm up. I am planning to do another test shoot next week and hopefully get the people to say the things I want them to say. I would also like to try out shooting from a different angle but not moving from where I am and wait for my main character to enter the frame.

nurfarina-othman

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