Shoot 2 Reflection (Narrative)
For the narrative shoot, we made the decision to film in two locations, a bedroom and outdoors, as it would give an alternative to our video. As well, using two locations provides the opportunity to get creative with various shot types and framings. Plus, it allows us to incorporate a transition to reflect the change in our individuals’ journey. Within the narrative, we only used one actor to portray the journey of finding your true self and how freeing it becomes to not be forced into social expectations. Each of us arrived prepared with the equipment set up, costumes and makeup in hand ready for the transformation, and the handmade props created prior to the shoot.
Specifically for this shoot, we assembled two handmade props; a journalling book and a pinboard. We found they would give a personal sense to the narrative and build upon our mise-en-scene.
The book, labeled ‘How to fit in’, was created by Maisy. This represented the ‘societal norms’ which are expected of a typical teenage boy. It included various images related to a stereotypical boy; the type of clothing they wear, different haircuts, and certain activities like the gym or any sports. It is significant because it emphasizes the struggles of trying to fit in and not be seen as different. Our actor’s reaction to this would reflect the feelings of not being accepted, pressure, despair, and loss.
The pinboard was designed by me. This bright, colorful pinboard acted as a mood board of what they wished for their life. It signifies positivity and a sense of hope for the actor, motivating them to not care about being different. This stimulates the beginning of change and transformation.
When shooting, we used a variety of filming techniques and shots of the desk set-up from different distances: Close-ups of the pinboard and makeup, a pan up from the desk to the pinboard, a ped across the pinboard and desk, zoom in on the pinboard focusing on the tiny details of the pictures. All of these would be perfect as part of a montage when we begin to edit the clips in post-production.
Overall, I felt our second shoot went really well.
what went well
- We have a lot of footage to work with from both locations; various shots taken from different distances and angles.
- All of our shots were focused and taken in good lighting.
- Our mise-en-scene was well thought-out and very effective, adding meaning to the narrative. We will also be able to enhance the flashy colors used to that they really pop in the video.
- We came prepared and organized; we were efficient with the costumes and makeup, and all the props (designed beforehand) looked great on camera.
targets for improvement
- Like the performance shoot, the light we used was very unstable. Next time, we need to double-check the batteries as it was time-consuming turning them off/on during the shoot. As well it would have been beneficial to have constant lighting throughout.
- Even though we created a plan of the different shots we’d get at either location and, shot a lot of good footage altogether, we seemed to manage our time more effectively at our first location compared to the outdoors. So, an improvement for next time would be to have a clear understandable plan of the important shots to get first before gathering any extra ones.
Focus Forward
We improved our directing skills massively when shooting the narrative. You have to get your actor to tell a story and it isn’t easy to capture it the first time, so it took a lot of trial and error. Our communication skills helped us as a group to discuss the plan of the shoot and how we’d convey the narrative, this eliminated any issues from occurring. With the footage taken from this shoot, we can now begin incorporating the narrative into the rough cut of draft 1 which was purely the performance.