Major Project: Diary Room Test Shoot

Major Project: Diary Room Test Shoot

In preparation for our diary room sequences. We conducted two test shoots during this project. The first one was quite early on and was designed for us to scout/test the location we had found to ensure we knew what we were working with in our actual shoot.

The second was initiated by me, after receiving detailed feedback from Helen about how the shoot could be improved after showing her a test edit. This was designed for us to test our new camera plans and help Cailan get more comfortable operating the track and Dolly in a small space. 

On our first test, we all got to practice our roles (since it was still early on in the project). Allowing us to find a balance between everyone's responsibilities. On this occasion, Alex found he could have greater control and impact on how things were filmed, as he had to focus less on being a contributor, since this was a controlled environment and time frame. This meant me and Cailan coudl have a more direct feed from our director and make more informed decisions. 

There was some clashes however with it being early on in the project and I think my desire to help, got in the way a bit. I was too focused on trying to instruct Cailan and see what he was doing, when I needed to have more faith in him and divert my attention elsewhere. 

The main thing we learned from this test shoot was the importance of lighting. Which lead me to booking out several lights with Ferg, as well as bringing my own. 

The second shoot allowed the team a chance to actively understand and work on Helen's feedback before our re-shoot. Cailan got to get some more time with the track and dolly to understand how best to get the shots we needed. I also got Drey to come and advise him on this as she has experience with this kind of shooting.  

Thanks to this test shoot (even though it was in the studios, which was a different environment to the one we were going to be filming in). It allowed us to adapt our plans to be more practical and realistic for the space we had. Making us more prepared for the shoot and improving the overall end result.