MAJOR PROJECT: Test Shoot 1

On Friday evening, we had our first test shoot at the location. We could only be at the location during the evening as it is a working office. However, it allowed us to test out some of the exterior shots which will need to be filmed in pitch black as it is set at night time. During our recce, we were only able to spend half an hour at the location and so didn't have enough time to experiment with the space  and get a good feel for the shots.


For this test shoot, we brought the camera equipment with us as well as lighting. It was essential that we practiced all of the exterior scenes as the lighting in crucial to be able to determine what will be seen on camera. We want to avoid having to troubleshoot the lighting on the day or find out that we don't have enough. We used 2 LED lighting kits, which were carefully placed in front of Josh's car. This is the car that we will be using for the shoot so framing wise it was important to see what it would look like on camera. For the time being, Josh and I stood in as Bobbie and Clive so that we could assess how the scenes would look with the actors in them. Although, the LED lights were producing quite a lot of light, we decided that the Rotolight may also be necessary to get the desired lighting.

Trialling Exterior Scenes

Machinery in Storeroom

The test shoot was also a good opportunity for me to take some photos of the 2 storerooms so we could assess which one would be most suitable. However, there were several health and safety hazards in one of the storerooms as shown in the image below, which make it an unsuitable location for filming. I also thought that with the extra space that we have access to in the other storeroom will give us plenty of room for the equipment and all of the crew, which will also limit any potential tripping hazards.
Generally, the test shoot was a much needed process as it highlighted several things and allowed us to make important decisions regarding where we were filming and how much equipment we would need. However, I think a more thorough test shoot is required to give us more time to test out some of the shots in the office and allow me to prep what we need for the set dressing.