MAJOR PROJECT: Test Shoot 2

We decided to undertake a second test shoot day to give us more time at the location with the camera equipment prior to shooting the film. We wanted to be certain of our camera choice and also assess how long the set up would take. For me, I wanted to plan some of the set dressing and prep some of it beforehand so that the process would be simple on the shoot days and wouldn't take up too much time. On the last test shoot we only spent an evening there during the week, which wasn't really enough time to test the equipment thoroughly. It was only enough time for me to take some photos and do a risk assessment for the shoot.

Blacked Out Windows

For this test shoot, we spent all day on Saturday at the location. We had the location to ourselves as it is only a working office during the week which meant that for the time we were there we had control of the space. Not only was it a good opportunity to test out the equipment, but it allowed me to take all of the props and costume items that I had sourced (apart from the apples) and store them in one of the storage cupboards until the shoot days. I thought that this would be useful as it meant I didn't have to worry about them and I will have lots of other bags with me on the day.

Whilst Ellen and Josh set up the equipment, I began to measure up some black card for the windows and labelled all of it so that I knew which bits were for which windows. I used A3 black card, most of which I could leave as it is, however, some of the windows required me to measure and alter the card to fit the dimensions of the the windows. For most of the windows, I was able to blue-tac the card to the inside and pull the blinds down so that you couldn't see it. However, like on the windows shown below, there were no blinds, which meant that I had to stick it to the outside of the windows to give the illusion that it was pitch black outside.

Ellen also brought with her all of the cardboard boxes that she has managed to collect from work, which meant that we could leave those in the storage cupboards also. However, it gave us the opportunity to put them all up in the store room so we could decide on the composition and how we wanted to the boxes to look in the space and on camera. Below is an image of the boxes set up in the space. We will only be filling the top 2 with apples whilst the others will be empty but should give the illusion that they are full. I was happy with the arrangement of the boxes and we took several photos so we could attempt to replicate it on the shoot days.

Boxes in Storeroom

Windows

For some of the shots, Josh and I stood in place where the actors will be standing so that we could assess some of the framing of the shots, as well as how they would look on camera. It was brought to our attention that the Panasonic camera we had chosen didn't give us the desired appearance or depth of field in the shot that we wanted. We want the film to look cinematic and visually pleasing, and the Panasonic just wasn't quite delivering that at this location. Therefore, we decided as a team that we wanted to use a Canon 7D camera instead, as this will give us the image that we want for the film.
Generally, the second test shoot turned out to be a very useful process and highlighted some issues which we have now been able to resolve. Not only was it beneficial to map out some of the shots, but it was useful for me for the schedule, which I can now work out based on how long it took us to set up for each scene.