Directions: Filming- Self-Portrait

Once I had completed filming my Drama, I focus on filming my Self-Portrait...

FILMING: SELF PORTRAIT

My location for the self-portrait was my bedroom. I wasn't just going to shoot it as it was so I spent a few hours dressing it before I began. I removed anything I didn't want in shot; hung up some old photos; placed a few of my film props around; used some lamps and an LED strip to light the room; and finally filled the room with fog.

Lighting was very important and so I spent a while adjusting the positioning of lamps and an LED strip to ensure it was right for the film. I then filled the room with fog so the lights would stand out more.

Finally, I put a static graphic onto my TV, PC and Mac.

The final set design

The final set design

The final set design

Once I had finished setting my room up, I grabbed the camera, set it up and got started.

I started by shooting the scenes that took place after the initial stop-motion opening, which I was going to do last. I went around the room, filming each detail, in line with the shot list. I used the camera to tell a visual story. I moved around, remembering what the story was supposed to be, to ensure I shot each bit right.

It took me about an hour to do this. Next, I had to shoot the parts of the film that I was in. To do this I asked my brother to operate the camera. I told him what I had been doing and showed him some of the footage I had shot, so he had an idea of the shooting style. I have worked with on many occasions so he knows what my prefered shooting style is.

Once all of this was complete, I put the camera on a tripod and spent some time shooting the stop-motion parts of the video. This took a long time but it had to be done right. Finally, I went round and shot a few pickups I had thought of, and then I was done.

CONCLUSION

Overall I think the shoot went really well, and I think the resulting footage looks really nice. The shoot did take a while, which I should've planned for. I had wait for the sun to go down before I could start filming because the scene was set at night. This meant I ended up filming late into the night, something I wish I hadn't done, because I lost concentration whilst doing the stop-motion part. All in all, I think the footage came out just how I had imagined it, and I'm happy it did. Now it's time to edit...