Sunday 23 October 2016

Digital News: Filming Day 1 (Interview & News Package)

So the time had come. We had written the script, gathered our contributors, and collected our equipment. It was time for our first day of filming...

FILMING DAY (INTERVIEW & NEWS PACKAGE)



The day before the shoot, we set up the room we were using for the interview, so we would have more time to set up the equipment on shoot day. We wanted the interview to have a relaxed, and friendly vibe to it, so we set the room up as a living room, with two sofas, a coffee table, and some nice decoration that fit with our brand. On the table between the two sofas we placed two branded mugs, and some branded cue cards, as well as a clapper board to match the behind the scenes vibe the show has. We hid references to two viral videos on the set. The first was the pineapple on the coffee table which relates to 'Pen, Pineapple, Apple, Pen', and on the clapper we wrote the numbers '9, 10, & 21' which relate to a viral video from last year.

We set up the lighting using ourselves as stand-ins. We wanted the room to have a warm vibe, so we put the tungsten balanced filters on the lights, so they were warmer. We also placed a lamp on the table and pointed it toward where Katie would be sitting to bounce more warm light onto her face. And finally, we framed up the two cameras we were using, one with a CU of Katie, and the other on a dolly with a wide of the me and Katie.

Once everything was set up, we realised we still had about 2 hours until Katie would arrive for the interview, so we decided to start filming the news package. The final step of our step by step guide was set in the same location, so whilst we weren't using it for anything else, we filmed step 4. To do this we used both cameras to get two angles for the package. Ida set up the sound and clip mic, and Nisserin and Becca operated the two cameras. As I was the presenter, I only had to focus on remembering the script and presenting it to the camera. After we finished filming this, we took lunch.

After lunch Katie was ready for her interview. We got her to come in, and Ida mic'd her up. Before we started the interview, we explained to her what we were doing and I gave her an idea of the sort of questions I was going to ask her. We wanted her to feel as relaxed as possible so we were very friendly and tried not to put any pressure on her.



We ran through the questions, cutting a few times to allow the director to give some feedback to Katie and I. Throughout the interview Katie was very relaxed and gave some great answers. We were very happy with her performance. And once we were done, she headed off. After she had left, we filmed all of my reverse shots, so we had good close ups of me asking the questions. And once this was done, we moved onto filming the rest of the news package.

To finish filming the news package, we had to move around to three different locations. We started by moving to production room 1 to film step 1. Nisserin set the camera up on the dolly, and operated the camera, as Ida and Becca were in the shot with me. We filmed a few takes and once we were happy with it, we moved to the next location.

For step 2, we filmed in the library. This shot was supposed to look like I found the camera in that room and picked it up to talk to it. To achieve this effect, Nisserin put camera on a table, and kept her hands on it when I pretended to pick it up so it looked like I was holding it, but she actually still had control of it.

Finally, we moved into production room 2 to film step 3. Step 3 is about editing so it made sense for me to sit in front of an editing suite. We filmed a few takes and once we were happy with it, we packed up, reset the lecture room we used for the interview, and went home.

Overall our first day of filming went really well and we managed to get everything we needed in the time we had. Katie was great in the interview and I think she enjoyed working with us. Becca was a great director, and she kept everyone up to date on the vision of the piece. Nisserin did a great job operating the cameras, and all of our footage came out great. Ida was brilliant on sound, and she acted as a vocal clapper which will make editing much easier. And finally, I'll let the rest of the group decide if I did a good job as a presenter!

Below is an outtake from our filming, which gives you a good idea of our camera, sound, and lighting set up.



Images:
Credit- Ida Frank

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