Shoot Day Evaluation

What did you do the day before, to set up for your shoot day?

Our set design was very simple as we just wanted to flood the artists body with red light and a black background. To set this up we placed a black plank of wood with plastic curved plastic holders for the beam lights. Using the beam lights was a possible other design element that the group wanted to try out. Then by slipping the lights into the plastic holders and plugging them all in we pulled a black curtain to give us the all black background. Once the light were turned off the red lights became a lot more luminous. After testing it we knew the studio was perfect for the shoot so we unplugged it all for the next day. 

For organising the hotel I decided, as it was in my name, to then the day before to re-call the hotel to confirm that we still had the booking and everything we had discussed before hand was still fine with the owners. This went well as they agreed they were delighted for us to come, booking in at one o'clock. 

How did you feel when you woke up on the morning of the shoot day?

As per usual on the shoot day morning I felt nervous and was scared about not getting everything to fit into the one day that we had. The costume for the dancer had changed a few times and I was worried about the final look was going to be right as it was Hannah’s job. A part from that I was very excited because our date had been pushed back and I was really excited to see the visions that we had created come alive in front of us.

How well prepared were you when you arrived for the shoot, what did you have to do before you could start shooting?

 As we went over the routine a fews days before hand just to establish the last and finished version I was not worried about the artists and dancers performance. This made sure that everything the actors had to do was organised and all we needed to do was bring our half to the table.  Both of them and the rest of the group all turned up on time so I think this was well organised. 

For the hotel we had printed out an email that they had sent us to confirm that we were coming so we could give it to recption just in case of the worst reaction. All the lights for the hotel room and electrical plugs were also organised to head to there when were ready. 

Describe what the studio looked like when you started to shoot, how well do you feel you managed to create the look of your concept?

With our studio we wanted to make it completely minimalistic by just having him dressed in black and lit completely in red. This along with just a black background. Also with her we wanted it to be completely minimalistic using the same technique. This was very effective and worked perfectly. It was not a very hard task but we were happy about achieving exactly what we wanted. This showed us that you can use something so easy and make it look so effective instead of it being over done. 

The hotel room how ever was not studio built which meant we had to deal with what we got. We had around six red tube lights to bring with us to flood the room. This worked so effectively, even tho to the human eye it did not look so flooded when it came to the camera it looked perfectly red. I also took the bed and messed it up and ruffled up the sheets to make it look a little messier than just completely clean. This added to the sexiness and gave the shots more edge as it signified sex. 

How did you divide the roles on your shoot day, what role(s) did you play?

Our group works so well as a team and we all respect each others creative thoughts. My roles were director and I also worked with the playback, making sure everyone was ready. When it came to directing it was all connected to the vision that we all had as a team because we care a lot about our creation. So I would direct the artist how to sing the song, the attitude and remind him to add some hand gestures into it to relate to the style of his look and music. 

When it came to the hotel room I helped work our choreography round the hotel room, like choosing to get them to go to the rooms arch and sitting on that chair as well. I had to make sure our routine was flexible enough to do this. 

What do you think that you personally did particularly well?

I loved directing the artist so that we could get exactly what we wanted to get. This meant that I could tell the actors how interact with each other. It was very important to me when it came to the chemistry between them both that it came through to the camera and looked like it worked. This meant by constructing it by asking them to kiss and where to look during the dance and etc. This made the shots stronger. This was my favourite job, as I could completely put my direction forward and perfect what the actors were doing. 

What problems did you have on the shoot day, how did you solve them?

The outfit that the actress was wearing had been changed so much that when it came to the last version it was not fully approved by teachers. The board of teachers agreed when they saw it that it could be taking it too far with this outfit. This was quite stressful as we had a back up, but it was not as attractive or fitted in as much as this outfit. This meant as a team we had to think fast. We decided to give the actress tights to wear under the costume covering up some of her skin. This was then approved, as it was not as revealing. 

Also we were not sure we were going to fit in all of our shoot idea’s into the one day, as we believed the hotel room was going to take sometime. This did result in us not being able to shoot in the street and in the hallway because of the time the studio/hotel room took. This was disappointing and did worry us, but we came away good footage. 

Which part of the shoot do you think was most successful and why?

Well a large worry was the actors freezing up in front of the camera as it was quite a passionate sequence, so we needed people that would pull it off. After a few rehearsals and explaining how were going to be there with camera’s and etc. Even though they seemed calm I was still worried they would not pull it off. I was thankful that they did and that they both look great together. 

Also that the studio was very successful and we decided to start making slow motion closeup shots of the actors doing actions. The became very strong shots and looked beautiful on the screen. 

Which part of the shoot do you wish had gone better and why?

I wish we had organised our time more so we could of got those shots walking down the underpass and then down the hallway. As this would of added more to our narrative and made our vision even more real. This was unfortunate but we came out of it very happy being able to shoot at the hotel and getting some great studio shots. 

How well do you think you managed your talent (actors)?

As I have discussed before they worked very hard and we made sure they were doing their jobs the way we wanted them to do it. We also made sure that  they were looked after like having something to cover Hannah (the actress) up when she was cold in her outfit. 

What was the part of the shoot you enjoyed the most?

I loved seeing everything coming to life with the hotel room scene. With our actors getting on it gave us flexibility to push what we did when it came to the acting and connection of the two of them. This was great as it let our imaginations free.

What are you looking forward to seeing the most in the edit?

I can not wait to see the studio shots because they stand out to me. I think they catch the eye, and I love the colour red being used. From day one we have known we wanted to use red light and for it to be successful looking we would be so happy with that. 

How well do you feel that your production group worked as a team?

We worked very well as we listened to each others plans and idea’s. We never would turn each other down and even when we did it was done respectively. Also because we wanted the video to be the best we could of made it, it made us care about it, making us all take role and make sure that it was all organised. 

Are their any lessons you learned today that could help you make your next shoot even more successful?

Yes, do not expect to be able to a million things in the one day, because you do not have enough time. It is better to do two things very well than too over do it and not take your time and make it the best. 

Are there any changes you might need to make to your website and artwork, in order for them to fit in with the video that you have shot?

Well I think that we will definitely have to use some sort of red accent to connect as it is a big theme in our video. So i think this could look good with a website and album artwork.