We finished filming, aside from potential reshoots and other filming. We shot in the alleyway by Ventris Road and Broadwood Road in Happy Valley on Friday, and shot in Bernice/Medora's house.
Medora, Bernice, and Andy were all great. They wore the make up, costumes, and sacrificed their own comfort to contribute to the film. I felt very tyrannical at some points so I had to keep a low profile and speak when needed.
We planned the whole schedule beforehand of course. I would bring all of the equipment to my house, which included the dolly, HD camera, Boom/Boom handle, and stand. We didn't really use the stand or the dolly since they were more of a hindrance than a practical tool. The camera wasn't too shaky, and if it was, we simply reshot.
All of us would eventually meet at my house and revise the plan. Then we'd bring all of the equipment to the location; a 2 minute walk.
We had some problems with the costumes. I thought Andy dressed very nicely at first, so I made him change his belt. We experiment with a few shirts but ended up going with the original one. We also ditched the tie because it looked too forced upon when Andy wore it. We also ditched the black jacket, but he still would hold it otherwise there would be too much white.
For Medora I told her to bring a light colored scarf. She told us that she was going to wear a black dress, which is nice but seemed too funeral like. She is after all playing a prostitute. She ended up bringing a green scarf, which looks fantastic.
We filmed and encountered few, minor problems such as the boom getting in the way, or not getting the camera movement timed properly.
We decided to film the alley scene first and the walking scenes some other day next week.
When we were in Bernice/Medora's house, it was Bernice acting. She wore something different, still black, but with a black cardigan and more eyeliner. Her hair was also curly/curlier. On Saturday we filmed all of the flashback scenes, which involved Bernice. We had to make it surreal so we played around a lot with lighting and even used a fan to get the heavenly effect with her hair.
While filming, Andy said that there was a hole in the script; why does he kill Bernice? I improvised with ideas and came up that Bernice stole his wallet, and during a struggle, Bernice pulls out her gun but Andy grabs it from her and shoots her. It's plausible and makes sense.
Obviously there were some problems while shooting the flashbacks. We could not film Andy and Medora physically touching lips, so we used their shadow. The important part isn't the physicalness, but the intimacy; how could we express their intimacy, and prove that he was in love with her to the audience?
I think that we portrayed that but it comes down to editing.
I already uploaded all of the clips into my computer and downloaded into my hard drive so we saved time. We had troubles with Final Cut Pro because the setting between my and the school's computer were different. But eventually we sorted it out, so we didn't have to render.
Today we couldn't get much done since Andy needs to delete all of the flawed bits, which would take a while. He would also need to organize the timeline to have the film in the order it was in the script.
Next time on filming day I would try to keep track of the time more strictly. On both days we filmed an hour later than we wanted. We should be more efficient in filming. But our commitment and desire to produce a quality film was what helped us get through.
While the files were being transferred to the computer (it was 3 GB, so it took 20 minutes), we finished the Voice Overs. It went very smoothly. We used a practice room. Medora captured the voice and it was clear. She compiled it with garageband.
I was an IB learner because:
Inquirer: While filming we improvised with shots. I found myself giving suggestions such as 'closer angles' or 'lower angles' to Bernice; shots that made the frame more interesting. And because for most of us this was a new experience, we learned a lot in how to capture a cool shot and how to make each frame effective.
Knowledgeable: Explored concepts, ideas. Acquired in-depth knowledge and understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.
Thinkers: Exercised initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively. I applied techniques I learned from film class as well as from shots from movies I have seen. I also was a follower of the Rule of Thirds. I found that very effective.
Communicators: Said my ideas even though in some cases, was not my responsibility (I am not the cameraperson).
Open-Minded: Did not control the whole set. Let Bernice be the cameraperson she is.
Risk-Takers: Experimented with costumes.
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