- which camera would be best suited to the production and why
- which settings would ensure the best visual quality
- how the camera could perform in the chosen shooting style (i.e. testing the camera using the handheld filming method with the minor zooms)
- how this footage could then be colour graded to achieve the desired look
- which lighting equipment is needed in which scenes to produce the best lighting to allow for the best exposure
- how the shots from the storyboard could be applied to actually shooting the project
Overall, I covered a lot of the aspects involved in the production of VET-MAN as I worked out which camera was most suitable for the desired visual look and for shooting the shot types I outlined in my shot list (and put this into practice by blocking out how scene 1 would be filmed). However, I overlooked testing the camera when shooting the characters in a moving vehicle which is important for scene 3 of VET-MAN. I, therefore, took on the task of testing filming in a moving vehicle.
Before testing this, I decided to conduct some research into how shows such as The Office and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia have tackled scenes in which a character has hit something with a car. This led me to test the car hit in the following ways:
In my initial storyboard, I had planned to film the characters from behind so that I would be sat in the back whilst they drove the van. However, as there are no seats in the back of the van, this would not be safe to do as I would be at a higher risk of injuring myself and damaging the equipment. This is also not the prime filming angle for this scene as you can not fully see the character's faces meaning that their actions and reactions are being largely missed - this means that a lot of the comedy within the scene is being missed due to a lot of the humour coming from their reactions to hitting the dog. Furthermore, you can see the road in front of the van so would be able to see when the dog is supposedly supposed to be in the road and hit by the van. This means that if I were to film from this angle, I would need to consider a way that we could make it look as if a dog was in the road without using (and possibly injuring) a real dog. As well as these issues, filming from behind poses the issue of filming through the metal grate. This means that on top of only seeing the characters from behind, the audience's vision is obscured by this metal grate which again means that the characters' actions and reactions are not entirely visible.
To demonstrate how filming from this angle would work, I tested the proposed shots for this scene:
As an alternative method of filming this scene, I tested filming each character from leaning through the van window. This would obviously mean that the van would need to be stationary during filming to allow me to position the camera through the windows to capture the characters from in front - this means that the idea that the van is moving will need to be simulated by the camera movement (i.e. adding a little more shake to the handheld filming method) and during the post-production process by overlaying images that mimic the movement of shadows falling on the van as it supposedly moves. A problem that this test shoot flagged is that I will need to ensure not to capture any of the windows as I point the camera at the characters as this will immediately indicate that the van is in fact stationary. Filming the scene from this angle makes a lot more sense due to actually being able to see the characters faces and, therefore, their actions within the shots and reactions to what is occurring within the scene. This will, in turn, enhance the humour within the scene as being able to see their faces will allow the comedy to be communicated a lot clearer to the audience so that no humour is lost due to bad camera angles. Filming using this method also eliminates the problem of being able to see there is no dog in the road prior to them hitting it - this aids the believability of the scene as this action will now be entirely believable due to the characters' reactions and hopefully via the desired sound design. I tested the moment that the van hits the dog by jolting the camera - this camera shake helps to signify that they have just hit something (which caused the jolt). This, when followed by a stationary shot) helps to demonstrate the movement involved in hitting an object. This method was used in The Office when Michael hits Meredith with his car - this is followed by a panning shot to show Meredith being hit, however, it will not be possible for us to do something similar safely with our dog so, instead, I have borrowed the motion used in this clip from The Office. I show the intended jolt motion in the following clip (although this was filming from the previous angle - the same method of simulating this hit will be used from the angle in which the audience can see the characters' faces):
To demonstrate how filming from this angle would work, I tested the proposed shots for this scene - however, I did not film a medium two shot due to this being impossible if trying to avoid capturing the windows (which would give away the fact that the van is stationary):
Here are the moving image shots from both angles to demonstrate the ways in which this scene could be shot:
I decided against using a fixed camera method such as a GoPro as this would break the continuity of the production due to all of the other scenes being filmed in a handheld manner. By fixing a GoPro to the dashboard of the van, the footage captured would appear too structured and calculated in comparison to the other handheld footage which would go against the natural, observational feel of the rest of the production. Furthermore, using a GoPro would mean that I wouldn't be able to perform the minor zooms that characterise the natural, observational filming style that I plan to use throughout the rest of the scenes as they do not have this feature available on them - this again would break the continuity of the production.
What I learnt from this test shoot:
Performing this test shoot enabled me to work out the best way to film the scene within the moving vehicle and simulating hitting an object. Through this, I found the best way to film in a moving vehicle whilst maintaining the shooting style of the production is actually to shoot through the windows whilst the van is stationary and to then simulate the movement of the van through additional camera shake and in the post-production process. This test shoot also flagged the fact that I will need to ensure I don't capture the opposite window to the character I am filming as this would show the audience that the van is not moving. I also found that the most effective way to make it appear that a dog has been hit (without actually hitting an object) it to emphasise the camera movement of this action (i.e. jolting the camera as a result of hitting something) - when combined with the sound design of a dog being hit, this will prove effective in communicating what has just occurred.
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