Filming Blog: Microphones, Ponds and Re-filming

 I filmed the rest of the indoor scenes the night of November first. Unlike my commercial I did not have any help so I had to change a few things. I had to change the third scene from a long shot to a medium shot because I was the only one who controlled the camera, and if I wanted to keep that scene as a tracking shot I would not be able to hold the camera at the correct distance and height for a tracking shot. The tracking shot was also quite difficult to film because I would keep running into furniture. On one occasion I quite literally fell over a  couch, which was not  very fun. Luckily the tilt upwards in the fourth scene was very easy. I also filmed the ninth scene that afternoon, but due to the fact that I did not film at the correct angle I would have to re-film it later. 

I filmed all of the outdoor scenes on December first. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a clear view of just the sunset over the pond due to trees blocking the view from all sides. However, it is very beautiful in a way I didn’t anticipate. Another thing I did not anticipate was the weather. It was around 40 degrees while I was filming and it only got colder as it got later. I didn't have any jackets that would fit the aesthetic of the costumes so I had to power through filming outside. I filmed the high angle relatively easily. Although I did need to find a way to position the tripod so I would stay stable on the uneven earth. The medium shot proved harder than expected because I had to hide my long hair from behind. I tried a variety of methods including pulling all of my hair to the top of my head and into a ponytail. Ultimately what proved most effective was trying my hair into a bun and tucking the bun into the hair in order to largely hide the hair tie.

On December second I filmed the ninth scene again, but this time I placed the camera at the proper angle. I thought I was done but later that night I realized I had completely forgotten to include a pan shot. The next morning, December third, I went out to the pond and got ready for filming. I was leaving South Carolina that night so I wasn’t able to get the same lighting as the other lake scenes. I’m going to try to change the lighting of this scene to match the other lake scenes in editing. I filmed a pan shot across the pond, and to the fountain in the center of it. This pan will be placed between the 7th and 8th scenes bringing the total number of scenes to 13.