Second shoot evaluation:

We arrived in the studio the day before the shoot so that we could set up.  The backdrop had been painted for us but we needed to get all the props. We had bought lots of real flowers which we put into vases and placed them around the set as well as some artificial flowers which we placed on the piano and in the drum kit to make it look colourful and more fun. We set up the drum kit and the piano in the right place and scattered leaves all over the place to give it that outdoor country feel. We then spotted this Astroturf grass carpet which we felt would be nice for two reasons. The first is that it adds to the outside look and adds colour to the set. The second is that we could extend the set if we added the carpet on which meant Fen could stand in front of everyone else instead of being cramped in next to the drums(this allowed her to move it little whilst performing).

We next day we arrived and we had a little panic because no one was there except for the drummer and guitarist.....Our pianist had an acting lesson which she had to go to for an hour so we panicked that we would miss an hour of shooting but luckily setting up the cameras and a quick rehearsal took an hour so she was back in time(our main artist Fen had arrived within that time) and we could start.
The set looked great, the actors looked great! All we had to do now was shooooot!  

 

We started by filming still shots. We started by filming a few  wide shots of the whole set which went really well except our drummer looked a bit uncomfortable to start with but he soon eased into it. 

We then did a few close ups on Fen which started of not being amazing because she wasn't smiling as much as we wanted her too but it was because she was just getting used to performing in front of the camera.

We then did close ups and medium shots of the guitarist and the pianist which went really well - They were both really comfortable in front of the camera and did a few smiles at each other which made the band look like a real band.

 

After about an hour everyone was comfortable in front of the camera - Fen was smiling and dancing and the other band members were doing well. ONE BIG PROBLEM we faced was that we realised the drummer was out of time with the music which looked awful but we filmed him anyway and tried to get him in time with the beat but we came to realise that he wasn't a very good drummer so we couldn't do too much with him. However he did have a good vibe and he became much more confident as the shoot went on and he smiled at the camera and occasionally winked at the camera which worked well.               

 

 

After lunch we got the track out and did some tracking shots. These were my favourite shots of the day because the still shots become a bit repetitive after a while and it is nice to have shots which moves - It brings energy and lets the artist move a bit more and allows them to follow the camera with their body instead of standing still in the same place for still shots. I felt this was when Fen was at her best. She really connected with the camera and was able to dance a little as the camera moved around her. 

 

We all took turns filming and doing playback. I filmed most of the still shots whilst my other team members filmed the tracking shots whilst I did playback and held the lead so that it didn't get stuck under the camera. I loved the tracking section of filming the best but found filming the most fun because I was able to control the camera and watch the live action as well as seeing it through the camera.

We all worked well together and were able to swap jobs easily. We listened to each other and helped each other when we got stuck. The main thing I learned was to take lots of shots because when it comes to editing the more shots you have to choose from the better.