Major Project Production Unit - Test Shoot

I felt it would be really important to have a test shoot. It allows Andreya to get use to the equipment and have a play with the settings to ensure it can deliver to the standard that we want. Having said this, it also allows me to have a mini directing shoot working with types of shots and movements that I want to incorporate into the final film. We rented out a DJI Ronin gimble and a Sony AR7iii as Andreya has done a lot of research into equipment based off the type of style I am looking for. She suggested that these pieces of kit would work really well. It also allowed us to test the rental service (FatLama) making sure that they were reliable and would work for the shoot.

We decided that since we were doing internal and external shooting it would be good to do a bit of both. Having the equipment for only 24 hours we decided to keep it local using nearby areas and properties. I am planing to use a lot of slow motion in film so we really wanted to see the cameras capabilities of this. Initially, the Gimble took a lot of time to set up as you had to get the weight balance right to achieve that smooth look that I wanted but once this was set up, we were able to get on the road and start filming. 

We first of all used a big open public field as we felt this would give us space and light. This worked very and when reviewing the footage you can see the clearness of the shots as well as the smoothness that the Gimble adds to everything. The camera settings that drey used really looked great and the slow motion I feel will add to the dramticness of the film. Since I want everything to be ominous and dream like, I feel the shots from the test shoot really prove that it can be done and to a really good quality. 

We next shot in a barn with not as much light using some use of lights to help. This shoot also went very well giving smooth and clear shots that I was looking for. I was worried that shooting in low light would be an issue but Drey worked out the settings to achieve the look that I wanted. I again tried slow motion, fluid, cinematic shots which I feel really work well and have the same kind of look as some of the previous research I have done.

 You can view a short video that I edited together below showing shot ranges and the 2 different locations:

I deliberately chose tense moody music so I could grasp a similar atmosphere to the type of film I wanna create and then cut the shots together to view how all the different angles would work. We also tried gliding across with the Gimble like the scene on the bed. This did work however it was not as smooth as the track and dolly so I will probably still use this on the shoot for them types of shots. Having said that, the shot that draws away from the staircase and has me walking towards the camera worked very well so I'm pleased with effect this gave. Overall I feel I have learnt a lot from this test shoot and this will help towards making sure I get the final film as best as it can be.