DANCE VIDEO: The Shoot
Shoot day, finally here!
Tracking markers were added to assist in matchmoving both takes, due to the fact that we didn't have a complicated rig that could perform the same movement twice.
Even though on some of the takes background objects are visible due to the limited setup time we had, i am confident that since these shots will only appear for a short amount of time, they can be digitally erased, and the dancer can be isolated.
I also placed a line between the two halves in order to have a reference point for the mirror.
Lastly, after we had shot everything on our shot list, we decided to use our remaining time to experiment with different lenses, camera angles and slow motion.
We ended up shooting almost two hours of footage, and i believe that that's more then enough material to use.
SETTING UP:
Our day started with getting all of the equipment in to the room and setting up the space. As me and shahid were setting up the camera, blade and glidecam Lucy went to greet Amelia and bring her in to the room.
We also had Laura, Lauren and Katherine helping us out with things like makeup, timing and lighting.
We also had Laura, Lauren and Katherine helping us out with things like makeup, timing and lighting.
Setting up the camera was pretty straightforward since it was all ready and prepared from the previous day, when we all picked up the equipment and formatted the cards.
The glidecam however was allot trickier. Balancing the weights and the camera is extremely tricky and requires allot of time, therefore we couldn't fully set it up at the start. Thankfully we had planned for the glidecam shots to be filmed after the lunch break, so we could continue setting it up then.
The lighting was a pretty simple set up, but we had to make sure that we recorded the lighting change for each shot change to maintain continuity.
THE SHOOT:
Once everything was set up we started with master and mid shots of the entire dance from both the manipulator's and manipulated's performance.
The camera was locked off for these shots as they are intended for a split screen composite of the two elements.
To maintain the spirit of improvisation the dancer was given a song and some keywords (body parts, bones/muscles, sections), and they improvised movements based on those combinations.
To time and synchronise the dancer we noted down the time that each keyword was said. Then for the next take they were repeated in the same order
We then did some frontal shots and closeups with a combination of handheld and locked off shots.
Our philosophy was that the dancer was confined to the frame, therefore the camera would not move and trap their performance.
When the dancer was more fluid and could break out of the restrictions of the frame, the camera would now follow the movements.
To assist the dancer in knowing where the frame was we used an extra monitor pointed to them. This gave them a good reference point and allowed them to experiment more. Personally i liked moments where the dancer was aware of the edges as a physical frame and tried to touch the borders.
We also did a few shots on the greenscreen for some of the more complicated composite shots.
The camera was locked off for these shots as they are intended for a split screen composite of the two elements.
To maintain the spirit of improvisation the dancer was given a song and some keywords (body parts, bones/muscles, sections), and they improvised movements based on those combinations.
To time and synchronise the dancer we noted down the time that each keyword was said. Then for the next take they were repeated in the same order
Our philosophy was that the dancer was confined to the frame, therefore the camera would not move and trap their performance.
When the dancer was more fluid and could break out of the restrictions of the frame, the camera would now follow the movements.
To assist the dancer in knowing where the frame was we used an extra monitor pointed to them. This gave them a good reference point and allowed them to experiment more. Personally i liked moments where the dancer was aware of the edges as a physical frame and tried to touch the borders.
We also did a few shots on the greenscreen for some of the more complicated composite shots.
Tracking markers were added to assist in matchmoving both takes, due to the fact that we didn't have a complicated rig that could perform the same movement twice.
Even though on some of the takes background objects are visible due to the limited setup time we had, i am confident that since these shots will only appear for a short amount of time, they can be digitally erased, and the dancer can be isolated.
I also placed a line between the two halves in order to have a reference point for the mirror.
Lastly, after we had shot everything on our shot list, we decided to use our remaining time to experiment with different lenses, camera angles and slow motion.
We ended up shooting almost two hours of footage, and i believe that that's more then enough material to use.
REFLECTIONS:
Overall i was really happy with our shoot, and although i would have wanted an extra shoot day, i believe that we can work with everything that we've got, and i have allot of confidence with my team.
I was also happy that we managed to get extra help, because without it our shoot would have been much more tedious and difficult.
Amelia was an amazing find by Lucy, and i'm extremely grateful that i managed to work with someone so keen to collaborate and share their ideas, i believe all projects should have this collaborative nature, as they are executed allot smoother and have a fun shoot.
I would have maybe liked to get more of the greenscreen set up, but unfortunately every production has to work to a limited schedule, and every production that we've made further shows this to me.
Conclusion: would shoot a piece like this again any day :)
Overall i was really happy with our shoot, and although i would have wanted an extra shoot day, i believe that we can work with everything that we've got, and i have allot of confidence with my team.
I was also happy that we managed to get extra help, because without it our shoot would have been much more tedious and difficult.
Amelia was an amazing find by Lucy, and i'm extremely grateful that i managed to work with someone so keen to collaborate and share their ideas, i believe all projects should have this collaborative nature, as they are executed allot smoother and have a fun shoot.
I would have maybe liked to get more of the greenscreen set up, but unfortunately every production has to work to a limited schedule, and every production that we've made further shows this to me.
Conclusion: would shoot a piece like this again any day :)
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