On the weekend we shot my first short scene for SAE.
The idea was rough to begin with, and with the required documentation (storyboard, script, treatment etc) we jumped out into the street to shoot.
If there ever was a way to learn quickly, it’s throwing yourself into the deep end.
Overall, the short scene worked out OK, but that’s with a helluva lot of polishing in post.
I haven’t even come close to finishing the polishing yet, but I’ll get there.
What would I do differently? A lot it seems:
What went wrong
Last minute location change due to too much traffic on the Soi
Sound was not recorded properly – resulting in ADR required in post.
Neighbours started loud music towards end of scene rendering on location sound recording impossible
Video shaky due to using glide cam
Unable to export audio tracks from Final Cut pro x to Logic due to incompatibility (resolved)
Continuity error – phone changes hands halfway through the scene
only just enough footage to tie the scene together due to not properly marking out dialogue to physical cues in the environment
The distance the phone is thrown compared to where the protagonist lands is inconsistent with the following shot
Framing wrong on final shot of Ben
What I’d do differently
Plan to shoot in controllable environments where possible
Use Lavalier microphones where possible rather than boom mic
Minimise use of moving camera until I have more experience with steady cam or glide cam
Triple check for where any continuity issues may appear
Mark locations the actor should be at for particular lines, review footage on-site to ensure all had worked.
Double check all framing