Shooting Day #3

Me directing in my garage

My third day of shooting!! (Second really if you don't count the Guava incident). Today I shot the main body of the opening, the 2017 researcher scene in which the experiment is getting reactivated and researcher is transferring paperwork from the 1964 file into the new 2017 folder. I convinced my dad to play the researcher, the hardest part was actually getting him to wear a tie! The shoot took nearly 3 1/2 hours; thankfully, my dad decided to buy a fan 2 days ago which was the only thing keeping us from getting a heat stroke!😅

The Set Up

Costume

For the costume, I looked to my previous research and took inspiration from my previous costume choice. This time, however, I decided the shirt should be blue, not white, and the tie should be green, not black. Although it may seem like a rather random decision, there are 2 main factors to it. 

Screen capture of one of the shots

1. Fashion: Fashion trends change, although the black and white color scheme in suits is still very widely used today, color is prominent in all fashion. A quick google search for "men suits" shows an array of color combinations for men's fashion. Considering that the researcher is living in 2017, it makes sense for him to dress like it.
2. Meaning: Unlike in 1964 or even 1945 (when the 1st experiment started), nothing is longer black and white. In the literal sense, our media is no longer presented to us in black and white like back then. Symbolically, we don't see the world in black and white; for example, we need to see deeper than the label real or fake, we need to judge the quality of the information presented to us, consider the source, and weight possible personal bias that might influence the way facts are presented to us. In a way, it's asking the audience to do the same thing when judging the events in the movie following the opening, it's saying "You should pay close attention, don't jump to black & white conclusions, and take a second to analyze what the movie is truly wanting to show you." ( A story about human unity told through one of human division). 

Lighting & The Set

A picture of the set built in my garage

I was shooting in the set I built and with the light set up I previously discussed. The only change in the setup was that I took the orange cover off of the LED light; therefore, removing the yellow hue. The new use of pure white light allowed me to capture certain shots better because the room was slightly brighter. 

You can read all about the lighting setup -> See Blog Post 

You can read my post about set building-> See Blog Post

You can watch my vlog about set building and the lighting setup HERE!

The Shoot

The Directing
I had a lot of fun at this shoot! I told my dad what to do with the props on the table and just tried different shots, angles, and camera movements! I had my storyboard on-site with me to help guide me through the shots I previously had planned but -like I mentioned in my storyboard post- I had enough room in my storyboard to get creative right there and then! I also had to make up the shots I didn't plan for since I removed the BBQ scene (thanks to my neighbors, the Guavas). I used a lot of pans, A LOT of focus pulls, over the shoulder shots, mid shots, etc. In some of the videos, you can't see my dad's head but it wasn't because I watching thing the headspace, I didn't want the audience too much information about the resraher, that includes his face.

 Me filming a handheld shot

The Acting

I can't complain, my dad did a good job! Unlike Enrique, my dad had no lines to read so language wasn't a barrier. I'm thankful that my dad had the time to help me with this project! There was truly no downside to working with him! Well... He HAS been bragging about being like Denzel Washington for the whole night so I'm not sure my last statement was 100% true 😂 (Either way, thank you dad!)