Finally Filming

I know I said I would get it done last week, but it's done now. Today I filmed for about two hours trying to get the right shots, angles, and lighting. I don't own any true equipment, and didn't really want to spend money on equipment I don't know I will use in the future. To see keep most of the shots steady, I put a bunch of books on my desk chair, raised the chair as high as it could, and plopped my phone on top. I also used mainly natural light, as I filmed during the day, which turned out very well. The big window in my room was an amazing light source, and when the blinds were closed, the footage had a slight blue tint to it, which I think helps set the mood. I did initially have a lamp, and I recorded with both lighting choices, but as I look back on the footage, I prefer the natural light much better.

One major issue I had was getting in front of the camera and actually speaking. Personally, I was never drawn to public speaking, debate, drama, or anything like that, and I never enjoyed presentations much. I consider myself much more of a behind the scenes person. I googled a few videos and phoned a few friends, but this simple task of just speaking a few lines seemed so daunting to me in my head. As I look back, I realize that I actually spent more time focusing on the shots that did not feature me, as opposed to those that did. This may be because I simply wanted to get the speaking and acting over with, but I don't think I did too bad of a job in the end.

Another issue that really had me bummed was the fact that I didn't have the manpower to execute the pans and tilts how I had originally wanted. While I was filming, my mom was at work, and my sister was still asleep, so I had to find another way to execute the same feel that I was going for. It just so happened that last night, I had rewatched the film Ladybird and read an interview with Ladybird's director, Greta Gerwig. In the interview, Gerwig mentioned that she wanted to make the film like a memory, and referred to old photos from French photographers, attempting to recreate that nostalgic look in the film. As I struggled with this whole pan and tilt situation, I recalled the interview and began to shoot some still shots of places in my/Alice's room. Hopefully. this establishes parts of Alice's personality and life as well as fits in with the overall tone I am going for.

Now that I am done with filming, however, I have to find out how to tame this whole new beast of editing.