Video production class--day six--the long day's shoot

1) Today we spent much of the day shooting, and, frankly, I don't have any idea if the shots we took are any good. First, I demonstrated to the class the principle of not violating the 180 degree line. Then we glanced at some roughly sketched storyboards of the scenes we planned on shooting. The sloppiness of the drawings called attention to a weakness in my method, perhaps, because I could have insisted on highly polished storyboards before we started. I also could have further micromanaged every scene that we shot, but instead I let the director set the tone for the morning's shoot, and he proved relatively easy-going and willing to improvise instead of obsessively mapping everything out in advance. (Note: this post makes more sense if you read the story idea posted on day four).

2) Soon enough, we were out in the freezing cold morning at the front of the school building, watching as the lead "Kyle" ran past repeatedly as the cameraman tried his best to keep him within the frame while panning. I noticed that while all of the girls wore hats and gloves and thick coats, the guys tended to not do so. Kyle mentioned that he had developed a cough recently, but he couldn't be bothered to wear anything more than a thin jacket. After a few entrances through the front door, the receptionist kindly told us to stop letting in so much cold air into her work area, and we apologized.

3) Later, we shot one of the climactic scenes in a lounge area. Here's the script for the scene:

"Scene begins in the area between Bill and Hendrick’s offices. Kyle and Alison are sitting in adjacent chairs. Kyle is tired, attempting to sleep with arms crossed. Alison is texting, she finishes her message and puts her phone down. Looking for something to do, she reaches for a magazine in front of them. Kyle stirs awake and notices her hand near the photo in his binder. He springs up and grabs her arm.

Alison: *doesn’t know what to do, pushes his arm away*: What’s wrong with you?

Kyle: Don’t. Touch it.

Alison: Touch what? That stupid picture? Pause. You don’t talk to me, your teammates, or your parents. You spend all day looking for her.

Alison: *sighs* Get over it. It’s just a picture

Kyle: looks up at Alison in the eye No. I just need time to find her; I just need some more time.

Alison: What if you can’t ever find her?. You are wasting your life being in love with her…Is this even love? It’s a one-sided obsession.

Kyle: stands up and kicks his chair away This is none of your business. Begins to gather stuff.

Alison: stands up too takes off and storms to the door, before she leaves I’m just looking out for you. If that’s too much, I’m done. She leaves.

Kyle: stands alone as scene fades to black."

Both the director and the cameraman/cinematographer wanted to shoot this scene in bits and pieces and edit it altogether, but I insisted that they try to make a master shot in case something went wrong. As the morning went on, and Kyle repeatedly threw a pile of magazines on the floor (a substitute for the kicked chair), I could sense that the crew was gradually developing some teamwork and flexibility. I especially liked the last shot, when Kyle stared blankly and uncertainly at Alison as she walks away. We darkened the shot by having the light dim on him gradually (moving the reflector away from the work lamp), and everyone was impressed by Kyle's acting, although he insisted that he was trying to look as blank as possible.

4) By the afternoon, we were lucky in that the art teacher loaned out her class to us as extras, so we shot a bunch of takes of the mysterious girl walking away in a crowd of students as Kyle chases after her, just to lose her as she turns down the physics hallway. I enjoy helping a class boss around a docile bunch of extras. When one student asked me what they should talk about, I said "Rutabaga, rutabaga." Later, she asked what a rutabaga was, I said "a vegetable," and she said "I knew it!" Later, I overheard her speaking of "salted rutabagas," and "rutabagas boiled in cream" as she moved with her group in formation. Eventually, we shot Kyle forcing his way through the crowd, with Alison more politely following after him. I suggested that we let the chase go on throughout the school, and the director was against the idea, so tomorrow I will try to persuade them to by showing the class a scene in Cocteau's Orphee when the Princess Death (the delightful Maria Casares) keeps evading Orphee by disappearing around a corner.

5) Lastly, we looked a the dailies over the cameraman's shoulder on his Mac laptop. They looked alright, but we'll know more when we project them on the big screen. Tomorrow, we will shoot the opening soccer sequence, a scene in a classroom, and a night scene in which our hero Kyle sleepwalks out into the night and gets run over by a van in his pajamas. If anyone reading this has any tips for effectively running someone over cinematically, please let me know. I will bring ketchup.