Pull and Push before Cohesion - The shoot days 27th and 28th November 2017

I really enjoyed doing the studio shoot, I got quite a few comments on my camera work... however I didn't think what I was doing was really that amazing... I was following direction of Joe and Savina, and added some of my own ideas as well, again quite late in to the stage.

We ended up scrapping the shot list and re wrote it as we filmed the dance. Which wasn't great put gave us a chance to do unplanned shots as well.  The set was beautifully made and with Paige going back and forth from Basingstoke to get the fabric for the curtains, which she also sewed together.

I really enjoyed being digital tech, I thought it was a great opportunity to show both myself and others what I can do, it was almost a boost of confidence and a sense of purpose.... I really struggled with ideas for what I wanted to do after university and if being a digital tech is what I want to go into, it was a good opportunity for me to have a go and see what it was like and the responsibilities behind the role.

I did however feel I was slightly taking over Savina's role, unless it was purely just giving my ideas on how we could accomplish something, then I wasn't.

Joe, Savina, Suzi, George, and Ollie, all worked super hard during meetings and behind the scenes to get the idea all together, with regular updates on a group page, scheduled meetings, and google docs was set up for all of us to have a look at, add our own research, and read what was already done and see the whole idea slowly coming together. I don't think any of us really saw it in a bigger picture in terms of filming until we actually filmed it and set up the set. I certainly didn't feel it felt real until we were there and doing it.

Alice and Suzi did a nice dance and worked together in tandem to get the dance piece flowing, After being let down by acting students (understandably because they have their own work) Alice was nice enough to step up and help us out, which was really appreciated, we had one more dancer in mind but again due to her work load, with time ticking away and getting closer to the studio shoot we needed a solution fast, so Suzi stepped in and helped us get the dance choreographed and filmed.

Paige did a great job of doing the actors make up and putting the set together! she worked really hard to get the work done.

George was superman of the studio shoots, as he was first AD for our studio shoot and sound mixer for the second group, this left him in a difficult position because he was head of departments for both groups! He pulled it out the bag though and did a fantastic job of both roles.

Ollie and Luca were on sound, although not necessary on set unfortunately not being able to be as active as originally thought, they helped out in other roles too. They both helped on clapper board, Ollie doing a fantastic job of it, he was right on the mark for all of it and spoke clearly for us to get it marked correctly.

Hollie was on lights, and she did a good job of that making sure all light were primed and ready.

Tensions were very high, with very very minor spats, mainly just a bit of bitching but nothing to be concerned about, as we all worked together to get the job done, and speaking from the camera point of view it came out beautifully.

Some equipment wasn't charged over the weekend therefore when we came to shoot day, it was a bit of a rush and slightly stressful to find batteries that were working.... After setting up the camera, and then coming back to it on shoot day, finding out the settings had been changed, although not a major problem, it wasn't the best thing to happen. This came as a moment of learning to remember next time re check the settings on the camera to make sure its all as it was before.


It was really interesting to do the studio shoot and I got quite high praise from everyone about my job role and how I did.

Dance Film

I looked on youtube to find some dance videos, these are a few of my favourites I found.

Medicine 

I really enjoyed this piece by Zack Benitez and Priscilla Villa, Directed by Charles Baldassarra, and performed by Zack Benitez and Tamara Marthe. It started off with a POV of Tamara as she is laying on the floor in a warehouse and stands up disorientated and sees Zack. It then switches to an OTS of Tamara. I liked this shift because it was subtle and fluid. It tells the Story of a man struggling with an illness ad a women trying to support him through it. However he struggles to carry on the fight.

The Dance is very connected with both Dancers being in close proximity for the first three minutes of the piece, it Then shows the woman trying not to loose him however, he fights back and pulls away. It becomes a fight with a very beautiful transition from a jump from Tamara in to an embrace and she is now wearing a patience robe. As if to show the fight for them to stay together and battle the illness has caused both of them to become ill.

The camera starts with long takes, the Dance starts off slow and then picks up more pace through out, as if to say the illness is becoming stronger. The operators and Directors chosen angles some times loose the subjects face, but it does give you the opportunity to see the whole body.

The camera is always moving, both following the Dancers and moving around them as well. The facial expressions of the Dancers also helps strengthen the story, and almost shows them in pain.

Each movement flows to the next, with strong lifts.

This helps give me a few ideas of the certain angles to choose from as they range from close ups to wide shots, which helps give me variety in the piece, The Camera is almost a third partner in the dance, it helped show me people working together as a duet, which is going to be part of my piece.

Wicked Game 

Wicked Game was choreographed and performed by Travis Wall and Amy Yakima. This piece was performed on So You Think You Can Dance S10E15

This piece is about two people fighting each other although they are in love, Although this is not specifically a dance film, it shows the strength in the movements which helps show the conflict between the two subjects. Because its a tv show the camera doesn't really move behind the Dancers. The angles are mainly two person shot, tracking, wide, low and high.

The moments flow from one to the other. They are strong and in control

I really enjoyed watching this piece as it helped give me ideas on the conflict for my piece.

It starts with Travis approaching Amy from behind and finishes with the two embraced, as if to show the audience they spent so long fighting that they finally gave in and fell in love.

The Dancers very rarely leave each other side, however they use the space around the well. The Takes are quite long for a multi cam piece, however this helps give the audience at home a real feel for the atmosphere the dancers are trying to produce.