Evaluation and reflection of shoot 26.1.11

Saturday was a success for more than one reason, with the help of good weather, everyone arriving on time and our being able to get a lot done in a short space of time, meaning that we now have far more good quality footage to play with.

In terms of cast, we had Harrison Mulley on vocals and guitar, Matthew Passmore on bass, Dominic Ford on drums and Chris also on guitar.

We all arrived at the location, which is a minute's walk from my house (which we used as a meeting place beforehand) at 12:30 and set up the drumkit, amp, microphones and camera equipment. We were then able to film and photograph right through to about 4 in the afternoon. Overall, we filmed about half an hour's worth of footage, with the bulk of the filming being band shooting and instrumental closeups. 

For the purpose of the shoot, Ben was the only cameraman for the whole band shots as Chris was involved with the band performance. However, Chris was able to help out with the individual shots and any closeups that he wasn't performing in. In terms of work distribution, Ben was responsible for the setting up of kit and organising the performers, whilst Chris took on the role of producer for the day's shooting and provided creative input and shot ideas.

Due to the nature of the shoot (we weren't sure what sort of weather we'd have or what kit we'd be able to use, most of the shots were spontaneous decisions by either Chris or Ben. We're of the opinion that for something as changeable or performance-based as band filming, this spontaneity is necessary in order to produce a realistic-looking and gritty band performance. In terms of the various shots we achieved, our mainstay - filming-wise - was a single shot of the band performing the whole song. Throughout this, the camera was being moved using the tracking dolly in various directions. On top of this main shot, we filmed each individual band member playing on their own, and did some slow-motion shots of Dom playing drums.

As well as filming, we managed to get some good band pictures for use in our printwork (some of which you can view in the post below). Again, Ben took on any photography involving Chris and Chris was then able to do any individual shots/album cover shots. We're very happy with the outcome of these, and are pleased with the band image we're able to promote through them. 

There aren't really any complaints about the day. Each member of the cast performed impeccably -  everyone was focused, patient and hard-working for the entire shoot. The weather ended up setting a great mood for each shot, and the light lasted just long enough for us to fit everything in. A fitting last shoot for a very enjoyable production.