Review of test shoot

REVIEW OF OUR TEST SHOOT:

I think our test shoot did in fact, reflect well onto the screen, and our concept works well, while there are some obvious problems that come with the rough cut that is our test shoot, I think it allows us as a group to really get a feel for the Dos and Don'ts of shooting, particularly considering the fight sequence and specific shot inserts.

I think the concept will be engaging, once translated onto location and filmed within an actual elevator. While our idea was within two minutes, we felt it was too short. The video was one minute, and thirty-four seconds, which in retrospect is not enough time for our concept to come across clearly. while editing, I noticed we were missing quite a few of the shots that would have made this scene longer and more engaging, but we have made a note of that and will be sure to bring our shot-list and storyboard along to the actual filming day. I think that it was paced oddly because the dialogue was too slow, but the fight sequence was too quick and not complex enough, and it looked odd in context. These are all manageable things, and we're now looking at how to film this fight sequence more accurately, because, we quickly realized, nobody in our group had any experience punching people in the face.

While all this is true, I do think that our idea is clear, and communicates itself well to the audience. I think with the quick-paced scene, and the blood, which obviously we couldn't re-enact, we will communicate our genre and idea to viewers. I think tension is created within the scene, and our plotline and shot sequence reflect that. 

Some of the camera movements worked very well, the zoom into an extreme closeup and the shot-reverse-shot between the eyes and the "security camera" (which is truly just a corner in our mock rendition) works well. However some of the angles we planned on using, no longer work within what would be the confines of n elevator, and we had to find a way around this, multiple times. The filming during the fight sequence could use some development, and we will definitely be looking further into it, but I liked how it looked when it was shot more handheld, I think it added to the tension                                                                                        and chaos of the scene.

Overall, while I can't say the test shoot looks amazing, it gave us, as a group, a solid foundation to build and expand upon. It was an incredibly valuable learning experience and gave us insight on what we'll need on the shoot day, and how to prepare.