Filming Day 4

Today we filmed the last three interviews in Brighton Dome.

This picture shows how we set up the camera before filming. We had to adjust it slightly since the first interviewee was quite tall. I was responsible for the sound and Molly asked the interview questions. It sounded a bit echoey, but this can be corrected with the Audition software. 

We both adjusted the camera together, whilst discussing what the best placement would be. Molly wanted to have the interviewee sitting down in this shot, however I thought it would look to casual for our video, as you were able to see the lower half of her body. Instead I suggested that we had the interviewee standing at the bottom of the steps so that it would be a mid shot like in the rest of our footage. The first interview with Nigel was quite successful as he spoke about having backstage access to the festival, which means that we can include cutaway shots from around the Dome. The second interview with Sue was good too since she spoke about some of the acts that she got to see perform.

We also filmed inside a dressing room which looked great on camera due to the ample lighting. We tried to keep the same framing as the previous interviews.

Tutorial

From the last filming session, our group decided that we needed to add some more in depth questions. I drafted some more questions I would like to ask the volunteers which would fit the imagery we had already filmed. We might need to prompt them to answer the questions in a way that would fit our visuals.

• Ask about which locations they worked - Komedia and The Level (since we've already filmed cutaways of these locations)
• What kind of backstage access they had

In Ellen's interview she mentions that the festival includes dance, music, comedy and theatre. It would be great to get a cutaway of each of these things.

In the session today I also continued to edit some of the footage. This included cutting the interviews and putting them in the correct order. I also added cutaways from the archive footage of the festival.

Additionally, Ellen sent an email to say that many of the locations we wanted to film in were already booked. We would have to see what was available on the day.

Filming Day 3

Today we filmed at Brighton Dome with a previous volunteer and two members of staff.

The picture above shows how we tested out the framing and composition before filming with the interviewee. We also used the opportunity to film cut away shots of around the concert hall and its architecture. I thought it would be better for all the interviews to give direct address and the video will be aimed directly at the audience, so they'll be persuaded to volunteer.

The first interview was with Anne, a past volunteer. We filmed this in  Concert Hall, using the rule of thirds technique (see photo above). Molly stood behind the camera and asked the questions. We made sure that Anne looked directly at Molly so that it looked like she was looking into the camera. Anne gave very thorough answers, more than what we needed. This is fine because we can just cut down to the most important parts.

For our next interviews we did not have as much time to set up and the staff were left waiting for a bit of time. There was a lot of background noise coming from the cafe and the foyer downstairs. Subsequently we decided to use the clip microphone instead of the boom. However it took us a long time to figure out how to connect it to the camera. We interviewed two members of staff, Rob and Hannah. Since they were involved in the festival they were able to give very detailed answers about the festival itself and what it takes to be volunteer.

Filming Schedule at the Dome

Ellen from Brighton Dome emailed me this schedule for filming tomorrow:

We will be filming with a previous volunteer and a member of staff. This will give us information from two different perspectives. The location we had requested is unavailable but Ellen suggested that we film in the foyer instead.

Filming Day 2

Since our first shoot looked to dark and gloomy we decided to re-film in some more locations.

Luckily the weather was a lot brighter today, albeit freezing, this allowed the shots to look more engaging. We firstly filmed at The Level as this is one of the locations where Brighton Festival takes place. This also looks engaging as it shows members of the community interacting with each other. We filmed young people skateboarding in the park and a couple of adults playing Frisbee. This showed a variety in age range, which is what the client had asked for. 

We then proceeded to film within the lanes. We filmed shots of people walking through the streets which helped to show a sense of the Brighton community.

After it became dark, we filmed along the seafront, including shots of the pier and the wheel. These looked much prettier when illuminated.

Interview questions

Molly and I wrote up the questions for the interview in class today. We did give this job to Justyna however we had not received them after contacting her numerous times. Subsequently we had to write them ourselves. This made me feel a bit stressed since we had other bits of work that we had to do and it would have been nice to split our duties. Also it made us look a bit unprofessional since the Dome had asked us to send them the questions many times and I was unable to send them back.

Questions (volunteers):

Start by introducing yourself:

When did you volunteer for Brighton festival?
“I volunteered for Brighton festival….”

What was your role?
“I worked as…”

• What did this entail?
• What locations were you working?
• Who did you get to work with?
• What where your favourite memories?
• Did you make friends being a volunteer?
• What opportunities did it give you?
• What did you learn from being a volunteer?
• Would you do it again?
• How was it working with the Brighton community?
• What are your views on working in Brighton/ with the Brighton community?
• What would you tell someone who has never considered volunteering?
• If you have any stories/fun memories of something that happened whilst being a volunteer!

Say to camera:
“We can’t have Brighton Festival without you!”
“Be part of something”


Questions (staff):

Give a quick introduction to the festival:

What it’s about?
Who would enjoy it?
Why should people come?

• What opportunities can people get by becoming a volunteer with Brighton festival?
• Why should someone volunteer?
• What can people get from volunteering with Brighton Festival, which they wouldn’t get from another?
• How is Brighton festival unique?
• How have volunteers benefited from taking part in the past?
• What would you tell someone who has never considered volunteering?

I also requested to film inside the Concert Hall and the Corn Exchange following the information Molly gave from the tour.

Draft Video Outline

I wrote down a brief outline of what the video will entail. We will need to film extra cutaways when we film next week.