Minor Project - Field Lens Tests

Today with the help of others I conducted a second round of practical lens tests, this time outside of the studio where I was aiming to build upon the foundational knowledge I gained from my previous test. Whilst my first test was to gain a knowledge and understanding of lens perspective in its most simplistic form, todays test was an attempt to apply technique. The techniques I am attempting to incorporate into my practical tests, I have discussed in significant depth within my theoretical essay which identifies the historical importance of lens perspective. On a broader spectrum what I am trying to achieve as I progress in my minor project is to simultaneously demonstrate an academic and technical understanding of my chosen topic. Fortunately I felt that today was a big step forward in both of those areas as I brought forward a few of the techniques I have deconstructed in written form and merged them with the technical understanding I gained from last weeks lens test. In the coming week I will aim to expand my learning process by conducting more practical tests in the field, by also attempting some more difficult techniques. For now, below is a summary in moving image form of todays shoot, alongside production stills which act as photographic evidence of my achievements in the area of lens perspective. 

Below are some images which demonstrate the distances we were able to achieve between the moving vehicle and the subjects. In the second half of the video above I was aiming to replicate the airfield shot from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which was shot on a 2000mm lens (which we obviously don't have access to) however I aimed to achieve the same effect on a lesser scale. The fact that this was a car approaching two unsuspecting subjects was also quite irrelevant to me, because that could infact have been anything. In the case of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy its an aeroplane, in the case of Scream its a murderer, and in the case of many a slapstick comedy its a comedic element. The intention is primarily in the practicality of the effect, and using lenses to compress an image when needed. In the case of my test in the car park, I was not limited at all when it came to space, so I was acting purely on storytelling technique alone. However as I said before, the car could have been anything depending on genre and scenario, this was a very simple demonstration. 

This video below is the scene in question from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, in which a simple case of two characters in conversation is given a sinister and unnerving undercurrent in the form of an approaching aeroplane. As I previously stated, access to a 2000mm lens which would cost tens of thousands of pounds was out of the question, so I replicated the shot on a lesser scale on a lens with a focal length of 300mm. Within this shot the image is so condensed the aeroplane will be very far from the actors in reality. Over a quarter possibly even half a mile away from where they are. As the video states, Hoyte Van Hoytema uses lens to dramatic effect. 

In contrast to the compression that a telephoto lens creates, this is the shot that a lens with a very small focal length will create, from my practical test today. This 8mm lens pulls the nearest subject to the lens in and makes them seem bigger than they really are, at the same time it dwarfs the background making everything seem smaller than it really is and also exaggerating the amount of distance between the subject and background. In this shot the approaching car offers no real threat or sense of danger. This is partially down to the fact that the subjects are much bigger than it, and make it seem irrelevant within the situation. As I said earlier, the car is entirely transferable. It could be a flying object, a monster, a character but the technique behind allowing that thing to seem intimidating or weak, or near or far, remains set in stone. Within the shot below, the 8mm lens evidently polarises the foreground and background in size, and also elongates the amount of space within the middle ground. 

As the shot below demonstrates, the amount of space within the middle ground between the two characters and the car is exaggerated by the lens, as the shot below clearly shows us the amount of space in reality. The actual distance between the two is around 2ft, whilst the lens would have us believe that it is 1 metre+. I have found so far that the 8mm and 14mm wide angle lenses are extremely manipulative, more so than the telephoto lenses in changing the size of characters and the spacial structure of a scene or environment. It is hard to imagine a scenario in my own head where I could employ the use of a fisheye lens or a lens with such a small focal length within a story and pass it off. I firmly believe that whilst they are critical to my learning process at this moment in time, they bring way too much attention to themselves to be used as authentic storytelling devices. The obvious choice for their use seems to be in making a character seem disorientated, often drunk, to create an effect of nausea to the audience. This is due to the natural effect of the lens, that makes it difficult to use in scenarios outside of this. These lenses are frequently used within music videos too, which are less concerned with the subtle art of storytelling and more concerned with the visuals. The shot below shows the actual distance between the characters and the car in reality, opposed to the reality shown through the wide angle lens.  

This next shot shows us what the scenario looks like with a 35mm lens. This lens creates the biggest sense of normality out of all the lenses I tested, as it barely manipulates the space within a frame. This is due to the fact that a 35mm lens is very close to the human eye, in terms of what we see spatially. In the context of my exploration of lens perspective and compression, the 35mm lens was very ineffective. Opposed to the other lenses either prime wide angle or telephoto, I cannot see a way to use it as a storytelling tool when it comes to exploiting a lens to dramatic effect. However the lens provided a good quality image which would be ideal for a filmmaker looking to provide gritty realism.  

This image from behind the scene also shows us that the distance between the characters and the car in reality, is the exact same depicted by the lens. 

As neither the 8mm or the 35mm lenses were what I was looking for in terms of intense compression, I moved onto the 85mm lens. From my previous tests I felt that the 85mm offered the best image quality and the natural compression it offered as a prime lens made it a very useful tool. Where the 85mm differs is to say the 8mm or the 35mm, is that it compresses the image a lot more without the need to zoom. For example, in the previous shot with the 8mm the car had to be very close physically but the lens made it look far, the 35mm represented reality as it was. The distance in reality and through the camera were more or less the same. The 85mm enables the car to appear closer than it is, so that the car may be nowhere near close to the subjects but it appears so. From this we can understand that, the lower the focal length of a lens = the less compression. The higher the focal length = the higher the compression. Below is the result of the same shot we had as the previous attempts, but with the 85mm Samyang lens. 

Significantly more so than the 35mm lens, the 85mm lens does a good job of distorting the space of the middle/background, bringing the car further forward to the subjects in the foreground. In reality the car at this point is the same distance from the subjects as it was in the 35mm, as depicted above in the pictorial evidence. Below a shot shows the distance between the car and the subjects from the above image, which makes the car appear as if it is within touching distance of the subjects. The behind the scenes image shows us the truth however, which is that the compression of the lens is responsible for the manipulative nature of the imagery. So far, this was the closest I had come to achieving the same sort of effect that they achieved in the above shot from 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' in which the lens is used to create an underlying dramatic effect within the scene. 

Next up was the 70-300mm Canon telephoto lens. This lens was the largest focal length that I had access to, so I was counting on it to deliver a great deal of compression, and something that would be closely resemblant to the extreme levels of compression achieved by cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema in 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'. Like many Hollywood blockbusters and films that employ professional cinematographers, comes the big budgets and the need for cutting edge equipment. In the context of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the 2000mm lens used within that airfield sequence sells for between $30,000 and $40,000. As students we are required to work on a much smaller scale, which leads to positive learning experiences, and as such I experienced on this project. The use of the 70-300mm Canon lens was only 1/6th of the 2000mm lens effect I was hoping to replicate, and nor did I have access to an airfield. All this meant was downscaling to something which we did readily have access to; a car, and two people. Below the image demonstrates how the 300mm lens performs in compressing an image. 

Minor Project - Practical Lens Test

Today as promised, I tested the selection of lenses we currently had for the Black Magic cinema camera. This was to be the camera I would be shooting the practical side of my project on, so testing the compatible lenses to get an idea of what lens lengths I would be using was crucial. The current amount of lenses is up in the air however, as we have just been told the Uni has ordered in more Black Magic cameras with more lenses. Because of this, I will be conducting an additional test on the new lenses when they arrive, on top of this test of the 5 lenses we currently have. I will be doing this because I hope to get as much out of the lenses we own as I possibly can, in the sense that many of them provide me with different effects and perspectives that I wish to fully explore. 

To utilise the lenses we had as much as I could today, before I go out into the elements with them, I decided it would be best if I took a subject and a backdrop and kept them in the same place with each lens. I took the subject of Andrew, a fellow student, and placed him approximately one metre from an image of his choice (a cars style animated Tokyo skyline) to get a sense of the compression create by each lens. Below is an image to demonstrate the set-up we created. 

Below I have compiled a series of images of the Black Magic cinema with variating lenses attached. I have also listed the technical aspects of the corresponding lenses. 

Samyang f/1.5 35mm

Canon f/2.8 24-70mm

Samyang f/3.1 14mm  

Samyang f/1.5 85mm 

Samyang f/3.8 8mm

This image demonstrates the distance we had between the 24-70mm and the 85mm lenses and the subject in the frame. In the contrast to the imagery captured from the lens we can see the compression that has been created. 

This image below is also demonstrating the distance between the subject and the 8mm lens, which is an extremely wide angled lens, which I discuss in greater detail in the video. We can see how far the subject is from the lens in the first image, and the effect this created on the camera viewfinder on the second. 

Below is a video in which I state display my findings in moving image form. This video depicts the effect each lens has. I will be using this to move forward into further practical and theoretical research. 

Minor Project - Black Magic Tech-Dem

Yesterday I had a tech demo in regard to the Black Magic cinema camera, with our technician/lecturer. I had organised the tech demo as I will be using the Black Magic as part of my minor project when it comes to the physical production side of the work. Fortunately for me the Black Magic has a versatile lens adapter, meaning that you have access to a plethora of compatible lenses, from many different manufacturers. Opposed to shooting on say a Nikon or Canon DSLR where I would only be able to use brand-specific lenses, the Black Magic gives me much greater opportunities to achieve my goals within lens based perspective. Another bonus is the vast amount of lenses we now have access to, as we have combined our stores with photography. Now that I'm familiar with the Black Magic camera itself, I'll be aiming to test out the many different lenses and document my findings, before I actually go out to shoot what I need. 

The first thing I learned from the tech demo was about the native ISO of different cameras. This was always something I had been unfamiliar with, but I had always grasped the concept of ISO in general. Native ISO is in regard to the ISO of a particular camera that allows it to perform to its maximum potential. For example, it is widely regarded by filmmakers that shooting on 200-400 ISO will get you the best results. Shooting on 200 ISO on a Canon DSLR (which we had done for previous short films) will get you very good results, because that is often the native ISO of DSLR cameras. The Black Magic on the other hand, has a native ISO of 800. To conclude, the concept of ISO remains the same, that the lower the number the lower the sensitivity resulting in a greater quality image. Yet despite this, it is important to know at which ISO the particular camera you are using will perform best at. This is the first very important thing that I learned today, which I will undoubtedly take with me into the Minor Project and projects beyond. 

Below are two images to visually articulate the above discussion on the topic of ISO. The first image is at 200, and the second at 800. It is up for subjective debate which is the better image, but technically speaking they perfectly illustrate the importance of ISO. 

ISO 200. 

ISO 800. 

The second thing I learned of great importance during the tech demo was grasping the concept of shutter speed on the Black Magic. The variety of ways you can shoot on different shutter speeds are made specifically for different platforms. An important thing I had learned prior, within the 16mm filmmaking module, was that you must take the shutter speed and half it to know what frames per second rate you are shooting at. In the case of the Black Magic, shooting at 48 frames per second would mean you are shooting at a shutter speed of 1/24. Shooting at 50 frames per second would mean you are shooting at 1/25. Shooting at 60 frames per second would mean you are shooting at a shutter speed of 1/30, and so on. 

In the Black Magic tech demo the important thing was gaining an understanding of how those different things would affect which market you were shooting for. For example, shooting at 1/24 would be primarily for the short film market - online streams, people watching it on the internet, mobile devices, etc. Shooting at a shutter speed at 1/25 would primarily be for cinematic release, and shooting at 1/30 would be compatible with American broadcasting, which is undoubtedly out of the question for me but is important to know nonetheless. Understanding these concepts of shutter speed and where they're used is good for me going into a minor project that will be mostly presented online, so I will shoot at 48 frames per second. However, going into a major project after the new year it gives me something to think about, in terms of shooting at 50 frames per second for cinematic release. 

Another aspect of the Black Magic which I was entirely unfamiliar with conceptually was the shutter angle. As I previously discussed, from working with film I had amassed a certain degree of knowledge around the technical aspects of Aperture and Shutter Speed. The shutter angle was something I had never encountered, however. To help us understand the concept of shutter angle in greater detail our lecturer illustrated some pie charts to show us how lower or higher shutter speed angles affect image. The standard recommended shutter angle for the black magic is 172.8 degrees. However, with the right amount of understanding on how changing this can change the feel and tone of an image you can begin to break rules to tell a story in different ways. Below is the illustration to help understand the importance of shutter angle. 

The first chart shows a shutter angle of 180 degrees, which is roughly equivalent to the recommended shutter angle of 172.8. The next chart along is 25 degrees, and the third is fully exposed at 360 degrees. These charts show us what amount of the lens is exposed to light based upon the chosen shutter angle. The sentence below the charts summarises the concept of shutter speed. It reads 'picture will be more defined the less light'. From that we can gather that the middle chart, at an angle of 25 degrees, the less light will get in, making the image very defined and almost artificial. This style lends itself to objective and emotionless filmmaking that is often heavily stylised and visually driven; example: Only God Forgives. On the other end of the spectrum, if the shutter angle is fully open and therefore fully exposed at 360 degrees, making the image less defined creating motion blur. This is a common storytelling technique often used to highlight when a character or situation is out of control, or possibly on drugs or intoxicated; example: Shame. 

Below are some key notes highlighting some of the areas of new things I learned about the Black Magic, on top of the things I have previously discussed in this post. 

After the tech demo we were free to experiment and to play around with the camera. I had agreed to help out another student as they were conducting tests of their own for their own Minor Project. This was beneficial for both of us as we had the opportunity to share new-found knowledge and understanding of shooting on the Black Magic, and it was also another pair of hands when it came to setting up the redheads etc. On Friday I will be looking at the compatible lenses of the Black Magic, I will be documenting my findings so that I may start planning the practicality of my project. 

A shot of sinister look and feel, using back-light. 

Ethan at work framing his subject. 

One of the few lighting set ups we had that day. 

Another lighting set up with a coloured gel. 

Alice - Shoot 5 - End Scene/Penshaw Scene/Bathroom Scenes

Today was a very rigorous one. We planned the day around the availability of the crew and cast which was fairly limited over the two week Easter break period. We found that the actress who was playing our lead role of Alice, was only really available a few days during the first week of the holidays. I established the dates that the crew were available, and I was always mindful of double bookings. Our sound operator was often double booked due to being on several projects, and this was something we took into consideration carefully on deciding a shoot date. Anyway, when it came to it we found Wednesday to be the best day for everyone involved, but this meant we had to plan numerous shoots for the same day as we didn’t have the time to shoot on different days. From this we organised to shoot four scenes from the film in one day. Initially this scared me quite a bit because I’m always very aware that there’s only so much you can do in a day whilst keeping a good quality standard of whatever it is you’re doing. I find that this also clashes with my own personal style of directing above all else. I often take my time when it comes to shooting one scene never mind four, as I know how picky I am with takes on top of how long it usually takes to get stuff done during filming in general. I ran over it in my mind for a number of weeks and whilst it was admittedly intimidating I found that I had made a sufficient plan of action that would get us through the day. 

We started off with the second dark room scene where we picked up on a few shots we weren’t able to get due to time constraints of the first dark room scene. The stuff we needed to get was very minimal and without lengthy dialogue etc, all we needed was the actress and our prior set up of the dark room. I set the dark room up with the photographs around 2:00pm whilst waiting for the actress. She showed up at half 2 and we were ready to go. It was a very straight forward process of getting what we needed within half an hour then we were ready to move on. Fortunately on top of what I discussed earlier, Wednesday was the ideal date of all dates because it coincided with another crews shoot where they were using the uni to shoot. Coincidently we needed the dark room within the uni so it made sense for both crews to get together and plan to shoot on the same day, so that we weren’t asking too much of the uni to be open on separate days for both crews. Below are a few shots from the second dark room scene.

After the dark room pick up shots, we moved on to our ending scene. We were to shoot the ending scene near penshaw monument down a string of country lanes which we found whilst on a location recce. Ideally, I wanted something very tranquil and situated within nature to juxtapose the entire atmosphere of the film before this scene. From the location recce we found somewhere that was both exactly what I wanted visually, and it was also very near penshaw monument itself where we were to be shooting a scene at sunset. After the planning I discussed beforehand, it made perfect sense for us to chronologically plan the day so that we were moving in a perfect order geographically. So we got to the location to shoot the ending scene between half 3 and 4 o’clock. I travelled up the A19 from Hartlepool to Sunderland with the actress to direct her, whilst the other members of the crew went in another vehicle. We met there and took 20 minutes to set up the equipment, which also gave a bit of time to the actress to get ready with costume and makeup. This scene was heavy on the appearance front because in the context of the film the character has completely changed her identity in this scene. From the pictures below, you can see that she is now blonde and wears sunglasses and a cap to hide her former self. When we were ready to go we took around a full hour to shoot this scene, which again had no dialogue. It was a case of me getting the pacing of the shots exactly to my liking which took longer than expected. This scene was very important as it was to be the ending scene and with any ending scene it has the power to make or break the film. I was very particular with not only how I wanted the ending shot to look, but also the speed of which the backwards track was to slow down as the character does, as she puts her arm out to signal a car. Thankfully we got this perfect in the end and I am extremely proud of how we had conducted ourselves up until this point in the day. Evidently people were getting tired (myself and the sound operator had even been on a shoot for hours prior to the dark room stuff for another crew). Despite obvious fatigue everyone was in good spirits when I assured them we were still on schedule, and that it was now two shoots down and two shoots to go. 

After the success that was the ending scene we moved on to the penshaw monument scene. We got to the location around 7pm after a lengthy hike to the top of the hill with the equipment. This took almost whatever energy we had left out of us. When we got to the monument it was absolutely freezing. We were obviously unprepared for how cold and windy it was. We soldiered on and got to shooting the sequence with the glide-cam. Going back to my previous directorial influence posts this scene was heavily inspired by the films and the authorship of Terrence Malick. I intentionally allowed the camera to become fluid, following the character of Alice throughout the dream-like landscape as she takes images of her surroundings with the camera. The main plus point with the location choice is that those unfamiliar with penshaw monument will be unaware that the pillars have an end point. To the uneducated eye the pillars seem to stretch on forever, and this enhances the idea that Alice is stuck in a dreamlike trance with unidentifiable objects of her imagination. My cinematographer roamed the monument freely following the subject and capturing her actions which were to act at ease, in juxtaposition with her tension throughout the rest of the film. After around half an hour of shooting the crew and actress were visibly cold and fatigued, but I had to push on to get what I wanted. To all of our expense I made us wait another ten to fifteen minutes for the sun to come out from behind the clouds. I would have waited even longer because I was determined to have the sunset play a part in the free atmosphere of the scene. This was all part of the original concept and I wasn't willing to compromise so we waited. Fortunately the sun came out from the clouds and really helped us with the lighting but it was also the catalyst I needed for the internal motivation of the character. Throughout the whole scene Alice experiences a freedom she has rarely known, but it is interrupted by the harsh sound of a car alarm which awakes her from her slumber. The sunset acted as something for Alice to react to before the alarm kicks in. From the script and original storyboards this was always the idea I had. We shot it this way and I was extremely happy with the outcome so it was really worth the wait in the end. We wrapped on this scene around half 7 and despite the set backs we were still on schedule. After this scene we were to move on to another location not far from penshaw. We packed up the equipment to the cars and set off around quarter to 8. 

We arrived at the next location where we were to shoot the bathroom scene which is pre penshaw monument scene in the film at 8 o'clock. We were bang on time as we had previously informed the owner of the location that we would be there at 8. Despite the fact we were on time arriving, it was going to take us around half an hour to 45 minutes to set up the scene as it involved a full bubble bath and all of the sound equipment set up with the slider and separate lenses. We had already been on a location recce to the location so we knew what we were going to shoot and where from, so thankfully all of those questions were answered for me on the day of the shoot. I find that having these questions answered beforehand alleviates the pressure ten-fold, and as a director it is the best thing I have learnt so far. Location scouts are now an essential part of my process in communicating my desires with the cast and crew, so that we aren't wasting our time on the day of the shoot or anyone who owns or is associated with a location. Anyway, we got to shooting the scene after we were fully set up around half past eight. We started from the wide establishing shot which slides in from the right to left to give us a frame in a frame view at Alice sitting upright in a bathtub. I wanted to create a soothing and calming ambience within the scene, that always feels out of place within the context of the film. I find that creating these false senses of security create tension on their own, without the need of tense build up and dramatic music. The sense of isolation alone leads us to believe that Alices safety may be in jeopardy very soon, despite her current situation of being sat in a bubble bath. We then moved into more intimate shots closer to the character, giving us more insight into her mindset as we get in on her facial expressions and posture. Whilst she appears to be calm and lying down at points, there is a clear unsettlement in the way she is drinking wine and appearing to be sad. This unsettlement is confirmed when Alice ducks beneath the water after she puts down her wine. We shot this as best we could because the actress was having some issues holding herself down in the bath. For some reason as it was a stand alone bathtub it was extremely hard for her to hold herself under the water for around 10 seconds which is what I needed. After some time we got this right and it was all we needed for the scene. It was five or so shots, without dialogue which were a breeze in retrospect. We were done with this scene within about half an hour, and whilst there were a few shots left to get I let my cinematographer leave to pick up other cast members to shoot their scene after we had shot the one involving Alice. I finished up on a few more close-ups of the character of Alice and a few shots of the wine glass I felt like I had missed, just to piece it all together, then we were wrapped on that scene and the actress was free to leave. The actress left around half 9 ready for the other cast members to arrive to shoot the next scene, which we were obviously shooting at the same location but for another scene in the film. 

The two cast members who were to play Mark and Nathan got to the location around half 9 and we were then able to set up for the next scene. The context of this scene is that Alice has left the safe house after she learns she's in danger, then the men turn up after to learn that she isn't there when they need her to be. It is evident by the way the men carry themselves in the earlier scenes that they aren't well meaning individuals, and that they are a threat to Alices well-being. We were ready to begin shooting this scene around half 9 or quarter to ten after the actress had left. We were to shoot it in the same bathroom where we had previously captured Alice in the bathtub. Only this time the bathroom had been deserted by her, and her photographs had been left floating on the surface of the water. The men enter the bathroom in the hopes of finding Alice there, only to realise the extent of her cunning. Mark, the older character, kneels by the bath to inspect the photographs. This is where as director, I encountered the first real problem of the day. The issue was with the way one of the cast members decided to conduct themselves. I deemed the behaviour of that individual extremely unprofessional for someone who supposedly had a wealth of experience. The location we were using was very kindly offered to us free of charge by a family friend who had agreed to let us film there one night to get what we needed. The location was ideal for us and we were very grateful for being able to use it free of charge. It was getting late at this point, later than I had hoped to still be shooting. It was getting to around ten o'clock and I started to hurry things so that we could wrap earlier than 11. That was already a lot later than I wanted to wrap but we were still yet to get everything we needed. Going back to my point of facing an issue, it was at this point we realised that one of our actors was intoxicated. After a lengthy discussion of why they should keep their voice down, and that they should stop using foul language, we got momentarily back on track. We were well on our way to getting the coverage we needed, as I tried my hardest to keep everyone focused on the task at hand. With five of us in one small room, it was getting difficult for everyone to remain composed and patient with one another. I ran into another major directorial issue when for the first time helming this project, someone began to refuse direction. As director of this project and numerous others, I am always extremely open to ideas from other people, and I firmly believe allowing the creativity of others to flow is essential. Despite this, there is a fine line between wanting to help and just being a total restriction to the filmmaking process. One of the actors responded in a hostile way to a very simple direction which involved them kneeling to inspect a photograph inside the bathtub. This was a conscious decision for the framing of the shot. The rejection of this direction from myself came from the 'actors experience' and that his character 'wouldn't kneel down' at all. I was opposed to this and at this point in the day I'd been working for almost 14 hours, I wanted to get done, and I wasn't prepared to let someone hijack my project over something so insignificant. After a slight disagreement the actor agreed that this was in mine and his best interest, and begrudgingly he knelt down for the shot. I believe this came from a place not of creativity, but one of someone trying to make a point and trying to cause a scene. Myself and the crew were very wary of the fact he was intoxicated, and that we were in someone else's house. We obviously didn't want them to know this as it would make us appear very unprofessional and might raise further problems. Despite the numerous set backs we remained calm and composed, we focused on the remaining shots and then once we were done I sent my cinematographer who was also the driver, to take the actors back home. Myself and the rest of the crew stayed for an extra 15 minutes or so to pack all of the equipment up. At this point it was way past 11 o'clock. I apologised to the residents of the house and showed my gratitude once again, thankfully they were understanding. 

Alice - Shoot 4 - Multi Storey/Car Park Scene

Today we shot what is the second scene of the film. The scene comes after the opening credits, which themselves follow the opening scene of the film. This was a very important scene because it either confirms or denies our suspicions which arise from the opening scene. The opening scene leaves us with a few questions which need answering, then transitions into the opening credits before pulling us back into the reality of our main character, Alice. After the credits which involve Alice driving, she pulls up at one of the top floors of a multi-storey car park. The way we shot this scene was extremely frantic, but very fun. We had essentially an hour to shoot everything we needed from this top floor, as the car park had agreed to keep it open until 9 o'clock, whereas they usually shoot at 8. We set up and our actress turned up around ten past 8, so that left us 50 minutes, or so we thought. We began shooting and about 15 minutes in a pair of wardens turned up to tell us we only had another 20 minutes or so as they had to lock the car park up at 10 to 9. Great, so now we had 25 minutes max to shoot the scene. As we were without dialogue and the sound was incredibly loud with us being next to a motorway, we ditched the digetic sound. My sound operator informed me of the difficulties on set, but we both agreed it would be very easy for us to get atmos sound and sound effects to cover what it was we were shooting. 

We hastily continued to shoot without sound, and myself and my cinematographer worked swiftly to reposition the camera to get the shots we desperately needed. We opened the shoot with a shot of the car pulling up at a wide, and from that we shot the scene chronologically to avoid the unwanted pressure of going back after we had missed a shot from the sequence. Given the fact we were working under the most hardcore deadline of half an hour, we were hesitant to make any mistakes that would set us back time-wise. I was really happy with how the wide shot looked, and as this shot was the most important to me in establishing the scene coming out of the title sequence, a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. This then enabled us to shoot the closeups and tracking shots of the character exiting the vehicle and walking toward the railing overlooking the car park below. 

We came toward the end of the shoot feeling that we had accomplished what we set out to achieve, only myself and my cinematographer did feel the shots were lacking real quality in terms of lighting, especially those facing away from the lighting sources at the location. The lights within the car park worked nicely for us on the wide shots, but on the close up shots we were really struggling and evidently from the footage, the shots of the subject of Alice are heavily silhouetted because she blocks out the lighting sources from behind her. Admittedly this is all down to a combination of poor planning from ourselves but also the fact we had very little time to work with. We got the last shot of Alice acknowledging that the man she is photographing has noticed her, then the wardens showed up as promised at ten to nine to shut up shop. We couldn't argue with this so we quickly packed the equipment as we wrapped on the scene, then we moved outside to the exterior car park to shoot the next scene. 

Following our dismissal from the multi-storey car park we moved down to the car park situated right outside, to shoot the next scene, and the scene which directly follows and intertwines with the multi-storey scene. From the original concept to the script and storyboards, I ideally wanted a multi-storey car park overlooking a lower exterior car park or area, which the character of Alice could spy on others with a camera in the style of James Stewart in 'Rear Window'. When we found this location as part of a recce I was ecstatic. Never before have I imagined a location only to find one exactly how I imagined it straight away, and it was right on our door step in Middlesborough. Despite the location being perfect, that was only half the battle, we then had to get there and actually shoot the film. On the day of the shoot we had the character of Alice there for the multi-storey section, and then she was dismissed following so that we could concentrate on the lower level scene, which was to be shot with 3 actors, two young and one older actor who play the films three main 'villains'.