My Favorite Clips (and a Special Surprise)

Though we had many frustrating complications on the first day of filming, there were positives to the experience. I was focusing very harshly on the negatives, like how unprepared we were and how many times we had to repeat scenes, that I didn't focus on the wonderful shots we recorded. 

This is one example of the clips I like to call my "favorites".

This shot in particular is one I love simply because of the composition. The lighting is lackluster, and you can barely hear the character dialogue over the background noise in the store (the actor was also talking very quietly, which we pointed out several times, but the issue was never fixed). Regardless, this shot is beautifully framed just as we intended, as both characters align in their spaces on the rule of thirds grid.

We wanted the poster for the "Rom-Com" book selections to be centered in between the characters, showing the genre to the audience and creating foreshadowing for the story later on. The characters were also both lined up perfectly on the rule of thirds grid, just behind the vertical lines as they'd of course just met each other. This clip was a resounding success compared to the many others we had this day, as we'd executed our plan for this shot.

The next shot I liked again because of the composition, but also because the lighting complimented our actor and further established her presence. Her expression also adds to her confusion to the situation and her intrigue to the character she'd just interacted with.

This is how that clip turned out.

The character was perfectly centered, and the angle I filmed at was beautiful. The other director present in the background looking at other books also added to the atmosphere (as well as the involuntary contributors in the very back of the frame).

Those were my favorite shots we got. They taught me a lot about composition and lighting, and how important they are to rounding out the shot and adding to the story. This last shot is equally important, because not only does it also have perfect alignment, it also includes a wonderful blooper at the end that regularly makes our entire group laugh. This clip serves as a reminder for me that there were positives to this stressful film day.

Glorious.

Next I'll be going over some of the... not so great clips we got from this day.