The second shoot consisted of the interview stage, where i asked questions in order of how i would structure it in post production. This included:
- Where the idea came from
- Deciding to go for six months considering he had never previously travelled before
- Process leading up to going
- Arriving and meeting the villagers and other volunteers
- Building project
- Good and bad experiences
- Culture and lifestyle - how it shaped him as a person
- Leaving the project - saying goodbye to the villagers and volunteers
- Coming home and reflecting on his experience
- Keeping in contact and future plans
Speaking with Will about what i wanted to know, I explained that he could speak freely based on each question and gave him time to think about what he was going to say so he spoke clearly. I also said that when he started talking about something to start each sentence with what it was about. For example, when referring to where the idea came from, he would begin with saying 'my inspiration for Fiji came from..'. That way, the audience understands what each part is about, without hearing me ask him the questions. I found asking him the questions this way allowed him to tell his story in order of how it happened, so it flowed easier for him to recall his experience.
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Setting up the area where the main body of the documentary was shot, i set up in my bedroom in my home town as the location, using my Canon 700D on tripod for steady shooting, I sat Will on my bed and used a sheet back drop which belongs to him, something he got on his travels which fits well with the theme of the piece. I set up 2 lights; one LED on the right side on medium brightness, just above head height looking down on Will and one mini LED on the camera, face on, using a clear snap on diffuser, so it wasn't so intense on him, filling in the shadows on the left side of his face and body. To fill in some other areas i thought was to shadowed, i used a silver reflector, giving a nice shine on the right side of his face, giving even tones. This gave him a soft, warm look, which is what i was aiming for to fit the theme. To record sound, I used a zoom recorder, hidden down beside him on his right side, with assistance from my brother. The zoom records better and clearer sound compared to the built in recorder on my camera, as I find it picks up to much surrounding noise.
Will also brought some memorabilia with him. This included:
- Fiji book guide
- Think Pacific t-shirts (the volunteer company) three different colours collected over the project
- A Buddha statue
- A journal he kept of his experience
- post cards and other keep sakes
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As mentioned above, I recorded sound using a zoom microphone for better quality sound, which I will add in separately to the video and align them in post production using final cut pro. before recording i briefly said what i wanted him to talk about and then ill pause it and ask the next questions. We discussed his stories a bit before shooting, just so he felt comfortable and confident and avoid losing track or saying 'um' often.
I also experimented with camera angles, zooming in closer on certain parts of the narrative i felt were a bit more personal or special to him, allowing the viewer to feel close and connect with his story. I also followed the 180 degree rule, having space next to where he is looking out of shot.
One thing i noticed after looking back at the footage after filming was the light was a bit to strong on his face in certain shots we did at the beginning. This is something i will have to fix in final cut, however it has shown me that i need to be careful of over exposing and make sure i dont lose detail on facial features, or create a sinister look, when i am trying to achieve a friendly, welcoming piece.
