Day 1 of filming:
The first day of filming was dedicated to creating the suitable mise-en-scène for Luna's childhood room and filming the scenes located in that room.
With the use of children's books and toys, I was able to achieve a set that felt authentic to the narrative created. These props allowed the camera to convey the setting the audience will find themselves in and depict the natural messiness of a child's room.
Additionally, when it came to the use of lighting, I opted for a more natural approach - with light shining through several windows in front of the camera, as well as using some indoor lighting to create a warmer tone. This was decided from the very beginning as the opening scene and its composition was always meant to feel natural to the eye.
The filming of the opening scene was challenging as I wanted my actor to move towards the camera, while the camera would move away. This tracking shot was difficult to achieve as I needed to move backwards and stabilise my camera movements. At first, I filmed using the camera only but later realised that this produces footage that is not smooth enough. Therefore, I proceeded to use a stand to place the camera onto - to provide a platform for the camera to rest on and keep it stable. Then, I placed the stand into a suitcase to create a DIY dolly and slowly moved away from the subject - to immerse the audience into the scene.
The next scene that I decided to film was of young Luna writing a letter to her future self. This scene was filmed in the same room, using the same props to convey the same time period. Filming for the following scenes went well and I was able to make use of several shots, such as an over-the-shoulder and medium close-up.
Overall, filming the opening scene was difficult at first but by downloading the footage and reviewing it to understand what improvements can be made, I was able to re-film it in a way that I was satisfied with and thought fit the purpose of the short film. By using a suitcase, the scene turned out less shaky than when I filmed the first time - which allowed me to move onto the next scene. When filming young Luna, I filmed the same shots several times (around 2 to 3 times) in order to have a variety of footage to choose from. I was content with this approach as it allowed me to have extra footage that looked better than the ones I filmed at first - without having to re-film the entire scene.
Day 2 of filming:
The second day of filming was dedicated to filming the scenes that were located outside. This required a fair amount of sunlight and I was able to film the scenes pretty quickly.
With the use of the space that I chose, I aimed to create a relationship between the character and her surroundings. This was done at a children's playground which is realistic to the narrative being conveyed and to the character that young Luna is.
My main priority was to depict childhood and the freedom that comes with it by using the nature and playground equipment of the location. I believe this will lead the viewers to several connotations, such as life and growth - from the green colour of the nature - and childhood and a yearning to explore - from the playground.
The overall filming of these scenes went well and I was able to get all of the shots that I needed. Additionally, with the practice gained from day one of filming, I further proceeded to use the same technique - filming the same shots several times - and decided to film in different areas of the same location to have some flexibility. All of this enabled me to film over a shorter period of time and made sorting through the footage, when deciding which scenes to use, easier.
Day 3 of filming:
The third day of filming was dedicated to filming the scenes with the present and adult version of Luna. This required a greater use of acting - as both body language and facial expressions were planned to be conveyed.
As the scenes were set in Luna's childhood room, mise-en-scène was significant and needed to show maturity while still depicting elements of nostalgia, specifically through the use of props that were already seen in the scenes set back in time. This was planned to allow the audience to understand that Luna still lives with her parents and did not accomplish the things her younger self expected, as well as set out for herself to achieve in her 20s.
The filming was quite challenging as the scene that introduces adult Luna implements an overhead shot - this required for the camera to remain still while being placed at a significantly high angle. Moreover, with a greater focus on acting, each scene had to complement the overall emotive aspect of the short film and most scenes had to be re-filmed a number of times.
To convey a sophisticated overhead shot, I had to make use of both a ladder and a stand - which allowed me to achieve the perfect height for the planned shot. It was a struggle at first, as it was difficult to find the perfect position for the stand and have the camera capture all that was intended for it to capture, but through trial and error I was soon able to get the shots that I was satisfied with and that would create the scene that I needed.
With acting, I had to look back at my storyboard to guide my sister in the right direction as to what I wanted for the scenes to turn out like. By doing this, we were both able to work on the scenes with the storyboard acting as a guide and implement some instinctive, as well as improvised performance for the story to develop in a more natural way.
Overall, this day allowed me to use all of the techniques that I learned in the previous days of filming and understand how unpredictable situations can turn out to be when filming. I was able to recognise the importance that directing has when filming scenes that involve body language and facial expressions - as well as what drastic of a difference directing scenes makes by letting the process of filming pass by more smoothly.
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