Try-Outs: Silhouette, Jump Shooting and Time Lapse

 

 

In order to get a better idea of which shots we have the technical ability to use in our music video, we carried out some tryouts, to see how well they went.

 

The first tryout we attempted was the timelapse technique, that we are considering using on the platform at the train station. With this technique, we filmed in a school coridor for 8 minutes, whilst one person remained still in the shot, with lots of other people walking past. This gave the impression that time whilst everybody else carried on their lives, time stood still for one person. Overall, I feel that this technique worked very well, and would be very effective in our video, providing that we are able to gain permission to film at the train station. To improve further, we could try using editing to make this effect more realistic. For example, we could film in one position for 8 minutes, and then, in a separate take, get someone to stand in front of the pillar which is shown in the shot. Then, you could play the 8 minute section at high speed, whilst overlaying the cropped shot of the person standing in front of the pillar, played back at normal speed, which may make the action appear more realistic.

The next technique we tried was to use a silhouette technique with a drum kit. For this, we filmed in a darkened room, with the only light source coming from directly behind the person who was sitting on a chair, pretending to drum. This technique worked rather well, as it meant that although the audience could see the rough outline of the person, and could tell what they are doing, the drummer's identity remained concealed. In our music video, we would slowly bring the front lighting up, so that throughout the video, the identity of the drummer slowly became clearer to see. The use of a professional lighting system would also make this effect easier to achieve.

The final test that we attempted was to use a style of jump shooting. In this effect, the subject appears to jump from one location directly into the next, by walking at the same angle as they were in the last shot. In our example, we showed a shot of the subject walking across a school playground, and when the person reached the edge of the frame, the shot immediately jumped to another of him walking through another location, whilst the speed, trajectory and shot depth were maintained from the last shot.

Overall, I feel that our shot testing was a very effective exercise, and has allowed us to practice many different techniques, that we will be able to use in our production.