Production Blog: Starting out smooth with filming

On this filming day, I decided to take it easy by filming clips that didn't require the entriety of my face to be seen, or not seen at all. The following clips I filmed took short takes: a girl is holding the needle stained with blood over the toilet, a close-up of the girl's eyes looking to the side, sharpening pencil, an online document typed up, and a burning essay devoured by flames. 

To prep for clip of the needle stained with blood, I gathered the necessary props and materials to execute this clip. I used red food coloring for the blood, and smeared it all over my fingers. Then, I hold a sewing needle between my fingers, finishing off the look. This particular scene was in the bathroom, so I filmed the look above my toilet (the character would be puking before this clip). This took two takes to perfect. 

The close-up clip of the girl's eyes had difficulty to perfect the lighting rather than the filming itself. First, I turned on and off the necessary lights present in my living room. I had my brother film the scene. I made sure he zoomed in and framed the eyes accordingly to my vision. This took 5 takes to film, although I wasn't too satisfied with how underexposed the clip was. 

For the sharpening-a-pencil clip, I had my brother sharpen the pencil and I filmed the process. My goal for this clip was to produce loud chaotic sounds, so I had my brother sharpen the pencil quickly. I set the pencil sharpener on my desk and gave the pencil to my brother to sharpen. At first, it was hard to place the sharpener in the right frame; however, I was able to get it right in 3 takes.

The burning essay clip was definitely risky. First, I made sure my mom was there to watch me when filmed this clip, as it involved fire. For this clip, I got my clock, a printed past essay, a candle (for decent lighting of the clip), and matches; I took all these materials outside of my house on the cement ground. I placed the following props in the frame, except the matches. I hit record and lit a match to set the paper on fire. Once I was satisfied with how the flames brightened, I stomped on the paper to distinguish the fire. I also watered the entire area to ensure no fire particles will let loose.