Once I have got these few shots done the rest of the piece will fall into place quickly, it is just getting the stage shots finished which seems to be taking the most time.
Test Footage from sam webber on Vimeo.
(The sound in the video is nothing to do with the final piece. It was just the test footage for visual, not sound. I will have to add some of the selected music choices other some clips of the stage however, to see which one works best, as the stage will be the main focal point and foundation stone of the rest of the piece.)
0:00 - 0:37 seconds. - This clip of the opening of the curtains is by far one of the best clips visually, for the stage location. I love the smoothness and elegance of the curtains as they open and the how the spotlight adds just that little bit more theatricality, more like a performance. Hopefully the stage will be cleared soon so that when it comes to filming, I will be able to use the whole stage and have the spotlights on the back of the plain stage, instead of the wood that is currently there. The curtain stutters slightly when closing as I had no idea as to whether the curtain was fully closed or not as I was pulling it open and closed behind stage. (Will need somebody else to open the curtain for me when it comes to real filming.)
0:37 - 1:13. - This long shot of the stage curtains being opened has not got as much of the compact feel that the other shot has, to much of the space is lost to the various un-theatre-like equipment and parts of the stage and floor. I like how with the distance you can see the whole curtain, the whole stage but I do not want to have to worry to much about cutting around the image, to remove the bottom of the stage and hall floor, when it comes to real filming. I would rather use the close up of the stage and leave long shots for if there is any other parts which call for them. Once again the spotlight looks good on the curtain, the dark red becomes a nice brighter and vibrant red which looks more enticing, like the either the love of the couple or the dark blood red of the violence going on behind stage.
1:13 - 1:43. - This shot, of the character behind the curtain lit by the spotlight through the curtain, is also one of my favourite shots. Not one that I had originally planned, but one which looks like it would settle nicely in amongst the other shots of behind the stage. I would use this shot to introduce the announcer, before he walks onto stage to...announce, or as the opening shot to the main act of the show (although the act will not be seen.) Apart from my acting, the only thing wrong with this clip is the camera placement, the camera has been placed badly, so that the full effect of the light silhouetting the characters cannot be seen. I would need a lower angle to see the top of their head and possibly a closer shot of their head from the side, so that you can see who the character is. I also like the slight silhouette that is created as the character walks onto the stage opening the curtain, the quick beam of light dazzles you slightly after looking at the dark for quite awhile, but this could be a good effect to play with for the final piece.
1:43 - 1:52. - This shot has been cut down to soon so that you cannot see the character enough before they stalk off into the darkness. But basically this was the filmed version of my idea to have the camera looking off stage from behind the curtain, with the character/s walking off into the darkness still silhouetted slightly by the red light of the curtain.
1:52 - 2:03. - Here is a very quick shot of the curtains being opened from behind the stage. I liked how the light on the floor created a V like pattern, and how as the curtain opens, it expands gradually to reveal the hall and also to once again slightly dazzle the audience with the strong spotlights that shine through. I would however need somebody to be controlling the lights, so that as they open the spotlights are turned more to look directly at the character/s or just even the camera.
2:03 - 2:19. - I love the shot at 2:08-2:11, the same silhouette like shot that I tried to achieve earlier on. It looks so simplistic, so clean cut and elegant. This shot is definetely the backstage one, unless I can achieve a better off stage looking shot. I love how the ring of the light circles the character perfectly and how they look so precise, so boldly cut. The rest of the shot is just of the curtain opening again from behind, this time however the lights were positioned better, along with the camera, so when the curtain opened, the lights were aimed better at the stage.
Although this is obviously just a basic test, I think it conveys the style and feel of the film well in combination with the animatic. I very much like the setting of the stage; the red curtains and the shiny floorboards form one of those iconic images that carries an immense amount of meaning, and I am intrigued to see how this location will work in conjunction with other aspects of the film.
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