The Filming Process

   I started filming yesterday, Friday March 18th. I was able to find a studio to film in for a couple hours. When I started filming I tried using different lighting such as low key lighting in a dark room with just a lamp as light. As i started filming and watched back some of the footage I found that it was difficult to see the dancer clearly, so I decided to film the majority with high key lighting by turning on the studio lights. This made the video look much better and easier to see the dancer. I wanted to make it look like the girl was dancing through a process of various days, so I asked my dancer to bring different outfits to change into. I took many different takes from different angles, trying to find the best view of the movements. 

   For recording I used my Iphone, since I don't have a nice camera to film with. I tried to test out my slow-mo on my phone to have an idea of how some of the dance moves will look slowed down. I found that the slow motion didn't look very good with the lighting in the studio and looked very grainy and unclear. For the parts I do choose to put in slow motion, I will have to change during the editing process. I tried to take different shots and angles into consideration when I was filming, too see which looked the best for specific dances. I took close up shots of the girls face while she was dancing to show her concentration for the sport. I used a close up for her feet, showing her skill and grace. I also used many long shots of her entire body showing movements of every feature from her face to her feet. 

   I asked her to change after every couple shots or so, into different dancer outfits to help viewers understand that she is not just dancing one day, but over a span of many. This will help develop her passion for dance. After looking through the footage I fell like I am still missing something, but I am not sure what that is yet. Maybe when I start editing I will think of an idea to improve my film. 

I got a lot of good shots with various dance moves. When I was filming I told my friend to just go for it and dance how ever she wanted, minus me asking for a couple techniques. I think that worked out very well, and gave ,me a lot to work with.

   When I start editing I am going to only slow some parts down, for example, her spinning, because I think it will look very interesting without over doing it. I am going to start editing and hopefully get some more filming in, possibly in different locations, during my spring break, so that I can finalize and get feed back on my project when I get back to school. The images shown are some screenshots from the videos I filmed yesterday.