R+P Post 32: Test shoot and rough edit

Our test shoot occurred on the Thursday and Friday before our main shoot week. The main purpose of the test shoot was to test our lighting and camera set ups and practice our performances in the main performance area. The test shoot was a really good experience. It was our first chance to get hands on with our kit, and the first time we stood up our shots - before then, our shot ideas existed only on paper, so it was very good to put them on their feet with all our props and scenery.

The test shoot was a big learning curve for me. For instance, before the test shoot, I was very nervous about the prospect of operating the professional kit, particularly the lighting desk, as I had never before had hands on experience with it. With some help from our technician Sam, I got my head around using the kit and before long, I was able to help my group create some of our lighting set ups and record them to the monitor for later use. By the end of the two days, I was perfectly confident using the equipment.

Me using the lighting desk

During the test shoot, I took a few other roles. As a performer, I practiced my guitar playing and tried to come up with a movement bank to service the playfulness and energy of Hugh Tyler. I had a lot of help from my group to keep my energy up and come up with new moves to do.

I also took on the role as performance director. I helped others in my group keep performing in their roles as the band member's and coming up with some movements to help visualise this.

Me and Noa working on movements for band shots

The test shoot helped us realise which of our ideas worked. One of the things we realised worked well was the band shots. We really liked the composition of the band members in the shot, with the centre containing Casey in front and Hugh slightly behind, and Terence and Guy flanking them. This foregrounded Casey as the 'face' of the band and, being next to one another, allowed Casey and Hugh to exchange some playful sibling moments to highlight their brother-sister relationship, which is an important feature of our band.

Furthermore, the test shoot showed us what needed to change. Some of our lighting states, for example, appeared too dark when we reviewed the footage, such as in the Singing' in the Rain set up. This was a problem as our music video aesthetic involves bright colours. We decided to add more white lights to shine on the performers so that they would no longer be so obscured by the dark.

Overall, I am very happy with how the test shoot went. Because our first day of the main shoot was the day after the test shoot, we unfortunately did not have the time to construct a rough edit. However, we found the experience very useful and being able to review the footage gave us a lot to think about into how we could improve. I feel that I have come out of the test shoot confident about starting the main shoot, as I now have the technical knowledge I need to help behind the camera and I feel well rehearsed in my performance.