My idea for the game was to get different angles from around the pitch and it would be edited into an eventual montage. I had brought four cameras (2 go pro's) with me and that would be sufficient to get all I needed. I started by getting shots of warm up as well as shots of the ground which I can introduce the game in voiceover. "Perhaps your best option (and what would a documentary be without it?), is to cover your edits with B-roll. Ideally, you can just pull from your documentary footage, but if you’re in a pinch, you can always use stock footage or images to fill in gaps" (Shutterstock, 2017) I think I did a good job even though I was rushed to get everything I wanted. A few pull focus shots as well as close-ups of the warm-up session will link well together when editing. I set a go pro up behind the goal for the first part of the game and I went and stood in the empty grandstand in which I could get a side on view of the pitch (similar to football shows like Match of the Day)
One the game started I started to move around the grandstand to get unique angles which would work well in the montage I have planned. I ended up staying at the end that Watford was attacking so if a goal did go in that I would be closest to it. This worked well and I got a mixture of close-ups, mid shots and ultra wides.
I wanted to make sure these shots looked as professional as possible, even for a one man crew.
"Create a shot list: as much as possible I determine ahead of time the shots I want to get to tell the visual story I want to tell. Naturally, a big part of what I plan to shoot will be based on sound bites I get during the interviews. But the more I know up front what I will be shooting, the more shots I can plan ahead of time."(desktop documentaries, 2016) Luckily I had planned out a few shots I wanted already but research into common shots was useful on the build-up to the game. I had watched videos like these in my research to see what sort of shots I should try and recreate.
This example shows that they normally have an ultra wide filming everything and other cameras dotted around to pick up close ups. As I was the only moving camera operator I decided to film a mix over the game and cut into the close ups when needed.
These would all contrast well in the montage. I was happy with how I applied myself in the game to maximise footage opportunities. I was filming this on my Sony while a go pro was running behind the goal and then on the sideline after I changed it around halfway through the first half. When Watford scored I managed to get a good shot of it which I was pleased with. With football, it is so hard to know exactly what is going to happen so making sure I was filming throughout helped. I think that the shots I got where of good quality and will work well. This was the day I was most pleased with because everything seemed to go to plan.
I also made sure to get an ultra close up of the scoreboard because I know shots like this would be good for the club and also work well in the montage.
In reference to a Trevor McDonald documentary, The executive producer talks about the importance of getting key shots "Executive producer Ed Taylor spent months negotiating with Northumbria Police to work out how, without embedding a camera team for possibly months on end, they would be able to capture the key moments at the start of a major investigation." (Radio times, 2017) This shows that you should always go to the largest amount of effort to capture those key images. While I could have easily forgotten to capture the score board, I luckily kept reminding myself from the notes I had taken on the train to the event.
After the game we interviewed Helen. She is really great in front of the camera and as a Wales International with many games for her country, I expect she has had a lot of experience with interviews. I was the only one on this shoot so I did not have anyone to help me with the interview especially. This meant that Helen had to hold the microphone while I held the camera and listened to the sound through some headphones. I thought due to the circumstances this went well, the lighting was pretty good. I did want to film outside but they turned off the lights meaning we had to film in a cramped tunnel. I was happy with how it went and Helen gave great answers which will round of the documentary perfectly
"during the pre-production phase, I learn all I can about the story I plan to tell. Whether it’s a corporate promotional film, or a personal profile, I get as much information as I can about the people, places, and events related to the film." (desktop documentaries, 2016) Luckily I had planned a lot of what could have been said in pre-production meaning that the interviews throughout the project (possibly except the injury ones) went as planned. It made it easier to set up and film when I knew what was most likely going to be said. I was happy that I spent that time earlir on because I feel these interviews may have been a struggle otherwise.
Overall I was happy with how filming went today. I got good cutaways for the voiceover and also great shots throughout the match. I wanted to have some pieces to camera today but without any help, this was never going to be a possibility. Like with the rest of the project Ed has been really open with what is filmed. However, I have felt that possibly it has been a little too open for me personally. It has meant that I have mostly be told to get filming with no specific thing that they wanted to show. I am completely fine with it, however, I do think a little more input from the clubs side would have created a product more specific to them.
I have already started a little bit of work on the edit and the clips seem to be working well next to each other. I may decide to go back to London to get some extra cutaways if they are needed. I will also have to re-write the script because of the massive changes in the week. In hindsight, I would have asked a few more people if they could have helped me film on Sunday. It would have given me the chance to fulfill what I wrote in the script.
I happy with my performance in the shooting days and Alex and George were fantastic as well when they helped. With the situations that we encountered, I feel like we did the most that we possibly could. I will see over the next few days if I do need to re-film (I hope not) or decide to get extra footage once I have got a rough cut complete and sent to the club and received feedback from my peers.
Bibliography:
Shutterstock, 2017
https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/documentary-interview-camera-setups
accessed on 4th December 2017
We speak football, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXD5XT1Vcb0
accessed on 4th December
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-10-12/trevor-mcdonalds-documentary-on-the-tragic-death-of-a-young-woman-reveals-the-crucial-golden-hour-in-any-murder-investigation/
accessed on 4th December
desktop documentaries, 2016
accessed on 4th December
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