Filming Day 1

Our first filming day took place on the 9th of January 2016 where Matt, Jonny, George and myself met up at our primary location- Bowdon Rugby Club. Our plan for this day was to get the majority of the opening scene filmed so the main chunk of the project was out of the way. However, my plans were not to be as the weather hindered us from any outdoor filming. In the opening scene of my film I wanted the setting to be tranquil, silent and at peace while the two criminals awaited their positions in the car. With the heavy rainfall and strong winds the mood was much different than what I would have liked it to be. After waiting an hour to see if the bad weather would pass by we decided to submit to filming that part of the scene. I recommended that we shoot the other half of the opening sequence in this time so the trip to the Rugby Club wouldn't be a complete waste of time.

The second half of the opening sequence is the interrogation part where the police officer begins to question the criminal about the location and actions of the other criminal who is a threat to the country. For the setting for this part of the scene we used the first team changing rooms as it is a low lit, small, boxed off room with nothing in except a table of which I can place a chair on either side for the two characters to face each other and talk. Only myself and Matt were required for this part of the film so George just helped out with some camera movements.

Having researched interrogation scenes from thriller films I had a good idea about how I wanted the scene to be set out. For example I had the vision that I wanted to start the scene off with a high angle shot looking down on Matt in the interrogation room to show his sudden lack of power and authority in this situation. I used a tri-pod to hold the camera in a fixed position to minimise shaking which would make the filming look unprofessional. Next in the scene is the entrance of the police man into the interrogation room of which I wanted it to be powerful and swift to show domination over the criminal. I used Mise en Scene in this scene in the form of props, for example when I entered the room I had a cup of coffee, representing the privileges that a police officer has over a criminal who essentially gets nothing. This informs the reader of what a bad situation the criminal is in and how he ideally needs a way out.

When me and Matt have to speak to each other I thought it would be best to use the 180 degree rule so the audience don't become confused with the way that characters are positioned. I also used shot reverse shot over the shoulder of the characters to create the idea that the audience are amongst the tense action making it more thrilling for them. Both mine and Matt's body language was a key part in filming this scene. Firstly, my use of hand gestures connotes my character's determination to get the information from the criminal showing the shear importance that it holds. Next, there were several situations in the scene where Matt's body language, such as when he is significant to the plot in the way that it shows he doesn't want give the information.

Overall I think the first acting day went really well as we managed to record half of the footage I needed for my opening scene.