Filming With Fewer

 The most recent filming session between myself, Ariel, and Elena was a bit different than our usual sessions, but ultimately for the better. As has become the typical, one of our actors couldn't make it to film with us. However, this may have been for the best as we didn't have a fully thought-out plan for all of our actors that day. In light of our changes to the script, I helped Ariel come up with a brief shot list the night before filming. I also helped flesh out our new story a little more, helped with the shots Ariel came up with. With this new shot list, when I arrived on the set with Ariel and Elena, I helped explain the new plan for today's filming. Ariel took focus on the shots we needed and kept us on track while I did most of the filming and directing of actors. I filmed on Ariel's phone, as it had the best quality camera among us, and led the group to each spot along the woodsy nature trail that would best suit each shot. While filming, I found I had to get in awkward positions to get the right angles. For example, while crouching for a low shot I had to keep the camera away from the bushes but still to the side of the trail. It was difficult trying to crouch and maintain the right height and angle, especially as actors moved throughout the fairly long scene. Similar issues occurred with filming Elena's foot laid out on the trail while Ariel came to discover it. I learned to get in a comfortable crouch position before calling action to ensure the camera would be steady and centered for the shot. Another awkward situation was the final shot filmed, a close up of Ariel's face as she acted her new character. Having the camera so close to Ariel's face, especially at a low angle, made it hard for Ariel to focus on her acting, but there were a few tricks to help I came up with. First was to be entirely silent. Sometimes this backfired but keeping quiet let Ariel focus. Second, was having the camera consistently on Ariel. This forced her to get used to the awkward pose and eventually the awkwardness wore off. Despite these minor problems, filming was rather simple and easy.