Filming Day #2

Date: 25/02/2024

Time: 09:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Location: Neu Mot Ngay Studio

Personnel: Jennie, Anna (1st AD), Sasha (Actress)

Equipment: 

- Camera: Nikon D5600 (Mr. VZ)

- Tripod (Mr. VZ)

Costumes & Props:

- Bag (Sasha)

- Letters and photos (Jennie)

- White cardigan & black trousers (Sasha)

My Responsibility

Director: As a creative head of the film, I make sure I'm involved in every stage of the production process and make all the creative decisions.

Camera Operator + Cinematographer: I am responsible for operating the camera for all of the shots, and setting the camera for each shot, which was a major problem since I didn't have any storyboard (drawing is not my field). More importantly, since I was planning on using a lot of my raw footage sound, I had to make sure the surroundings were quiet enough to minimise the noise, which was a hard job to do since we were filming in the middle of a busy city.

Personnel

Anna (Nguyen Thuy An) - 1st Assistant Director: Anna was extremely helpful during both filming days. She was in charge of filming behind the scenes, fixing the actress' small details like hair and clothing, and also giving ideas and advice (honest advice) on how to operate different camera angles.

Sasha Le (Le Quoc Nam Quynh) - Actress for "Irene": Sasha did an excellent job of being Irene. Although her personality is bright and energetic, she got into the character really quick and was motivated to try her best. She conveyed the character's feelings really well, which helped the filming session a lot, and most of the shots were taken only once.

Challenges

This is the second (additional) filming day, so I had quite an experience with the camera and the time taken during the first day. I was able to operate the camera and film the shots much quicker and I was more familiar with adjusting the technical specifications on the camera. Sasha (the actress for Irene) and Anna (1st AD) were also more comfortable and familiar with the tasks I gave them, including the shots that were about to be filmed (since I didn't have a drawn screenplay). However, there was a bigger problem this time. When we were carrying the props to the cab, Anna forgot one of the most important one - the yellow umbrella. That umbrella is the key point of my opening sequence, in which it raises enigmas around its existence. Luckily, I was quick to come up with a plan B which does not include the yellow umbrella in any of the scenes but can still raise enigmas about the ending of my film opening.

Lessons learned:

• 
  Take care of your props. Always check for everything whenever you're about to move to somewhere else.