Wrapping Up the Me, Myself, and I

We wrapped up!

Today ended with another 3,5 hours of filming for my Me, Myself, and I-project. And while we were extremely productive again, this shoot goes to show how much time, money and energy you can save if you get the shots right the first time (or ensure that you at least take enough safety footage).

As I blogged earlier today, we had to retake a couple of shots from the previous shoot and thus had to constantly reposition not only the camera, but also the props on set and me as an actress.

And even though we had the footage from yesterday available as a solid point of reference, it took us a whole lot of time (two hours, to be precise) just setting up the camera to the correct angles and frames. Which, just in comparison, would have cost us only a couple of minutes per take, if we had taken these extra shots yesterday. To be fair to myself, though, I always insist on one safety shot.

Thus, memo to myself: Next time, if time and budget permits, I will make sure to always take two to three safety shots or b-roll, just in case I might need it. It really only costs a couple of extra minutes once all is set up and ready, which actually saves budget in the long run.

Also, it is really noteworthy how straining it can be to constantly switch between the roles of director, actress and cinematographer and still remain concentrated the entire time.

Plus, I was relieved to realise that the smoke we used did not mess with our continuity as I initially feared it would. I underestimated the fact that we were filming against the white background of a photography cove, which naturally blends with the smoke we used and thus turned smooth on camera.

As you can see from the stills of the raw footage, I am going for a sleek and minimalist style that enhances the space and puts it in contrast to the character on screen.

When I conceived the idea of my Me, Myself and I, I had a certain inspiration I wanted to draw from. Since this piece is supposed to be about ourselves, I decided to tackle one wish I think everyone has at least had once: The wish of erasing and rewriting your unpleasant memories.

So I came up with the rather abstract story that, if I was ever to obtain the book of my life, it would most likely be in a otherworldly place, something which I decided to call the Chamber of Truth for my piece. My character, who would eventually tamper with the story of her life, betrays truth in doing so and the chamber avenges that attempt by turning into a hostile space.

This concept of space turning into an antagonist of sorts is why I decided to visually declutter the frame and thus emphasise the very existence of space. Right from the beginning, I wanted the room around my character to be present, in a state of waiting. One of my visual inspirations for this was Stanley Kubricks use of space in combination with the colour white in his 2001: A Space Odyssey. In this feature film, white space is usually sterile, hostile and dominating, dwarfing the character. At the same time, it carries the symbolism of new beginnings and purity, due to the colour white.

And since I am well aware that my raw footage as presented here is rather a dark, warm grey than pure, glistening white, rest assured that I am already looking forward to the colour correction and colour grading stage of editing.

References:

Kubrick, S. (1968) 2001: A Space Odyssey

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