Filming

       Today was the first day we were going to be filming our commercial. Throughout this process I was filming and acting. The first thing I did was make sure I had all the equipment needed to film the commercial. I checked out a camera, SD card, and a tripod. After that I got out some props which include a penny board, the small skateboard my group and I would be using in our commercial, and shoes from the clothing brand Vans. Once we got to our first filming location I got out the camera and placed each prop where it needed to go. For this section of the commercial I was the one filming the scenes. Before I began recording, I had to test out different angles and positions that would best convey the message/theme my group and I had originally envisioned. For the begging scene, my group mate was riding on a penny board. I had to film her while she was riding it and make sure each shot was how we wanted it to look. Along with making sure the angles were on point, I had to record each scene around three times to make sure we had a useable shot incase something went wrong any of the other times.

        While filming each scene in each location, it was important for me to capture the image that Vans commercials normally go for. I kept this image by using tracking shots, two shots, low angles, and a pan shot. The setting was also an important factor when it came to creating the theme and vibe of a Vans commercial. For example, in each scene I wanted to make sure there was a lot of greenery around. Along with that I also wanted to capture the sun's natural lighting. In the first shot, I shot the scene from an angle where you could see the sun creeping in and out from behind the trees to create a mood for our commercial. After we shot the first few scenes, it was my turn to start acting in the commercial. For the scenes, I sat on the bleachers and flaunted the white Vans I was wearing. This helped make the shoes stand out and also demonstrated how someone can wear them in their everyday lives. Although we recorded a few scenes where I was acting in it, my group and I later decided it was better if we reshot and this time I filmed. 

        For the last scenes we reshot, I got several shots of my group mates on the bleachers, riding the penny board, and laughing with each other. Some scenes were more difficult to shoot than others. For me, making sure each video I took had no weird shadows and perfect lighting could get challenging.  Making sure there was a steady focus on the shoes throughout each shot was also difficult at some points. Once we finished filming everything, we went back inside. In the classroom I logged onto a computer and began dumping all of our footage onto a computer. I created a folder and saved the footage into it. I then returned the hall pass and made sure there was nothing left for us to clean up. Overall, this process was a lot of work but still really fun. I liked directing the scenes and bringing my vision for this project to life.