One of the most recent work experience placements I complete was at Oxford castle. Me and 2 other students, Kris and Luca, were tasked with capturing a play which toured the castle whilst telling a story of the prison inside.
The shoot was difficult because we were given no time to scout the location to consider lighting and composition. For the best results, we had to think quickly and move fast as scenes moved through the prison. As director of the shoot, I had two cameras and a single boom mic on a pole for sound, as well as a lapel mic on the main play presenter. Over the two cameras, we took turns leaving each scene slightly before the end. This gave one camera-man enough time to set up a well framed shot in the next location whilst the other stayed and captured the last few lines of the previous scene. This location difficulty coupled with constantly changing light and limited equipment made for a tricky shoot. Thankfully, the final result well surpassed our expectations and more than satisfied the client.
I very much enjoyed the shoot despite it’s limitations. Utilising quick thinking and crew organisation is an important skill as a director, and is something I thoroughly developing through different projects.
Visit the Oxford Castle website here:
Jack Lucas Smith 