COMP 3: Behind the Scenes

This blog post contains the details of our production or filming process of Component 3, written by me (Timothy)

Pictures taken behind the scenes were mostly taken by Nayana and Sharon, compiled by myself. During the filming process, we initially planned to shoot for only 3 days, however, we then added a day due to unforeseen issues that will be detailed in this post. 

DAY 1 (Beach Scenes)

Me (Timothy) directing the cast

Outdoor scene with reflector

Shooting the performance scene

On the first day of shooting (January 27th), we were shooting all the beach scenes. We arrived at around 1:00 PM due to high traffic, which was an hour later then what was initially planned. This meant that we had to efficiently shoot all the scenes. When we arrived at Gunung Payung Beach we shot a few scenes in their car park of our star exiting the car. We then moved to the beach location when problems arose.

Problem: The main problem we experienced this day was that we were forced to leave Gunung Payung Beach because we required a permit to shoot there that costs a total of IDR. 750,000. We were never informed of this during the scouting process so we were caught blindsided. Furthermore, our screenwriter wasn't present as he was abroad, however, it didn't cause that much of an issue as I was able to direct the talented cast with ease. Our team also lost our speaker, which made it hard for the actors to hear the music to perform to in such windy conditions.

Solution: We moved locations to Pandawa Beach, located only a few minutes away from Gunung Payung Beach, we thankfully didn't need a permit to film there as we only needed to be nice to the locals. After losing the speaker, we used the loudest handphone setting and hid it in between the cast to make sure they can hear the music they have to perform.

The shoot utilized simple equipment including:

• Camera (Sony A7III)
• Standard Zoom Lens (Zeiss 24-70 F4)
• Wide Angle Lens (G-Master 16-35 F2.8)
• Reflector (GODOX RFT-02 Light Reflector Disc)

During this shoot, the two lenses used perfectly created the variety of shots we needed. The standard zoom lens we used allowed a variety of portrait shots that we close-up (used for our performance scenes), and the wide angle lens was great in creating an image of our scenic view (used in landscape scenes). However, because this was an outdoor scene, the lighting on our cast would be very imbalanced and would have very harsh negatives (dark shadows), using the reflector was very useful because it helped bounce the sunlight to give our cast an even light distribution, which created the best image possible. The reflector was held by our crew members who helped with the shoot.

DAY 2 (Villa Scenes)

Shooting scene with practical effects

Setting up gimbal (stabilizer)

Shooting intro performance scene

On the second day of shooting (February 3rd), we shot all the scenes required in the villa. The plot of these scenes is that KIARA and her friend are getting ready as it showcases the villa they're all staying at. To get all the shots we needed, we needed to start the day early to shoot more efficiently, which is why we planned to arrive at 11 AM. We planned this to capture the perfect lighting as if they had just woken up.

Problem: The first problem we had was that everyone arrived quite late due to extreme traffic conditions. This means that we had less time to utilize the natural sunlight, although we brought a lighting panel, the battery only lasted for a few hours which was a huge shame. Furthermore, the original villa was unavailable as it was fully booked, which means that the villa we got wasn't to our original expectation. Lastly, we weren't able to capture any sunset scenes due to poor weather conditions. 

Solutions: Arriving late means we had to be extremely efficient with the little time we had, with little sunlight we utilized the lighting panel we bought. Furthermore, we replaced the scenes that needed parts of the villa that were unavailable with scenes we deemed appropriate. Lastly, we replaced the scenes that require a sunset with scenes from the beach and park.

The shoot utilized simple equipment including:

Camera (Sony A7III)

Standard Zoom Lens (Zeiss 24-70 F4)

Wide Angle Lens (G-Master 16-35 F2.8)

Light Panel (GODOX LEDP260C)

Gimbal (MOZA AirCross 2)

During this shoot, I mostly used the standard zoom lens as we shot a lot of high-action movements, such as the pillow fight scenes. Zooming in from a further distance allowed me to capture the movements whilst still being at a safe distance where the camera or myself isn't harmed in anyway. Furthermore, the my gimbal proved to be very useful as it allowed me to follow and pan along with the actors high-action movements whilst creating a stable and presentable image. During a few scenes, I had to tweak with a few settings on my camera to be able to shoot in 200 frames per second. This allows me to slow it down in post to allow for a slow-motion shot. This was extremely useful in the scene with practical effects, making it all the more dramatic.

DAY 3 (Car Scenes)

Shooting POV car scenes

Shooting follow car shots

Experimenting with follow-shots

On the third day (February 8th), we were planning to shoot both the car scenes (Griya Alam Pecatu) and the scenes at the park (Peninsula Island). These scenes were supposed to showcase the girls' journey to both the beach and the park. Whereas, the park scenes were supposed to be the girls having fun and joking around whilst having a picnic. On this day, everyone arrived on time at 12 PM, we then shot all the car scenes, which finished around 3:30 PM, and made our way to Peninsula Island Park, arriving at around 4:30 PM, due to condensed traffic, where we then faced more problems. 

Problems: During the filming of the car scenes, our time was cut a bit short as a security guard approached asking about a filming permit. When we arrived in the parking area of the park, it was raining very heavily, which meant that we had to wait for it to die down. Furthermore, upon arriving at the second location (Peninsula Island), we were approached by security once again saying that any form of videography or photography with a professional camera is strictly prohibited. This was another rule we weren't aware of when scouting this location. Lastly, as the shoot was delayed due to the rain we didn't have time to move locations in a last-minute manner like we did with the first day of shooting.

Solution: When asked for a permit, we emphasized that this project was not for any sort of commercial use, we then were allowed to continue shooting on this private property (Griya Alam Pecatu). After finding out that we weren't allowed to shoot at Peninsula Island, we decided to reschedule our shoot for the following week (February 13th) at Lapangan Renon, right after we finished school on that day.

The shoot utilized simple equipment including:

Camera (Sony A7III)

360 Camera/Action Cam (Insta360 X3)

Standard Zoom Lens (Zeiss 24-70 F4)

Wide Angle Lens (G-Master 16-35 F2.8)

Gimbal (MOZA AirCross 2)

During this shoot, the gimbal's stabilization was a key factor in capturing the car scenes as it helped stabilize all the shots as we followed them at high speeds. Furthermore, the use of the standard zoom lens allowed for a variety of shots from closeups, to full shots. Another way we shot this car scene is by using an action cam, in this case an Insta360, which was mounted on to the windshield, this perfectly captures a wide angle of everyone in the car. I had the idea of this shot after watching James Corden's carpool karaoke series, this shot gives a more inside look into the car. Prior to the shoot, I purchased a polarizer for my lens which is supposed to allow me to shoot through my car's tint on the windshield to create a clear view of the cast. However, the reflection and tint was too strong, which is why we opted to use the shots from the Insta360 instead.

DAY 4 (Park Scenes)

Shooting a follow scene

Shooting a transition

Shooting a close-up

On the fourth day (February 13th), was the quickly planned park day, on the final day we filmed shots where we could see our actors having fun and playing around whilst having a picnic at the park. Shooting on a school day meant that we had to rush there as fast as possible to avoid school dismissal rush hours, we arrived at the park at around 4 PM, this was the only day where we didn't have any major issues allowing us to finish on time at 6 PM before the sunset.

Problem: The only main problem we had was that we couldn't stick to the screenplay exactly to a tee, this is because, initially we planned to shoot a sunset scene on Peninsula Island, which is impossible to do at Lapangan Renon because of its location. 

Solution: We replaced these scenes with other scenes we deemed appropriate, creating a similar effect in the audience.

The shoot utilized simple equipment including:

Camera (Sony A7III)

Standard Zoom Lens (Zeiss 24-70 F4)

Gimbal (MOZA AirCross 2)

During this shoot, my gimbal unfortunately died because it ran out of battery, this means that a large portion of the shoot was shot handheld, and because of this, I minimized shots that require quick and stable camera movements. I instead focused on static shots, that required utilizing the actor's movements. A highlight during this shoot, was when I had to lay on the ground to get a shot of the picnic blanket opening and then covering the camera, this was done in order to get a shot for a transition. The props were also a big part of this scene, utilizing the picnic basket and picnic blanket to create conventions of picnic scenes.

Reflection: The production process of this project required the most time and effort when compared to other components during my studies. This is because it required extensive amounts of planning and this project is done on a larger scale, containing more people. During this production process, we were backed into a corner on almost every single day of filming, and this helped me improve in thinking of quick solutions. With this, I realize that when you are creating something with so many moving parts, not everything will go to plan, learning not to give up whilst facing huge drawbacks improves my character. Overall, I am proud of my team and myself for what we accomplished during the shoot. In the future, I now know to always check for filming permits and to always have backup locations. I can also improve in punctuality, as I was late for the shoots.