VFX: More Testing

I carried out more test shots of my idea because I wanted to see how my storyboard would translate onto the screen and work out what lighting would and wouldn't work. I am going to outline the many problems that came up on these test shots which has helped me understand what I need to do next and also to understand how my filming is going to go when I do the final shoot.
I took some stills of one of the scenes from my storyboard as you can see below.
The type of lighting I wanted was contrast lighting with a reddish/orange tint to it to give that nighttime at home look, plus it would enhance the shadows more. After viewing the test scenes shot, I realised that the orange/red colour did not help express the theme I want and hopefully when I do my final shoot in the evening the lighting will be better.
We tried out two lighting set ups, one was the scene being lit from the corridor and the other from behind the camera so the light poured over a wider area.
With only one crew member and a dolly track being used, my final filming time won't take longer than 3 hours including set up and take down which works out well.

The first image below is the light being lit from behind the camera, I think I decided at the end of the day that this worked better as long as you couldn't see the camera's shadow. I did figure a way to stop that, I had the light stand at a high height which also increased the surface area the light hit. The only problem was that it did not light the bathroom light which I really wanted to be the brightest in the scene.
Image no. 2 was very dark and I may not use that and in image no. 3 you can see the light edges as the I had the scene lit from the corridor and the width of the corridor was small so the light stand couldn't be placed in a position that stopped it from happening.
I had the aperture value at f= 8.0 because this allowed just enough light to be received without it being overly bright. At a f=11, the scene was too dark and not enough was being received, also throughout the day having the value at 8.0 worked with most scenes.

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In image no. 4, I was testing to see if placing the doppelganger in that position would work because in image no. 5, my character was going to be standing towards the side of the doorway so neither can be obstructing each other in any way. Image no 5 through to 8, you can see the different positions I tried to place the character in because I wanted starting with an over shoulder shot looking at the doppelganger where it is positioned in image no. 4. Depending on where I stood in the doorway it created a different outcome, I found that filming this scene at a high camera angle would be work best and still give me the over shoulder shot I wanted.

In terms of lighting, I feel it works well because the bathroom light stands out the most and this scene happens after the character is preparing to go to sleep by turning off all the lights in the flat and comes back to find out that the bathroom light has turned it self on. Image no. 8 works best. There is no extra lighting in these images so for this scene I won't need any light and the bathroom window won't be shining as bright because I hope to shoot this sometime after 3pm because it gets dark early.

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Works well the most

Long Exposure

http://www.denisolivier.com/artwork/gallery/detail/Ghost_opera/24

This an example of the effect of ghost photography, the work is title Ghost Opera by Denis Olivier.
The images were shot at long exposure and in these images, the subjects seem to be moving so the result is effective.
I like the last one on the right, it looks like the same subject , but I do not know, however it fits well with my doppelgänger idea.

I want to experiment with using long exposure combined with the contrast lighting I'm using and the make up to see what effect it creates. In the past I posted about my experimentation with food colouring to create a misty effect which I then thought to combine with green screen footage to create a ghost effect, but I shall try it with long exposure photography to see which give the best results. This will be done when I carry out my lighting tests this week.

Moodboard

Comex

''The Chivatour Frazee and the Frazee Bell Gardens Sport Center stadium opening was a huge success!

A few months ago Comex Group celebrated a sports partnership with Club Deportivo Chivas USA, an event that has since allowed us to take our color and passion for soccer further beyond our own borders.

Due to this partnership exercised through our Frazee Paint brand name, a leader in California, Arizona and Nevada and operating more than 110 service centers throughout the region, we have made soccer fans in the United States quiver by organizing family gatherings during their favorite team’s matches.

The Chivatour Frazee has brought soccer lovers close to their idols, including autograph sessions with soccer icons such as Claudio Suarez’s, who was side by side with customers for two straight hours.

Furthermore, in order to encourage family interaction, we have set up special areas like the ones where Chivas USA played against Colorado, FC Dallas, DC United and New York, where fans can play table soccer, draw banners to support their team, kick penalty goals, among other activities.

According to local and regional media, the June 10th Frazee Bell Gardens Sport Center opening was a huge success. During the event, visitors interacted with the beautiful Chivas Girls, taking photos and participating in fun activities.

This is how Comex Group continues supporting Chivas USA, one of the best teams worldwide, contributing at the same time to their MLS leadership and closeness to their growing number of fans.''

http://www.thecomexgroup.com/#en/news/chivas_usa.html

I came across the article above while trying to research into how the paint company, Comex works. Since my idea needs to include the important of community through soccer, finding this article from their website is going to help. Comex, supports the soccer team Chivas USA, the paint manufacturer company has its logo on the team jersey's shirts, this is to bring more exposure to their company and show that they support the team and sport to the fullest. (http://www.cdchivasusa.com/) 

Below I have posted a video that I found on youtube, there are many others showing how the team are close to their community and provide community gatherings. They even train in front of the fans to show their love and that they appreciate the support from them.

TMB: Panyee FC

http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2011/12/31/tmb-panyee-fc/

I watched this film about the origin of the 'Panyee FC' soccer team in Thailand. I found interesting from the beginning to the end so the narrative quality of the video is very good. I shall definitely study what qualities/techniques were used to convey the story to the audience so well, because even though I do not play the soccer sport, I felt I understood the game more.

The theme of the film is definitely about perseverance because the odds are against the boys in the beginning but they had courage and hope and made the villagers believe in their dream as the story goes on.
This will help me with my brief from the MO Film website because I want to able to get the importance of soccer to family and friends who know a player or are related to them.

The production quality is high, scenery is beautiful and key to the story because it visually enhances it too instead of having a city in the background while trying to describe an island surrounded by water, so location is key to my idea if not my story won't be believable.
By the end of the film you would not guess that it is an advert for a bank. The slogan of the bank being 'Make THE difference', so this film is really good research for my brief as that is for a paint company client.