In this group, the members are Tylar, Remy, James, Itohan, and Melissa.

Project I, Group Apple on Youtube (in-progress):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sB-vX3T5dM

You all must discuss in this thread how you prepare and how you will do things differently in the very next session. These are some of my comments as follows.

Group A
1. LS, pan to find Tylar and Melissa
Good to see how you are practicing in different takes. The second take is smooth, and it was nice that the camera panned as the truck was driving by. The third take is also nicely done as the bicyclist going by. Please note that it is usually a good idea to have a camera static for few seconds at the beginning and at the end of each shot. In this case, after the bicyclist exited the frame, the camera should have stayed there for few seconds without any movement. This would give some choices in the rhythm for editors in general (we are not editing this project). In the next take, pay attention to how the camera stopped panning smoothly. It is very important to have a tripod that is in a good condition. When you check out any equipment, test it before you go anywhere. This applies when you rent some video equipment at production houses, too.

I hear the sound of a very tight tripod. Did you loosen any part of the equipment, or was it this tight no matter what?

2. MS Melissa getting up
Take one: The camera tilts up before she gets up. Practice more to time it.
Take two: This time, the camera waited until she gets up, but lost a part of her head from the frame. Practice more. She may need to move a little slower for the camera as an actress. Then, it is very good the way the camera kept Tylar in the frame in the end. The wind blew towards her hair at a good timing as well. The camerawork should have settled (don’t move in the end).

3. Shutters & Fence, Remy’s back
This is an artistic framing even without any characters. I was wondering where anyone would enter in this frame. OK. We see Remy’s back. The beginning of the shot is so artistic that I was expecting something more unusual. Was James supposed to be in this shot on the left side?

4. Walking shot: James walking towards camera
It is a visually interesting location, and is well shot. It is a courageous long take. It is good that the lens stayed wide to reduce shakiness. As I wish all of us to improve always, I would do this kind of shot again and again until this handheld camerawork can be even steadier than this. I see a tripod in this shot in the background. Unless it belongs to another group, you should have been careful not to include it in this beautiful shot.

5. Walking shot: Camera follows Melissa from behind
OK. It is also a nice walking shot. In my opinion, you should not have had her walking in the shade constantly, especially before she reaches at the entrance of the bridge. It is such a photogenic location, but in this shot, viewers would have to look at her in the shade, and thus our eyes are adjusted to the shady areas, not the entire frame. Think about the entire composition next time. Everything in a frame counts.

6. Two shot (side view), Itohan & Remy
It is also a good location. It is too bad that due to the time of the day, the background is washed out (highly over exposed), but it is not your fault. On a film set, we would have some HDMI lights (the color temperature is adjusted to the daylight) for the actors.

7. Remy’s OTS, looking at Itohan
For the sake of composition, I would not have had Itohan in the middle of the frame. Now, the right side of the frame is weak. I don’t think it is needed unless the poster on the wall means something in the story.

8. Itohan’s OTS, looking at Remy
Again, Remy doesn’t need to be in the center of the frame unless an important event is about to occur in the hallway on the left side of the frame. In this shot, viewers would become aware of the height difference. As there is a lot of headroom above Remy, he looks like a tiny man, but he is not. You could have done at least one of these two things: Frame less of Itohan’s head (almost only the bottom half can be shown), so that there would be no such a big headroom above Remy. Or, have Itohan bend her knees a little to have the two characters’ height difference smaller. If you had a taller tripod, you could have raised it instead of Itohan bending her knees. Unless any height difference is a part of a story (I don’t think it is), you could do these things.

8. Pan right to left, Remy walking by
Take One: OK. It is a decent shot, but the beginning of the frame is not very aesthetic. Even when your main purpose is to pan the camera, it is still important to think of a good composition. Remy also may come too close to the camera. For this kind of distance between the character and the camera, it would be good to have him walking a little slower. Think of a good rhythm for a film. Think of the time that is needed for viewers to follow the story and camerawork.

Take two: It is better, but I still would pay attention to the framing at the beginning. As the camera pans and Remy walks, he is partially chopped off, be careful not do it. It would have been interesting to reveal some unexpected events/characters around the corner of this hallway.

9. MS James & Remy walking by
This is a good experiment. Again, this is a situation that actors need to walk rather slowly to stay together and the camera to keep capturing them together within the same frame even when they are very close to the camera. That is an art of camerawork.

10. Melissa & Remy two shot, side view
I believe you were beginning to do something here at the end of class. A contra zoom? You need to have a good reference in the background when you continue with this project in the next session.

Best!

Ryoya