Major Project: Jan Cunliffe Interview

Our interview qith Jan wen't a lot better than expected. Because her son is still in prison on probation reaching the end of his sentence, it could have been difficult getting all the informaiton in an interview from her. Luckly, when we arrived Jan was more than obliging and happy to answer all our quesitons. It was especially interesting listening to her talk about a suicide pact she had with her son.



Wide Shot on Blackmagic Production Cinema.
Lens: 35mm

ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/60
Kelvin: 2000
Frame Rate: 25 FPS


Close Up Shot on URSA Mini
Lens: 50mm

ISO: 200
Shutter Speed:1/60
Kelvin: 6000
Frame Rate: 25 FPS





The shoot setup time took around 50minutes which was longer than usual. However, it was mainly due to the location we were shooting in. Unfortunately, the recce took longer than expected in finding the right room. We needed nice depth to create the look we have been aiming for. Jan had previously informed us on the phone she had a piano which could make a good background, something we were unsure of but this brought a really nice color and feel to our shots.




What Went Well
I was really pleased with how we really made the best of the location. The room was really jam packed with misalanious objects and stuff irrelivent to what we were taslking about so moving items and furnature was essential. Luckly Jan was very willing to help and gave us free reign. We put everything back in its original place after.
The close up was really good and clear and a shot I am really proud of as it really captures Jans emotion. when discussing a subject that is very close to her heart.
We planned our time well and shot early. Because of this we finished early afternoon and were able to shoot a reconstruction in the afternoon.

What did I learn?
To concentrate more attention on the wide shot. Because I was so focused on the close up the wide suffered and as a result it doesn't flow with the rest of the documentary.
I also learned the importance of a location recee. Whilst this wasnt possible on our budget, we gave a quick one on arrival. However, more time to plan would have meant we could better plan any additional props.

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