3rd Outing: Tracking Shots

On the 3rd time we went out filming we realised we needed tracking shots that could capture some of the conventions of new wave, so we decided to choose a location that could capture the essence of a social issue affecting the local area such as unemployment. We decided to capture some static tracking shots initially just to determine if the way we were shooting the footage and the location would work out the way we hoped. The footage is new wave in the fact it is filmed in a location that reflects a social issue and we were using only one camera, as we have no budget similar to French New Wave films that are filmed with little or no budget at all.



static tracking shots from Lewis Mercer on Vimeo.

The footage is comprised of shots from two different viewpoints and angles, and I edited it together to give it the appearance of a quick cut, a technique often used in New Wave films, the footage is also shot in high contrast monochrome, another convention of French New Wave, also because the footage was shot in a local area with real peoples reactions to the camera being captured. the footage shows a subject walking through an area that has many rundown shops that have gone out of business to highlight the possible social issue of unemployment in the area.

OH&S: Occupational Health and Safety

During this outing we would be out in public filming shots for our New Wave project and there would be a various amount of safety concerns that we would need to address before we commenced filming as we would be carrying expensive filming equipment and would be in a high traffic area with a large amount of people in the vicinity so we would need to be aware of the various hazard that could occur during the shoot.

• High volume of traffic that could prove dangerous 
• Be aware of the locations reputation e.g. is it known to have high crime rates
• Risk of injury due to falling/dropping equipment/being knocked by passers by/ being hit by traffic/misconduct
• Risk of being hit by traffic as it was a busy area built up area
• Risk of being mugged/robbed
• Risk of dropping/damaging equipment
• Risk of injuring other people through dropping equipment/misconduct

These risks could most likely be avoided and dealt with by taking simple precautions to prevent any of these dangers from becoming a problem such as:

• Always travelling in groups to avoid being mugged/robbed in public
• Share the equipment equally so no one person is over encumbered and risks dropping the equipment and damaging it
• Take caution whilst travelling directly next to the road to avoid falling and being hit by oncoming  traffic
• Ensure that the camera and equipment is never left unattended
• Ensure that whilst filming no passers by accidentally knock over or damage any equipment
• Ensure that whilst filming you are in a relatively open area and easily visible to avoid getting in the way of other people trying to get past
• If and wherever possible film from a location that is out of the way and will cause the least disruption to other people around you
• Ensure that all equipment is secured in a safe manner before commencing filming and packed away whilst travelling to a new posit or location

These precautions will help make sure that no injury or damage is caused to either crew members,equipment or members of the public whilst out filming in the chosen location.