Oxford Location - Record Shop

Another location we decided to film in was a local independent record store, we thought that as well as filming in the location we could ask about the local area and any social problems affecting Oxford at the current time which would provide us with some insight into any issues concerning the local area. We managed to get some decent footage from the record store and as the organised shelves and angular objects like cd and record casings made for some good compositional potential in our footage, it was also appropriate as it had many aspects of youth culture which is often shown in New Wave films so that was an added advantage since most of the customers were either young adults or students.

This is a montage of some of the footage we gained from the record shop.


Record shop footage from Lewis Mercer on Vimeo.

For this location our camera settings were set at an ISO of 800 with an Aperture that changed from f/22 whilst filming around the shop to an aperture of  f/2.4 whilst conducting the interview with one of the employees. The white balance needed to be changed to 5000 instead of 8000 like in the sweet shop since there was a lot of natural light in this location.

Release form signed by staff of "Truck Store" Record shop

Again we were required to obtain the manager of the stores signature in order for us to be allowed to film anything on the premises, so we explained our task to the employees and they were very friendly and cooperative so the process of obtaining permission went rather smoothly. One of the employees was even willing to give an interview where we could ask them questions about the shop and if there were any issues they were concerned about in the local area such as the music scene in Oxford. They were very willing and we were able to obtain an interview with them which turned into a documentary styled piece of footage.

OH&S:Occupational Health and Safety
As with any location there were a few health and safety concerns we needed to deal with before we began any filming in this location, as it is someone else's property extra care must be taken when moving around and operating any equipment.

• Ensure that all equipment is stored away safely while not in use to avoid creating an obstacle for any customers
• Ensure that whilst walking around the shop extra care is taken to avoid falling and injury/damaging any of the displays or products/ crating an obstacle for staff or customers
• Make sure not to film any customers or staff without their permission
• Don't use or carry equipment in an improper manner to avoid risk of damaging it.
• Don't damage any products or furniture in the shop
• Ensure that all equipment is kept safe and secure whilst using/carrying it to avoid theft and damage.

Following these simple measures it was easier to operate the camera equipment in this location in a safe manner that wouldn't disturb customers or staff and we were able to manoeuvre around the location without much trouble as we kept all of the equipment while not in use with one member of the crew who was in an isolated area of the shop well out of the way of other customers, and we ensured that we took care whilst moving between the shelves in the shop to a void any unintended damage to the items stored not them.