The Importance of Test Footage

This weekend, a gaffer, sound recordist, assistant director, and myself (director of photography) went out to location to gather test footage for an upcoming horror short that we are working on together. We showed up on location with nothing more than camera, a couple of lenses, tripod, TASCAM audio recorder, and microphone.

The purpose of our visit was simple: take the shot list that I drafted up and determine camera, lighting, and boom placement for each shot, as well as the acoustics of the space we were shooting in. This visit was critical for drafting up our storyboards and lighting plots, and budgeting our set design.

This was visit one of three planned visits to this location. This time, we went with no lighting or electrics, talent, director, or writer, as most of them were to be at our casting call that was occurring simultaneously. The next few visits will be with the rest of our crew, complete with lighting and props. In the mean time, enjoy a few stills.