(MP3002) That's a wrap!

So the big day arrived! It was with mixed feelings that I began the final day's shoot for my project. Part of me was relieved as I've been filming since November and fun as its been i felt glad to be nearing the finish line. Another part of me will miss it too, meeting interesting people, learning about different faiths and customs, seeing the countryside of somerset and although i don't like to admit it, i'll miss Brian - he's a good bloke. I think that its only natural when nearing the end of a project to reflect on how the experience has been. I have overcome technical frustrations, snow, gale-force winds, crew off sick and developed a good relationship with Brian and his friends which helped me gain their confidence with filming their lives.
I faced some difficult challenges with the the last day of the shoot. Firstly there were people at the ceremony whom i'd never met. I sensed their lack of trust and when I asked for their consent to film two of the women who seemed quite subversive began bargaining with me which left feeling quite uncomfortable an in a sense on my own, surrounded by strangers who didn't trust me. It was partly my fault though as i'd forgotten the consent forms which would have solved all the bargaining from the contributers as they are set contracts. Other than that though filming went well and for the first time we used a two camera set up so we could record some wide shots and get some footage which we appeared in too. I was also very happy with the sound too and having an extra camera meant we were able to capture more audio. We used a boom mike, a camera mounted shotgun mike and the clip mike attached to Brian's hat ( i learnt my lesson from last time!). Horror of horrors though, looking back at the footage from camera 1 it seems as though the lens has some dirt or something on it. I presumed Paul had cleaned the camera or would be aware if there was dirt on the lens, which he obviously wasn't and if I'm honest, this is my film and the buck has to stop with me. Its my responsibility to ensure all the kit is clean and working correctly before the shoot. That being said the footage is still usable and in fact the smudges on the lens aren't really visible in close up shots. I will be posting a do's and don't list very soon drawn up from my experiences over the last few months but as frustrating as it can be there is no substitute for learning from your own mistakes!