Filming Frenzies - A Couple Roadblocks

Welcome. Today was an unhoped-for day. I woke up today with the intent to get some b-roll of the governmental buildings. It all started by heading over to a City of Fort Lauderdale building to get that official aura. Of course before this the actor got in the same outfit and makeup as the interview to seem like it was the same day. 

Then we headed over. I rode in the passenger seat so I was able to get clips of her driving as if she was “on a mission to solve the case”. These clips were relatively easy to film besides a few safety precautions. I had to make sure no identifiable landmarks or car plates in the videos because I did not want any ethical concerns. These clips were at a normal speed so it was important to emphasize this. Luckily on the drive over I had a couple opportunities to get the shots I needed. As well as driving into the building's parking lot. The main struggle here was keeping my hands steady. It was hard to not bobble with the car as we drove over bumps and such but I managed to keep it somewhat still. It’s okay that there was a little movement though because these clips do follow a blend with the cinéma vérité style of documentaries. 

After this we entered the establishment and got a couple clips. In the film we are hoping this translates to a detective's office but it is in fact not which is why we had to make sure any obvious notations of the building weren't displayed. First shot we got was of the ticket machine dispensing a ticket. Then we moved to the side room that looked like an office space. I took a pan of the room and a tilt of the file boxes filled with papers that will be depicted as files. Following that, I took a wide medium shot of the detective gathering and sorting papers and then another version of the same shot but over-the-shoulder as well. This way in editing I can do a shot-reverse-shot. 

A sneak peak!

At this point no issues had arisen. But that all changed when we went to the communal waiting area. Originally I was planning on getting some static establishing shots but that didn't go as I wanted. Firstly, the establishment was decorated for Valentine’s Day which hinders the mood I was trying to create. Bright pinks and reds don’t translate well into being an ominous documentary. Nonetheless I still tried to film the area to the best of my ability without getting any of the decor and of course people in it. I was hoping this shot would look barren. Just as I was in the middle of filming, security came up to me and asked about filming. I informed them about the project and they said I couldn’t film there since people would be in without being consented. Though they had no issue with clips that were taken within their facility. Of course, I had not taken any shots with any individuals in it but I still didn't want to challenge authority. So, that left me with having to dissolve the communal area clips. I’m disappointed that I can’t use that space to film but I’m okay with this since there are plenty of other places to film and the clips were already becoming difficult to capture due to the valentines decor. 

This was a learning experience for me. Next time I’m filming inside of a public establishment I’ll be sure to get proper permissions before filming. It was an unexpected turn of events but there are some viable clips and that’s what matters. I’m going to stay positive since my embark into documentary opening making has only just started!