Pianist Showreel

Recently I got into contact with a London based Pianist in need of a showreel to give to possible employers. I spent several weeks exchanging messages with her planning what she wanted from the video and setting up the filming dates.

I filmed with her for the first time on 24th October at the West Lodge Park Hotel in Cockfosters with a small crew. We were working with a short time frame as we were filming in the hotel restaurant. We had a three camera set up so we could get the most shots out of the time we had, I was using an on camera Rode mic to record the sound so I recorded shots of the pianist hands playing as this allowed me to get as close to the piano/speakers as possible to pick up the best sound. The other two cameras were used to get wider shots. Half way through the shoot we decided to move our cameras to capture more shots.

The main issue we had was sound as the restaurant was still being used whilst we were filming, we had difficulty keeping other sound to a minimum as even once the few diners had left we still had restaurant staff tidying and walking around. I'm unsure on how usable the sound is going to be due to the background noise and I don't feel like there is a lot I will be able to do in post-production.

The positive is that we are also going to be filming in a sound studio booked by the pianist so we will have perfect sound conditions there and I will hopefully be able to use the shots from the restaurant cut with the audio and shots from the studio shoot.

The experience shooting was great and we defiantly learnt more on working within a team to capture as many shots as possible in a small time frame, and in a small location. When it comes to sound unfortunately due to the location we were shooting in there wasn't much we could do about it as it would have meant the restaurant closing which wasn't possible. The filming in the studio should allow us to record some really good sound and get a much wider range of shots due to having much more time to film.

I think this project is really going allow me to expand my skills as a filmmaker and work on the quality of my shots, sound recording and editing skills. I'm really looking forward to see how this project progresses and to see the final outcome over the next few weeks.