In this test, we proceeded with filming using a smartphone. In addition to the gravestone, we also tested with a banknote and the “three-way confrontation” scene. These were all demo shoots intended to prepare for inserting edited sound later. Since we don’t have much experience with filming projects, we decided to conduct multiple test shoots to evaluate what works well and what needs improvement.

For the monument, we were able to achieve a much cleaner visual result, which can be seen as one of the advantages of using a smartphone. To ensure stability, we combined a smartphone holder with a camera tripod for the shoot. Overall, the result was satisfactory, but my collaborator mentioned that the script felt a bit awkward and unnatural to deliver. He decided to revise the script slightly to make it flow better.

For the banknote scene, it was our first attempt, so we approached it casually. Since the banknote is much smaller compared to the monument, we tried zooming in during the shoot, and the outcome was funny and enjoyable. However, I wasn’t sure if the fluttering motion of the banknote matched the sound very well. My collaborator and I had slightly different opinions on this point: I thought it would be better if the fluttering movements were more closely aligned with the sound, while he believed it was fine as it was. His reasoning was that no audience would actually think the banknote is speaking, and if we tried too hard to synchronize the movement with the sound, the gestures might become exaggerated or the sound might feel too sparse. While I agreed with his point, I still wanted to improve the integration of the sound. Therefore, I suggested a new idea: during the next shoot, when moving the banknote, we would imagine it speaking in our minds, and I would vocode the sound accordingly afterward. This way, the synchronization would feel more natural without reducing the amount of sound too much. We decided that I would try creating the sound based on this method and get feedback in the next meeting.

As for the three-way confrontation scene, it resulted in some amusing footage, which we were happy about. However, we thought it would be better to focus more on the speaker using camera zooming techniques. Therefore, for the next shoot, we plan to invite a friend to help move the camera during the scene. Also, when filming the gravestone during the three-way confrontation, I used my laptop as a stand, but it ended up being too low to the ground. So next time, I will look for something to raise the laptop to a better height.