From the 15th January up until the 7th February, I tracked the sun by taking photos of it from the same position and around the same time every day for the stated period. This was so that I could keep a track on where the sun would be and how much longer we have with the light for our filming dates. This will come in handy when we begin are shooting for the hallucination scene, as knowing when the sun is at its highest and how long it remains in the sky for will be pivotal for the filming day.
ISO - 100
Shutter Speed - 1/4000
White Balance - 3200K
ND Filter
ISO - 80
Shutter Speed - 1/3200
White Balance - 3200K
ND Filter
ISO - 60
Shutter Speed - 1/3200
White Balance - 5000K
f/3.2
ISO - 60
Shutter Speed - 1/2800
White Balance - 3200K
I took these pictures on my Sony A7S, trying to capture the photo's from the same position to really emphasise my point. It was difficult to place markers on my window ledge in where I had started taking the initial photos, so I gave up halfway through that method and just started to take photos at the same time to really put my point across.
I think you can gradually tell about halfway through these images that there is a slight change, (which is to be expected) in that the sun is at a higher position than the images towards the beginning. I was also aware of the increase in light is each day, from the start date to my end date of capturing images. Each day the sunset would last an extra 2 minutes. Meaning that once we'd actually start filming, we'd have an extra hour of light from when I first started monitoring the sun. This did leave me feeling quite happy, not that it's just a sign of summer approaching but also that we'd have more time out on the field and on our main location without the darkness interfering with our project.
ISO - 60
Shutter Speed - 1/3200
White Balance - 3200K
ISO - 60
Shutter Speed - 1/2800
White Balance - 3200K
ISO - 400
Shutter Speed - 1/2400
White Balance - 3300K
ISO - 400
Shutter Speed - 1/1600
White Balance - 3200K
ISO - 20
Shutter Speed - 1/3600
White Balance - 3200K
ISO - 80
Shutter Speed - 1/1200
White Balance - 3200K
ISO - 60
Shutter Speed - 1/1600
White Balance - 3200K
f/OPEN
ISO - 20
Shutter Speed - 1/3600
White Balance - 3200K
WHY
I felt pretty adamant about tracking the movement of the sun as it'd be extremely useful for the field location we'd be using for our hallucination scene and generally speaking due to light leaking into one of our other main locations. The tracking of the sun is a fundamental part of film making and as a DOP you need to be aware of it's movements and the light it gives off each day. As each day can be different and the power of the sun varying significantly, it can be extremely difficult to try and replicate a scene that was shot on one day, to a shot that was recording on another. So taking this into account from several test shoots we did, I knew this would be quite an issue with continuity if we weren't able to finish a scene in our outside location. It made me realise that if we were to shoot outside, it would have to be in the morning, as it would give us the best light and we'd have the longest amount of time with the sun to reach it's highest peak around 1/1:30pm.
As well as this, I knew that for the field scene we'd be using predominately natural light so we needed to choose a day that would be pretty sunny, not just for the light but it would also fit our aesthetic. So keeping track on the sun for this purpose was also another valid reason to follow through with it as it allowed us to be ahead of the game. As the shoot week is in roughly less than two weeks, i'm able to see on BBC weather the forecast for those weeks, and it's looking quite sunny throughout, cold obviously as it's in February but relatively clear and sunny which is ideal. Ultimately I thought it would be a good idea to follow this as research had lead me to believe that a DOP should be considering all of this information before she/he is about to film on location. After researching this and tracking the sun, i've found fantastic phone apps like Sun Seeker and Dark Sky that can actually monitor the sun for you every minute of the day. These apps can also assist you in what angle you should be using and what way your camera should be facing to get the best out of the natural light that the sun is providing. You're able to learn quickly what the path of the sun will be so this is extremely advantageous when shooting on location.
'Keeping track of the sun is a very important factor in outdoor filmmaking, but you’ll also need to be conscious of what might get in between you and the sun at any moment — i.e.: clouds. While there’s not much you can do about the weather, you can note down any trees or buildings that might cast shadows at any given time (ideally when you do your first location scout).'
Ultimately I thought it would be a good idea to follow this as research had lead me to believe that a DOP should be considering all of this information before she/he is about to film on location.
References -
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