Continuity
A major issue we encountered while filming was the maintenance of continuous action. We spent 4 separate days filming, making sure to keep the costumes, makeup and locations consistent.
For the costume issue, I took a picture of my recurring costume, that i consulted when preparing for the other filming days. I also split up the filming days so that Masha’s intricate makeup and costume would only have to be done once, in order to avoid having to recreate the details and ensure continuity in our film opening.
Stunt Doubles
In order to properly communicate the situation pictured in our film opening, and illustrate an influence of surrealism, we decided it was best to try and include both the version of the character walking through the memory and the version actively experiencing the memory in the same shot. Since I don’t have an identical twin, we chose an over-the-shoulder shot, with a stunt double in a costume and a black wig to complete the illusion. For the church scene, the shot was filmed from behind and the double was placed in the “frame” in a similar manner, as it was the most effective angle.
Forest scene stunt double, our friend Mihnea
I dressed him in the “top half” of the costume, as we had not planned any full body shots. The wig was captured only on the left side, to match the black part of my hair.
Church scene stunt double, Masha
The black wig is slightly shorter than my hair, so adjustments had to be made in order for it to look realistic from the back, though the front ended up looking rather strange.
Weather conditions
With below-freezing temperatures in Dealu Botii, though amazing for the visual aspect of our project we had to try our best to keep warm between shots/locations. This means that the costumes/wig needed to be re-adjusted before almost every take. Unfortunately this extended our filming process, but it was a necessary step to avoid catching any colds.
