Fundamentals and Hands-On Practice

At the start of the short project, we focused on the fundamentals of camera work and filmmaking. We analyzed selected scenes from films as well as still photographs to better understand composition and visual storytelling. Watching behind-the-scenes material also helped us gain insight into the practical aspects of working with a camera on set — from framing to movement to on-set collaboration. On a technical level, we familiarized ourselves with core settings like ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.

To get hands-on experience right away, we split into small groups and began testing the available cameras. We worked with the RED Dragon and took it around campus, experimenting with different settings and observing how varying lighting conditions — from natural daylight to artificial warm light — influenced the image.

We also received a brief introduction to the equipment provided by the university, including lenses, tripods, ND and mist filters, LED lights, softboxes, and monitors. This gave us a solid technical foundation for the rest of the project.

From there, we moved on to developing our own ideas and concepts, and began producing short films — either individually or in small teams.

Creative Approach

Rather than telling a traditional story with a clear beginning and end, we chose to create a specific mood — using atmosphere and visual tone as our main storytelling tools.

We aimed to shoot partly in natural environments, experimenting with sunlight and shadows, and included a food element as a subtle narrative action within the scene.

Preparation: Tests, Scouting, and Planning

Location Scouting with Smartphones

To find the right settings for our film, we went location scouting and visited various parks and open meadows. We explored our local surroundings but also drove to more remote places. During this process, we looked for interesting angles and compositions — capturing potential scenes with our smartphones to document ideas and gather inspiration.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate during most of our test shoots. That made it difficult to visualize whether our planned shots would actually work under the intended lighting conditions.

Camera Tests

Once we had locked in our locations, we borrowed the RED Dragon camera and began testing. We filmed outdoors to see how the lighting interacted with the scenery, and also tested at home to experiment with framing and camera angles that would best support our story.

We ultimately narrowed our concept down to two key scenarios and chose a working title — “Before Sunset” — to help define the tone and visual direction of the film.

On Set: Behind the Scenes and Challenges

Equipment

For this project, we worked with the RED Dragon camera. Throughout testing and final shooting, we used a variety of lenses — the Pictor Zoom lenses with focal lengths ranging from 20mm to 55mm, as well as several Milvus prime lenses at 21mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm. In addition to the camera, we used a tripod and a set of ND filters with different strengths.

Shooting with the RED Dragon was fun and rewarding, but also physically demanding — especially outdoors — as the camera setup combined with all the gear was quite bulky and heavy.

Filming outside came with its own set of challenges, most notably the brightness of the environment. At times, it was nearly impossible to see anything on the camera monitor, so we improvised by using jackets and blankets to create shade, allowing us to adjust focus and exposure more accurately.

Because of the intense sunlight, using ND filters was essential to avoid overexposure. While they were extremely helpful, they also complicated our workflow — every time we switched lenses, we had to dismantle and reassemble the filter setup, which slowed us down.

Working with props, like melting ice, added another layer of complexity. Timing and preparation had to be spot-on, and we had to move quickly to get the shot before everything melted. By the end, we were both covered in ice cream — but we got the footage we wanted, and that made it all worth it.

More struggles : the process itself

Ironically, one of our biggest challenges was our own approach. At the start of the project, we were fine with not having a detailed storyboard or a fixed structure — especially since it was a short-term assignment. But as production went on, we realized that our footage wasn’t fitting together as well as we’d hoped.

Our concept kept evolving, which made it hard to stay on track. Often, we weren’t entirely sure where the project was heading, and in hindsight, we lacked a strong narrative anchor to guide us.

Because of this, we ended up with a lot of material that didn’t make it into the final cut — simply because it no longer aligned with the overall direction. Since we filmed over several days, we also had to reshoot certain scenes to maintain consistency.

Post-Production Process - From Rough Cut to Final Look

In the final phase of the project, we focused on three main areas: sound, editing, and color grading — all done using DaVinci Resolve.

Sound

Sound design was one of our biggest challenges. Initially, we planned to use a voice-over and tested several AI tools to generate it. While the results were partially promising, we had a very specific idea in mind for the tone and texture of the voice — which proved difficult to achieve in the limited time we had. We experimented with platforms like:

• artlist.io

• elevenlabs.io

Eventually, we decided to drop the voice-over and instead use a music track. Finding the right song became the next hurdle — the search took time, but we ultimately found a fitting track. We tried cutting the song to shorten its length, but quickly realized that the sequences no longer matched properly. Despite our efforts to blend the cuts smoothly, the transitions didn’t feel right. In the end, we decided to use the full version of the track without any edits, as it worked better with the visual flow.

Looking ahead, we're excited to explore new AI tools that might offer more flexible and creative solutions for audio editing in future projects.

We also added a few sound effects to enhance certain scenes — all of which we sourced from artlist.io. The experience taught us the importance of planning sound and music choices much earlier in the process.

The cut

This delay with the sound design impacted our editing workflow, as the visuals and audio often didn’t align as we had hoped. We spent a few days adjusting and rearranging the clips to make sure they flowed well together.. We also realized how crucial a powerful computer is for a smooth workflow — editing becomes a nightmare when the system keeps freezing.

Color grading

Color grading, however, went well. We adjusted temperature, contrast, highlights, and shadows until the clips matched our vision and formed a coherent visual aesthetic.

Final Result

Final Thoughts

This short project taught us a lot across different disciplines — from assembling a camera and understanding equipment, to visual framing, lighting, audio, editing, post-production, and working with professional software. It was an intense two weeks, and even though the final stretch was tough, we’re happy with the result — and even more importantly, with the process itself.

We’d like to thank Prof. Hartmann for his guidance and the practical, inspiring teaching, and Henry Mertens for the support and smooth equipment rental process.