Risk Assessments/Post Production 2

 As of yesterday, March 12, 2026, we have officially finished filming, or so we think. We got most of the scenes we wanted done, but soon once I go to edit the footage I have to make sure all the shots have good lighting and there aren't any missing pieces. We considered using the drone for an establishing shot of the woods, although we never went through with it. After reviewing the footage we will decide if we need one more quick reshoot.

For today, I will look at the risk assessments we went through while filming our movie The Bird Watcher. Surprisingly there were more than I realized, which is what allows me to make an entire blog post about it.

First, one of the new risks that was actually created was during filming the climax to our movie. To get a better high angle shot when Eric is running away from fear at the end, we decided we would get a step ladder for my partner Lucca to step on while he recorded a shot. This made the camera much more steady since he didn't have to just hold his hands high in the air and record for a high angle shot. The risk that came with the step ladder is the possibility that it tips over while he's filming. This could lead to serious injury, making us need to take serious precautions as he is filming. Below is a behind the scenes picture of Lucca in full costume getting ready to record the shot.

Another risk presented in the background of the photo is the woods/nature preserve. Considering we spent 90 percent of our filming in the woods, there are a lot of risks that come with walking around here. For example, there are many dangerous creatures that roam around these woods like snakes, tics, and even raccoons. The potential of getting a disease or bitten by one of these creatures is not high, however the chances are never 0. Your entire life is at risk, especially if bit by an extremely venomous snake or attacked by a big animal. A scene that we did which involves Ray Capulto, Lucca, requires him to be sitting in the dirt with his back to a tree for about 5 to 10 minutes. This meant the entire time we are filming that scene he could have a creature bite him easily or something like a tic get on his clothes. Considering for the scene to make him really make look like a missing person we also tied him up and put him in duct tape, causing him to be unable to fight back. An image of this can be seen below.

A last risk assessment that is rather less serious is the scissors we used. We ended up using scissors to cut the duct tape to put on Lucca's mouth and around his hands. Although, while doing this one of us could easily be cut, leading to possible serious injury. This actually almost happened in the scene from the photo above. While cutting the duct tape I tried to multitask and do something else while cutting the tape. This lead to me accidentally dropping the scissors and at the time I was standing near his bare feet. The sharp end of the scissor ended up falling and almost landed right on his foot. The incident could've easily lead to Lucca having a serious injury. All in all, I learned to take my time between the scenes and not rush anything. This will not only enhance the quality of the movie, but also ensure the safety of everyone there.

After considering all the risk factors that come with filming this 2 minute opening scene of a movie, I have come to the realization of if there are these many risk factors that come with just filming a 2 minute opening scene: how much risk factors come with filming an entire 1, 2, even 3 hour movie? This only raises my respect for the actors in movies, as well as the cameramen and directors.