Day 1 — Scenes 1, 2 & 3
Introduction
Day one of filming was finally here, and honestly, it felt like a long time coming. We've spent weeks getting the script where it needs to be, sorting the costumes, locking down our locations, and going over the shot breakdown until it felt second nature — so actually showing up with a camera and doing it was a relief. Day one covered the first three scenes of Brutal Sentencing, all of which are set indoors at night: Derek at his desk, the kitchen phone call, and the moment the call ends before he heads outside. On paper, these scenes feel quieter than what comes later, but they carry a lot of the film's atmosphere, so getting them right mattered.
Shot Outcomes
The interior scenes gave us a lot to work with, and for the most part, the shots landed where we wanted them. The opening close-up of Derek writing in his notebook read exactly as planned. The over-the-shoulder cut as he rips the notebook paper worked well, too, and we made sure the body bag on the floor was visible without drawing too much attention before its moment. In the kitchen, the fridge POV angle was one we were cautious about pulling off, but it ended up being one of the stronger shots of the day. We did a few takes before the framing felt right.
Mise-en-Scène
A lot of what makes the first three scenes work is what's in the frame rather than what's happening in it. The bulletin board in Scene 1 was an important detail — we dressed it with photos and crossed-out names to immediately establish who Derek is without any dialogue doing that work. The desk space felt lived-in and specific, which is what we wanted. Lighting across all three scenes was kept deliberately low and directional, using practical sources where we could to keep things feeling grounded rather than stylised. The dark house in Scene 2 reinforced Derek's isolation, and the contrast between his calm, domestic routine and the figure standing outside the window was something we worked hard to make land visually. The killer's costume, the judge's robe, mask, and mallet, reads immediately as a threat even at a distance, which was a relief to confirm on camera.
Reflection
Day one went better than I expected, though not without its struggles. The indoor lighting setup took longer than planned, which put a small amount of pressure on us toward the end of the session. There were also a couple of takes in Scene 3 where the audio from the phone call wasn't clean enough, so we ran those back. That said, the crew stayed focused, and we got what we came for. Looking at the footage back, the tone of the opening three scenes is genuinely unsettling in the way we hoped the slow build would work.
Behind-the-scenes photos:
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