Evaluation of Preliminary

What planning did you do for your filming task, and how did this planning aid the filming?

In order to prepare for the preliminary task, I practiced all the different camera shots that we might have used as I had never done this previously; therefore I wanted all the shots to look good in our final edit. Our group also created a storyboard. This would be helpful to us we would have a rough idea of what we would want to happen in each scene and where each scene would be located. It was a brilliant idea for my group and me to understand the actual story of our preliminary task. Additionally, I produced a shot list which indicated which camera angles we were going to use for each scene, the location and which characters were going to be filmed. The locations we chose were outside the arc, the canteen, corridors and the study hall. We chose to start outside the arc as this is where the two characters had originally planned to meet but the other character did not show up. Therefore, we showed the main character trying to search for her friend by running through the canteen to get to somewhere. We used corridors so the audience could see where each character was heading. We used the study hall because the other character was actually revising and this seemed like an appropriate location.The characters in our group made sure that they wore the same outfit each time they filmed to avoid mistakes and confusion towards the audience. We planned the conversation to be an argument, for that reason we wanted it to be quite dramatic. When the conversation occurred, we made sure that we stuck to 180 degree rule and included shot reverse shot when each character spoke.

What is the 180 degree rule, and how is this rule important to the filming task?

The 180 degree rule is a basic rule that should imply that the two characters have the same left and right relationship to each other. Therefore, it was important to film the task by shooting on one side to illustrate continuity and avoid switching sides that the focus was on so the audience were not confused.

This diagram explains how in a dialogue scene between two characters, character one in the orange top, frame left in the diagram and character two in the blue top, frame right, the camera can be placed anywhere on the green 180° arc and the structural relationship between the two characters will be consistent from shot to shot, even when one of the characters is not on screen. Changing to the other side of the characters on a cut, so that character two  is now on the left side and character one is on the right, may disorient the viewers.

     What shot types and camera angles did you use in your filming task, and to what effect?
Our group used a range of different shots and camera angles in order to make our film look more interesting and show the characters emotions. For instance, we used close-ups shots because we wanted our audience to understand how the characters our feeling. The close-up shots that we used indicated that the characters were angry or irritated. Furthermore, we used a few tracking shots so the audience could follow the story, these shots allowed us to let the audience know where each character was heading. When filming the conversation, we used a range of shots to make the story more engaging. For example, we used shot reverse shot - showing one character talking then flipping the camera back to show the other character speak. This was effective as it clearly focused on one character at a time, so the audience know what they should be concentrating on. We also used an over the shoulder shot which enabled the audience to see that the character was facing the other character whilst they were having a conservation, this was effective as it is shown from this characters point of view, putting the audience in their place, so they directly understood the conversation. Also, we used close-ups - when one of the characters was frustrated because their friend refused to give them answers to a test and and we used extreme close-up so the audience could comprehend how each character was feeling. For example, in our preliminary we showed one of the characters was annoyed because she was fed up of always having to give her friend answers, so this time she refused to give in. Once, we had filmed everything we watched all of the clips back and realised that we crossed the imaginary axis in the 180 degree rule, so we accidentally broke the rule, therefore we filmed again where we needed to which solved this issue. We used the 180 degree rule when filming the conversation. This was important as it let the audience know which side the character was on. For instance, I was on the left and Nature was on the right, meaning we had to make sure that the audience always saw the characters in these positions at all times, otherwise it would confuse the audience.

What editing skills have you developed?  How confident are you with using the editing programme?  

To edit our preliminary task, we used a programme called 'premiere pro.' I thought that this programme was fairly easy to use once we were told how to use it. I have never used an editing programme properly previously, therefore I have learned how to make clips shorter and cut parts out that we didn't want to use. Also, I have learned how to use transitions when moving from one clip to another in order for the story to flow instead of just cutting straight from one part of the story to another - the cross dissolve effect allowed us to do this. A skill I would like to improve is how to add music to the background of the film and how to change the colour of the film to black and white. However, once I learn this I believe it will be an easy thing to do. Overall, I am confident with using the editing programme as it it is very simple. Updated - going over the preliminary task again, we managed to add music. This was effective as it built up tension towards what was about to happen. However, we didn't keep the music at the same volume the whole way through. For example, we played the music from the beginning up until the conversation. When the conversation was about to happen we made the music fade to a lower volume as we wanted the audience to hear the conversation and it would be unusual for music to be loud whilst people are trying to listen to a conversation. Additionally, we used slow motion when one of the characters kicked her bike and fell back. We did this to make it seem even more dramatic. Also, we made a clip of a close up of one of the characters face black and white. We considered this to be a good idea because it could symbolise how this character was feeling negative and down in the dark.