Preliminary Evaluation (BLK)

We were given the task to film and edit a short film focusing on continuity which must include a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.

Who did you with and how did you manage the task between you?
I worked in a group with Sam Durdy, Chris Pangalos, Sriyadash Suresh. We all planned the task together by brainstorming ideas, storyboarding, writing a shot list, creating a script, working out locations and which props we need. We decided that Chris and Sriyadash would do the acting, whilst Sam and me would film. Then after the filming we created two different edits from the footage we had collected. The final edit of Sam's and my version of the film 'Wrodland Mars' is attached at the bottom.

How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?
Initially we just discussed ideas before greeting them down on paper. The idea of 'Wrodland Mars' must have originated from a joke between these guys a while ago so that together with an agreed thriller genre was our starting point.



Script and Shoot schedule

When planning the locations we took into account the 180 degree rule during the conversation and we also wanted to use a variety of different shot types. We also looked to use low angle on Wrodland Mars at the beginning to symbolise the power of the character. We also planned locations behind both characters seating positions in anticipation for the shot reverse shot. We originally just planned the one match on action during the opening of the door, but we decided to add a few more in where the objects were passed over the table and well guess we used a match on action in every group of shots containing continued movement.

What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?
To edit the task we worked on a programme called Premier Pro - which was a new programme to me, but it seemed better than iMovie which was the only editing programme I've used before. I guess this was because you could use a greater degree of accuracy and also it was a lot about editing the audio as apposed to just the film. To physically film the task we used the schools cameras, which I don't know the name of, but seemed to have very good quality - these were attached with microphones which seemed equally as good.

What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

We had to consider many factors when planning, shooting and editing such as:

• Ligthing - we originally planned to shoot this in a room with curtains, which could be used to control lighting and also possibly to cast a shadow on a characters face to give the impression they're hiding something, however on the day the room was being used, so all these considerations weren't evident.
• Editing - when shooting, we kept the editing in mind and shot the scene m,any different times from many different angles so we were faced with lots of choice when it came to the editing suite.
• Timing - we had to share the first location in the scene and therefore had to agree on times with other groups. Also we quite successfully organised out time leaving enough time for each shot without any being rushed.

How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what you would improve/do differently?
I felt our sequence was pretty successful as we included all the necessary features, it made sense and I think we achieved our intended genre. I think the acting was really convincing and our match on action shots were pretty accurate - which worked well, however I think our cutting rate was maybe a bit too fast. Also at the beggining of the scene the cut from the master shot to a medium shot on a characters face was a bit intense and not so easy on the eye. I'm pretty proud of our timing too though since usually I'm quite 'last minute' but we seemed to have achieved this in time. If I did this again I would check that the chosen location would be free when we need to film since we had to improvise a bit this time. I would also maybe spend some more time on getting some more interesting angles and framing as I felt the majority of our shots were pretty standard and didn't really have anything new/unique to them. Finally, I would spend more time making the location look more realistic with lighting and by clearing the space more.

What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?
The task has introduced me to some of the basics of Premier Pro (the editing programme.) It has also increased my familiarity of the way work is done in Media at Latymer and in that sense I found this task very useful for the future as I will have a greater understanding when it comes down to the real things.