As a group, we all contributed in discussing each aspect of the actual filming of the preliminary task, offering ideas and possibilities in able to gather together enough concepts to have quite a few different options if needed. We talked about the locations, types of shots and where each shot would be best used, suitable topics for conversations and who would be best doing what. After the rough planning we each created a storyboard, this allowed us to be familiar with what was going to take place and also to be able to visualize each little bit of the filming. I drew up my storyboards based on the discussions we had as a group, for example using an over the shoulder tracking shot at the beginning to establish what was going on and also to let the audience see a bit of the location.
This planning proved to be very useful because it consisted of a bit of everyone's views/opinions and ideas therefore each decision was met with fair constructive criticism or an agreement. Using the rough plan to begin with allowed me to quickly think of different themes for the conversation that would be appropriate for the time given (2 minutes) and also what kind of shots could be included in which locations. The brainstorming was useful for gathering ideas but as a group we had to make decisions, so we came up with a shot list that consisted of which shots would be used in which locations, this was useful because everyone then knew which shots we would be filming. Having the shot list also backed up the storyboards as it helped to cement the directions shown. An example of this would be that we had planned to use over the shoulder shots in the conversation, whilst using shot reverse shot to give the audience a sense that they are part of the interaction.
A screenshot from the final cut, showing the shot reverse shot that was initially planned on storyboards.
We changed from the plans slightly, this is because not everything can go perfectly to plan and there has to be some room for change. We had originally planned to have the conversation between myself and Anna where I would be a teacher and Anna a student, Anna would come to me and tell me she wanted to drop media. We had planned to do this in a pod in the study hall. This would not have worked for two reasons; It would not be believable for me to pose as a teacher as I am not old enough or convincing enough and if we were to have the conversation in a pod there would be too much background noise, also it would contradict the filming of the walking to get there. This meant we had to change the location of where the conversation would take place and what the conversation was about. We decided to stick with the idea of dropping media but I would simply play a friend of Anna's, informing her that she had missed the deadline, the location was changed to an editing room in media, this made it a more realistic setting whilst at the same time quieter therefore the conversation could be heard more clearly. We also added in an extra shot in which Anna is seen walking over the camera on the floor and then cut to show her walking away, this was added to ensure shot variety.2. What camera skills have you developed? How confident are you with cameras, and has this confidence changed during the project?
To start with I just had a play around, filming from different angles to see what looked good, what was harder to shoot etc. This helped me to gain a small bit of confidence as I learned how the camera worked, which buttons did what and the capabilities that could be achieved, therefore I had a basic understanding/knowledge of the camera and shots which I could begin to build on throughout the project. I have had previous experiences with cameras and have dabbled into film with my own camera (Canon 550D), I also take photography so this gives me a good understanding of cameras in general and shot types. I think this previous experience helped me to feel more comfortable when using the camera and a good idea of what might look good, in a sense this gave me confidence because I could sort of guess which shot types would be really effective in which locations. Even with this prior knowledge/confidence I definitely think it grew as the project went on as I was using the camera more, practicing different shots and executing them effectively meant that I knew what could be used again in similar situations to achieve different emotions conveyed through the shot type.
As I was taking part in the conversation I couldn't film any of the scene, but I did help in deciding which shots to use. In contrary to this, I filmed most of the walking scenes, where Anna started from the squash courts and made her way the media editing suite. I feel that I did this part of the task well, I used a wide range of shots (over the shoulder tracking shot, long panning shot, close ups, medium close ups, tilt shot, birds eye view and low angle shot) to show Anna's journey. I thought the over the shoulder tracking shot at the beginning was particularly effective as it made the audience feel as though they were there, following Anna from behind. Another shot I felt was particularly convincing was the close up of the door handle being opened as it conveyed the action well and focused the audience's attention on what was happening. Both of these shots worked well with match on action as they linked fluidly with the next shots, making it seem as though there was no break in the filming.
The over the shoulder tracking shot in the beginning of the final cut. This shot, as I mentioned earlier, was particularly effective because it gives a feeling as though the audience are closely following the character as she makes her journey towards the destination.
This is the close up shot of the door handle from the final cut, it creates an anticipation of what is about to happen when the character enters the room, especially as the audience cannot actually see what is in the room.
3. What editing skills have you developed? How confident are you with using the editing program?
I have had no previous experience with editing video; I have used Adobe Photoshop which is a similar layout to the Adobe Premiere software that was used so it wasn't a completely foreign program to use to begin with. To start with the software looked pretty complicated with a lot of different buttons and features but it didn't take long to figure out what did what with a little assistance from a teacher. After this it became quite clear how to do different things with the raw video and software and my confidence grew with time.
I started to develop some techniques such as creating in and out points on video clips so to cut out unneeded footage or mistakes, this was very important as it made the continuity of the overall film a lot more credible and removed any blemishes that would effect the mood of the film. Learning this skill also meant that the match on action throughout the film was greatly improved; therefore it felt that the film was continuous and flowed well without any harsh cuts between action. Using the timeline was a big help as it allowed me to see how the footage was laid out visually and it helped to view bits that may have needed smoothing over or cutting out, this was achieved because the timeline allowed me to have a reasonable amount of accuracy when skipping over and viewing the clips. Along with cutting footage, we also learned how to use some transitions, such as fade to black and cross fade, in order to smooth over some of the cuts in between some of clips. Even though I had never used this software before, I am now confident enough to complete the basics and I feel confident that I would be able to do the editing by myself.
Other Comments
I feel that as a group we worked efficiently in pretty much every aspect of the task, coming up with solutions quickly and effectively ensured that we were always working on something. Although we didn't all previously know each other we all worked well together, contributing different skills to the task in hand. We quickly organised which responsibilities would belong to who but throughout the project we all helped a bit with each others roles within the group in order to make sure the responsibility was being handled properly and productively. We had to be careful when using the 180 degree rule because it could easily be crossed, leaving the audience disorientated. It is important not to break the 180 degree rule because it gives the audience a left right perspective and allows them to keep in touch with what is going on in the mise en scene. To avoid breaking the rule we made sure that all of the conversation was filmed on one side and the over the shoulder shots were on the correct side also.
An articulate and well organised evaluation which is at its strongest in the last two sections because you illustrate your points with examples but reflecting understanding of specific technical skills.
ReplyDeleteThe first section of your blog relies on too much waffle, you needed to be more specific, for example explaining specific locations, explaining the purpose and effect of specific camera shots and movement during the shoot.
Overall a proficient evaluation but any more posts need to reference examples.