For our preliminary task we
were asked to plan, film and edit a short sequence involving someone walking
down a corridor, opening a door, entering a room and then having a conversation
with another person. We could have any storyline we wanted as long as: we
didn't break the 180° rule; made sure the sequences had continuity
and included match on action and shot reverse shot.
Camerawork
I think the camerawork for
this task was good, however there are things I would improve. We used a variety of shots, including high
angled, low angled, mid shot, close ups and extreme close up, all of which fitted
perfectly into what was happening in the scene and showed that as a group we
understand the appropriate times to use the different shots. However, we didn't
use any long shots or extreme long shots , so one of my improvements would be
to include a long shot or extreme long shot to show more skill and make it more
interesting for the audience to watch.
The composition and framing,
I think, was done to a high standard as we always included everything needed
for each shot and didn't have anything
unnecessary in them. Because of this, it is easy for the audience to
understand the storyline and stops them
getting distracted by anything else.
The steadiness
of each shot is our weakest area. For example the shot that goes from
the feet of our main character to her face is very wobbly. This makes the
sequence look less professional and it is noticeable to the audience. In fact
when we did the feedback forms we scored lowest for 'holding the shot steady'.
So the main improvement for camerawork is to make each shot more steady. We
will do this by using the tripod more, spend more time filming each shot and
plan more as to how we will film each shot.
Editing
I think our editing was very
successful, with the shots we had we were
able to edit them to a high standard showing lots of different skills, with
only a couple of improvements to make. We were able to follow the 180° rule as
any filming done whilst the characters
were at the table was always filmed to the left and we had shots that were shot reverse shot, the
best example of this is when one character is talking/nodding her head the back
of the other character's head can been seen in the corner of the shot. Not only
this, but we had a good match on action and continuity a good example of this
is when the main character comes through the door, the audience can see one
shot of the door handle being pulled down and then the next shot is the
character opening the door (with the same hand as the pervious shot) and
walking into the room. I think our titles are appropriate for what is happening
in this shot scene, as it is serious and has a professional look to it. On our
feedback forms one of the weaknesses was that the credits were too quick at the end so one of our improvements
would to be make the credits last longer.
During the editing we added some sounds to the
opening shots, we did this to add effect and create a mood for the audience. I
think it was effective as the sound was appropriate to what was happening in the scene, it created an
atmosphere for the audience and it allowed us to show more skills when editing.
Another area of weakness was our transitions, we only had two in the sequence
which were very basic and didn't show our skills as a group and in our feedback
forms we were advised to improve it.
Therefore another improvement would be to spend more time in editing on
transition and use transitions that work well with what is happening in the
shots.
Lighting
When planning our
preliminary task, we did no planning for the lighting however when filming we realised
this was a mistake as the lighting effected what could and couldn't be seen due
to shadows. Also without planning the lighting it made the short scene look
less professional as we were relying on natural lighting, which could have gone
wrong if there was bad weather. All of which means another improvement for our
group is to include lighting in our planning and consider what lighting we may
need for certain shots.
Planning
The main thing I learnt from
planning our preliminary task was the more detailed and organised you are about
it, the easier it is when filming. When
creating the shot list and storyboard, I feel we should have spent more time
thinking about how each of the shots would look when they were put together and
thought about how easy/hard it is to actually film these shots. As we were
unable to do certain shots with the equipment we had (for example shot I) and
we had to add some shots in which we hadn't planned to make the sequence have more
continuity, for example the shot of the finger tapping on the table. So another
improvement would be to spend more time on the storyboard and the shot list, so
when filming our thriller opening we won't have the same issues as before.
Improvements
The following is a list of
things, I feel as group we should improve on when we create a thriller opening:
·
Use a wider variety
of shots- including long shots and an extreme long shots
·
Spend more time filming carefully and use the
tripod more so the shot won't be as unbalanced
·
Ensure that the
credits don't go so quick and the audience can understand what they say
·
When planning and
editing think more about transitions and use them more
·
Spend more time on the storyboard and shot
list, so we know exactly what shots need to be filmed and how we will film
them
·
Remember to include
lighting requirements in our plans
