Preliminary Task Evaluation

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