Preliminary Task Evaluation

Preliminary Task Evaluation

Filming

I felt reasonably comfortable filming the piece as we knew what we were doing; we had a set plan to follow and were very keen to do so. We hired our actors to do the acting for us, and all we really needed to do was get going and finish as quick as possible making sure that it was also good quality. The way April and I worked in the group was actually very efficient, as we both had our specialities in different areas. April would be doing different camera angles and filming, while I would be making sure the ‘mise’ was perfect and setting up the scene/actors so everything was in place. We did indeed come across a difficulty, which was the lighting in the room, as we were close to a window, it would be either quite a yellow background or a blue, and was hard to switch between scenes while editing to make everything look smooth and not noticeable to the audience. We used a couple of pieces of equipment while filming, which were:

·         720p Camera

·         Extendable Tripod

·         Briefcase (prop)

·         Microphone (equipment for voices heard, and to fit in well with the scene).

I believe that our film we produced had good levels of continuity, for examples we added a feature of one an actor speaking, but the camera is not on them, and then switches to the person with the dialogue. This is good as it portrays a good set of editing skills shown, it also shows that we have the ability to move audio tracks above the video tracks so we can hear the dialogue even when the camera is not focused on them. Here is an example:

Here the camera is focused on the girl, but the guy is speaking, it then switches to the person with the dialogue presenting continuity.

Another example of continuity is the scene transitions itself, the way the scenes flow from 1 to another is very clear instead of it being jumpy and unknown to the audience of what is actually going on in the film. For example, we used multiple shot reverse shots in our film, to portray a small conversation/dialogue between the two characters. This helped the audience acknowledge the fact that they were both having a two-way conversation.

 We also changed the camera angle to a lot of long shots so you could see them both in the frame (bearing in mind the 180-degree rule) reinforcing the incidence that they are having a conversation.

The 180-degree rule was implemented numerous times in the film, this is to portray to the audience what is going on at the same angle every time the camera goes back there. This is so important in a film because without this rule, the audience could get very confused very quickly, as the camera angle would keep changing and then not even know what scene or setting the actors are currently in. This would then make the audience decrease their full attention towards the film and probably leave the cinema.

We then used a lot of match on action in our film, this links with the 180-degree rule very equally, as the camera is in the same place every time the shot is moved. For example, the camera if focused on the man then does a shot reverse shot to the girl. The camera then returns to the man in the exact same position it was before. This again is so the audience doesn’t get confused where the setting is, otherwise different perspectives of the camera angles can make the audience disordered with regards to the film.

Here we have the camera focused on both actors (using a long shot). Then the camera is zoomed into the gun that the corrupt policeman is discreetly hiding under the table. The camera then returns to the exact same position it was in before.

These editing techniques were useful as it helped us develop new skills for the proper assessment to come. They also helped our understanding of the knowledge we learnt in class, to reinforce the skills are terminology, this will help us in the exam as we will have a strong comprehension of different terms through previous personal experience as editing.

The group I worked in, worked really efficiently and well together. This demonstrated leadership and team skills, as we all had a set role in the group of what to do. April was mainly camera control, and I was preparing the scenes making sure everything was as to script. There wasn’t any conflict as we all agreed what we had to do because we were comfortable with our jobs. We then came to edit the piece and used our ideas into one to create a film based off of each other’s thoughts. In my opinion we filmed it very quickly, as the actors were motivated and was clear to them to what they were doing.

If I were to film our piece again, I would make sure the camera had better quality HD, e.g. 1080p (1920:1080). I would then make sure the aspect ratio on the editing software would be the equivalent aspect ratio to the cameras. This is so our film would get the best HD settings and no black edges around the video. I would also change the way we had our room set up, as the lighting wasn’t the best because we couldn’t predict when the sun was coming in and out. This made it difficult editing as we wanted to make it as smooth as possible, but in doing so unfortunately found that there weren’t clips for all the same lighting and had to deal with parts of the film being coloured differently to the rest.

In my honest opinion, I think the script was very planned out and what we needed to do was clear, but what wasn’t as planned as it could have been, was the scene itself. We didn’t allow ourselves to plan ahead for what room we needed, and which camera shots were needed for certain places. We had the shots pre-written, but didn’t realise how many shots we were taking, therefore had to change a couple of shots and either put them before or after the altered shots. Another problem we came across, was the room we filmed in, had a very dark window, which originally was to give the effect that the setting was in an interrogation room. What we didn’t know, was that the camera was facing towards the window (so we could implement the 180-degree rule) and the reflection of April and camera lens was slightly in some clips which made it quite unprofessional. To improve on that we could have moved the table and chairs 90 degrees so that the interrogation window was to the right of the camera. So it was technically still in the shot giving off that detective effect, but not giving away that there is someone with a camera in the room.

We did indeed use a transition in our piece, which was the fade away transition. This was to give off the effect that was he detective was a ghost, and only there to cause havoc without even getting caught. We made it look like he framed the policemen’s death on the suspect and disappeared as soon as the rest of the police came to the scene.

 We used this towards the end of the piece as we wanted to get a lot more action and dialogue at the start, then the audience could understand what happened at this point.

The editing software we used was Sony Vegas Pro 13, from previous experience of using this editing software, I didn’t learn as much as I would have from IMovie/Final Cut Pro. There is one thing that April showed me, which was actually used in the piece. I learnt that overlapping audio tracks over videos, worked really well as made the video flow and make the continuity of it look professional instead of having the camera on the one person with their dialogue in the same frame. Instead you can hear their voice without even having the camera focused on them.

The technologies used in the production of the film have really helped me have a better understanding of how the film industry functions and operates. For example, the camera is everything, it has enhanced my knowledge of how to keep a camera still and make different shots flow from one to another smoothly depending on what shot and angle you use. Overall, the camera and tri-pod are really what I didn’t know how to use before, it’s all in what shots you used to make a film clear and good quality. The technologies used has helped me understand the cameras are simple objects when programmed to your relevant substance, therefore making it do what you want it to do fit for your purpose. The same with editing, you make it how you want it to be and takes a lot of time to work on even if it is the smallest clip/frame of a scene.

By Alex Savvides