Evaluation of Preliminary Task


Reflect on the brief that was given to you. What filming techniques/terminology have you learnt about in the description of the task?
As a brief, we were told that in our task that we had to include certain shots, these shots were as follows… Walking through a door, A shot reverse shot, Usage of the 180 degree rule, Usage of continuity, A few lines of dialogue, Match on action shot and 2 characters sat down opposite one another. The techniques I believe I have learnt more about through filming the preliminary task is using continuity. To make sure this rule isn’t broken each shot has to be lined up and the editing has to have no gaps so the film has a sort of flow to it. When we had finish editing, we realised that we hadn’t included a shot reverse shot, it was included in our story board and it was meant to be when the characters were sat down exchanging their lines but we obviously became to ahead of ourselves and used the close up of the mouth instead. Overall, the task helped us develop our learning of the terminology used in Media Studies and it has definitely prepared us for the final task.

How well did you/your group plan? (Reflect on the processes you went through including brainstorming, scripting, storyboarding)
As a group, our planning wasn’t great. We always had the idea of using a bland/quiet area where we could use the reflection in the door, this was organised well as we had to make sure we could see the reflection. What we didn’t do well on planning was the shots of sitting down and exchanging dialogue, it sort of came to us when we were going through the task before filming. Gabi thought of the idea that we used the lines ‘The eagle has landed’ and ‘Affirmative, the rubber ducky is sailing’ to add to the mysteriousness of the film itself. We used the storyboard as a template of how to do the task, it may not of had the most information on it but it reminded us of what was going on in each shot. Prior to filming, we realised that if it took more than a lesson to film, we would have to be wearing the same clothes, same bags and same positions so we made sure this could happen but in the end, we got the filming done in just 1 hour.

How effective was your storyboard in helping you to film? Were there any issues with your storyboard?
I think our storyboard was very helpful to us whilst filming; it gave us an outline of what we wanted each shot to look like and reminded us if we were making mistakes whilst filming. Our storyboard could have had more notes on the outside to give us even clearer views but we saw it as more of an opportunity for us to adapt our ideas and give us an understanding of how to use it. We didn’t believe that our storyboard had to be the neatest thing e.g. with colour. The only problems that occurred whilst writing the storyboard was who would actually write on it, none of us believe that we were the most artistic people, but when it came down to it, it didn’t have to be.

How did you cope with using the filming equipment? What did you learn about the cameras and tripods for example?
Before starting filming, I think we all felt unsure about how to use the camera but it ended up being better that way as teaching yourself helps you to get to know the camera well. We were going to use a tripod when walking along the corridor with a point of view shot and we tried to use the tripod for this but as the floor was bumpy, it didn’t give the affect we wanted. The camera ended up being easier to use than expected and it is easy to get the hang of.


What problems did you come up against whilst filming? How did you deal with/ overcome them?
The only problems we faced whilst filming was when we were doing the shots towards and outside there door where we realised I wasn’t holding my bag when in the story board I was holding it. The bag was the main part of the film as at the end me and Vicky pick up one another’s bag to add mystery, without me having it at the start would not be following the continuity rule. To deal with this, we had to re film the shots. It wasn’t a huge issue having to re film as we still got it all done in one lesson and we focused on what we had to do and got it done in one go. Another problem that arose was that we weren’t sure if we broke the continuity rule as we were filming on the left side of my body (legs) before the door and in the right hand side on the other side of the door. We thought it would be a good idea to mention this in the evaluation to state that we realised we may have made a mistake whilst filming. Other than this, it ran smoothly for us.

How did you cope with using the Editors (Apple Macs)? What have you learnt from the editing process so far?
All together, we worked really really well with using the macs for the first time. We helped each other understand what to do, we taught each other how to use something if they weren’t sure and we got the idea of how to use them straight away. We weren’t sure how to cut our film at first, but after a while it just became a habit and we also weren’t sure about how to make it come together smoothly (joining the clips that have been cut). From using the macs, I have learnt to delete the clips, cut clips, mark points on the clips, how to use the fade affects. We used the ‘help’ button at the top of the screen to help us when we didn’t know how to do something; this was very helpful as with some things it directed us on how to do it. We learnt a lot from one another by using the macs and it helped us work together as a group as we put in our all to make our film to the best of our knowledge/ability.

How happy are you with the finished product? (perhaps use a scale of 1-10 where 10=Very Happy) Are there any shots that you think are particularly effective? Why?
Out of 10, I think I would give our task an 8, I believe this is fair as we didn’t use the shot reverse shot which would mark us down as we didn’t stick to the brief, but on the other hand, I think it was fair because we taught ourselves how to use the cameras and how to use the macs and made a good amount of film for the time we had. Another reason I would give us a high mark is because we taught ourselves how to use fade tool on the macs which was an extra that didn’t actually need to be done and it also added to the mysteriousness of the film itself . I think we worked well as a group as we put a lot into putting the film together and didn’t go off task.

What would you do differently if you had the opportunity to do this task again?
If we had the opportunity to do it again I would obviously add in the shot reverse shot whilst me and Vicky are talking so it shows we did stick to the brief. Another thing I would change is that amount of dialogue used whilst talking, I think it would of added to the mysteriousness and the people viewing would have more of an understanding of the theme.

How do you feel you worked as a group? What did you personally do in the team? What qualities do you bring to the team?
I think we worked really well as a team, we all listened to what others wanted to do, we would change things in agreement if we thought it would make the video better and we would compromise if different opinions arose. Within the group, I was the main character who was in mostly all the shots, I think I acted well in this even though we did have to do a few takes from me laughing, I gave off a serious vibe which would of interrupted the film if I didn’t do so. I also gave my opinion on which types of shots we should use and when we were editing we the cuts should be made. We all gave good qualities to the group as we knew we could easily voice our opinions and they would be heard. I really enjoy the group we worked in as it was fun filming whilst we also knew we had to work hard, which is what we did do.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

In preparation for our main task we were asked to produce a ‘preliminary’ task in order to help us become more familiar with the concept of filming, the use of camera technology and the final editing process. Our brief was to create a short piece of filming that made use of the 180 degree rule, continuity, match-on-action and contained a wide range of camera angles to make for the most interesting piece of footage possible. So that we became more acquainted with these techniques I researched the concept and watched several clips on Youtube to guarantee my understanding of them. Within our slip, we had to ensure that the character in question walked through a door and sat down with another character to exchange dialogue. We had to capture this dialogue with a shot, reverse shot.

However, we realised post filming that we had not incorporated the ‘shot, reverse shot’ and instead used a close up pan between the two characters. This was a result of not following our storyboard as efficiently as we should have. Our brief was compromised by the fact that we were trying too hard to think up interesting and unusual shots. Our idea was thought up easily enough but we struggled to translate our mysterious idea onto paper. The lesson I have learnt here for the main task is to utilise the time we have to create a storyboard, making it clear and interesting enough to stick to it during filming.

In terms of the filming itself, I was appointed camera woman. After a brief tutorial on how to use the cameras it was up to us a collective to use our initiative to ensure the camera was set up correctly; whether that be that the spirit level was in balance or that we had the right light exposure for the shot. We experimented with the moving tripod but we found that the picture it produced was far too unstable and so quickly came up with a different type of shot. We found that shooting the same scene with a variety of different types of shots and angles gave us a great advantage when it came to editing. If one type of shot hadn’t work we were able to fall back on another.

We were also taught the ‘directors language’. “Standby…rolling camera…action…cut”. This type of communication worked well within our team and gave a clear understanding as to when the shot was about to be taken. This is something we have benefitted from and can use in our main task.
However, as this was our first attempt we came across some faults. After filming our first three or so shots, we realised we had forgotten to include a vital prop within the scene. This meant that we had to re-film those scenes and wasted valuable time. Again, perhaps if we had paid closer attention to the storyboard this may not have been an issue.

By the time it came to filming we were feeling confident. It was more or less left up to our independent research to learn how to use the Macs. Initially, we were slow to piece parts together but then we began to relish this new experience. It was helpful to have a creative input from all three of us as and we even learnt how to fade our clip out at the end. This was my favourite part of the process: seeing how our work had paid off. I was happy with the continuity of the clip, interesting twist in the dialogue and the exchange of handbags as this left the audience with a sense of suspicion. The shot I found most effective, even though it was not part of the brief, was the pan shot between the dialogue. This focused the audience’s attention on the matter in hand and built tension.

As I team I feel that we worked very productively. I found the task enjoyable more than anything and that is evidence that everyone pulled their weight and worked in unison. It was nice to have three different takes on how the clip should be portrayed and from these three ideas we were able to deduce the best. We conferred as to what should be cut and what shouldn’t and we were able to compromise well. Essentially, I directed Katie and Vicky in the acting of the clip. As camera woman I was the eye to the scene. As Katie and Vicky did, I drew the storyboard, helped in the editing process and gave suggestions were I thought appropriate. I felt that the work load was evenly distributed and I looked forward to working with them again for our main task.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

Reflect on the brief that was given to you. What filming techniques/terminology have you learnt about in the description of the task? 


Our brief stated that we had to include the following in our short clip: 1) use of continuity 2) showing a character open a door and walking through it 3) showing the character walking across the room 4) showing the character sitting down opposite to someone 5) showing the two people share dialogue 6) include match on action 7) include shot reverse shot and 8) use the 180 degree rule.
The techniques and terminology I have learnt about would be; continuity, match on action and the 180 degree rule. The concept of match on action and the 180 degree rule took me a while to understand fully what each were and how to make sure we used these techniques properly and effectively in our clip. But once we began filming it became much more obvious as to how to make sure we included these techniques and became more so when we came about to editing our clip too.
However, we as a group haven't included a shot reverse shot which we realised when we had played the finished clip back. I believe we did include this in our storyboard but in the end we wanted to be more creative and completely forgot about this part of the brief and didn't end up putting this technique into the clip. We were also un sure of whether or not we broke the 180 degree rule after we had watched the finished product again but we believe we haven't so think that the clip has followed the brief quite well apart from number 8. I think that our continuity and match on action throughout worked really well and was really effectively done. Yet there was one section where it cuts to Katie walking down the corridor and she may have needed to be a bit further down the corridor as that may not have been a good example of match on action.

 
How well did you/your group plan? (Reflect on the processes you went through including brainstorming, scripting, storyboarding) 


Our planning as a group probably wasn't the most effective; we mainly planned verbally and physically by walking through what we could do as we chose to locate our clip in our media class room. This I believe was a really effective way for us to plan because we were physically coming up with ideas that we wanted to include and they all would work because we were filming exactly where we were. We didn't however do much brainstorming when planning; we mainly spoke about what we wanted to do and remembered our ideas as we all had a few between us. This wasn't a very good way to do it as we may have forgotten good ideas that we had in the beginning and my not have remembered them when it came to storyboarding. We did write some ideas down and at first and began to decipher how we wanted the clip to come across, which we decided was mysterious as we had the two characters swapping bags.
Our main way of planning was defiantly our storyboard as it enabled all our ideas to come together and shaped them into a more realistic outcome of how it would look. We also did still shots that helped us a lot before we came to film because we knew exactly what we were doing and where we were going to set the camera up and how each shot would look.
We didn't however do much scripting as that was the last thing we did. We wanted our clip to be funny as well so in the end Gabi came up with two short lines of dialogue which Katie and I performed with an accent. This may not have been the best way to plan but it worked for us as a group and we believe our beginning planning was really effective for us as we could put ideas into reality. Capturing our final shots using a camera to show how our end clip would potentially look was also a really effective planning idea.

 
How effective was your storyboard in helping you to film? Were there any issues with your storyboard? 


I think our storyboard was really effective in helping us to film because this is where all of our ideas that we had as a group were able to come together to envisage the actual task at hand and how we all saw what we wanted to do. We managed really well to get our ideas onto paper; even though this did take some time to do we ended up with a really effective storyboard. However we do realise that we should've had space on the storyboard to write notes etc that weren't in the frame of the shots. I think our storyboard was more of a starting point for us creatively as our idea grew from what we had on paper, even though we may not have identically followed what we had on paper we managed to create some much more effective shots by having our storyboard as a starting point.
The only issue we really had with the storyboard was getting it done, none of us wanted to draw and none of us thought we were good at drawing so it took a while to get the shots to look vaguely how we wanted. Gabi was able to draw the storyboard very well as to how we wanted it to turn out. The only other issue with the storyboard was getting the proportions correct to how they should be, this might not have turned out the best but I feel Gabi tried really well and mine and Katie's input into how we saw the drawn image helped to make sure it was in proportion in some way.

 
How did you cope with using the filming equipment? What did you learn about the cameras and tripods for example?


I think on the whole we managed to cope really well with the cameras, our knowledge of them was not as deep as it could have been but for our task we don't believe that we really needed to have much more knowledge into them. We did however learn that every time we moved the camera we had to re check the spirit levels to ensure they were straight and at the same height each time. We also coped really well with the tripod as we have never used it before. We did try to use the dolly for the tripod but realised when we tested this out on the carpet that was in the hallway we were shooting in, the shot was really bumpy and gave a really bad effect so we decided not to use it.

 
What problems did you come up against whilst filming? How did you deal with/ overcome them? 


The only problem that we came across when filming was that we began to shoot the first 3 shots we had storyboarded and then realised that Katie wasn't holding a bag when we had storyboarded her to do so. So we had to re-film all of the shots we had done otherwise we would've come across continuity issues as in one shot she would have a bag and then in the other she wouldn't. This wasn't a major issue having to re film but it was annoying so once we had Katie with the bag it we then faced the problem of having the bag in the same position due to the various straps. I do feel that we managed to have the bag in the same position each time so worked really well.
We did find that we were confused as to whether or not we had broken the 180 degree rule while we were filming but we didn't know how to overcome this to make sure we didn't, so we stuck to our storyboard we had.
other than this the filming process went really smoothly for us and so we managed to finish within an hour every shot we wanted.

 
How did you cope with using the Editors (Apple Macs)? What have you learnt from the editing process so far?


As a group we managed to cope really well with using the mac and editing our film. We had lot of resources to help us when trying to find what we needed to do and how we would be able to go about carrying out these operations. At first we found it quite tricky in cutting sections of our clip out as you had to be able to cut on the point at which was the right bit. We found that all of this extra help we received helped us to be able to cut the clip exactly how we wanted to. The macs were simple to use and we were able to import the film more than once to make sure that if we cut the clip too short we could easily get that shot again and replace it. We were only able to import our film from the camera to the mac with help though, as we weren't entirely sure how to do this ourselves, yet the steps taken to do this were really simple so it won't be hard to remember how to. From using the macs I have learnt how to, cut the clip, delete the parts of the clip I don't need, add a fade out effect to the clip, how to delete a section of the clip, how to make the clip black and white, how to import the film from the camera and how to export the finished clip and also how to mark sections of the clip to know where to cut. We were really impressed as a group we managed to find the fade out effect for the end of the clip as we all thought it made a really good end finish to the film. We have learnt however that with the Macs you have to be patient and if you want to find how to do different things to the clip you have to look around as everyone – including the teachers – are new to using final cut pro. We have defiantly learnt that we can learn from one another when using the Macs as everyone finds different things out about what you can do with your clip.

 

How happy are you with the finished product? (perhaps use a scale of 1-10 where 10=Very Happy) Are there any shots that you think are particularly effective? Why? 

Overall I am really happy with the finished product we as a group have made. Out of 10 I would say Id give it an 8. It was a really enjoyable task to do and I feel I have learnt a lot from it. I think the overall finished product reflects how well we worked together as we are all really happy with it. I feel the only think that has lowered how happy I am with it is the shot of me walking out of the door at the end is slightly too long and I think that maybe we could've been a bit more creative with the location we shot at. I do however really think that the editing that we did at the end of the clip give the film a really mysterious end to it and I am really pleased with how we came about finding that effect on our own.
I really like the shot where we have the reflection of Katie in the door and then her going to grab the door handle then the continuity of the next shot of a close up of her grabbing the handle, it emphasises her opening the door but also gives a different view point so the viewer wouldn't get bored. I think this shot looks really professionally done and the continuity of it is really well executed. I also think the shot of Katie walking through the door looked effective as the continuity is also really well done here too. Yet my favourite part of the film is the ending where we have put a fade to black effect as Katie exits the scene which gives an extra sense of enigma to the clip due to them swapping bags.

 
What would you do differently if you had the opportunity to do this task again? 

If we had the opportunity I would suggest putting more dialogue into the clip to gain more interest and also make sure that each shot we film we film it more than once so we have a choice of which one to use as sometimes having just one may not be very well shot. I also think because we didn't follow the specification exactly, as we didn't put a shot reverse shot in, we would include that if we got to do it again. I also think that if we did it again we should make sure we know that there are different settings on the camera that would change the look of our clip overall. Finally I think that the clip at the end of the film where I stand up and walk out of the camera view was a bit too long as Katie should've been further down the corridor when that shot came into view. By shortening this clip by a few seconds could make this shot less boring as it did go on for quite a while and also give a better continuity effect.

 
How do you feel you worked as a group? What did you personally do in the team? What qualities do you bring to the team? 

As a group I think we worked really well, we all had a similar view of what we wanted the end product to look like so were able to work well together in achieving this. We also made sure that we conferred with each other about which shot we liked and which we didn't before one person decided what to cut out in the editing process. We all made agreements and decisions together making sure we were all happy in what we actually decided to do in the end. I think that we all compromised if one thought one thing and the other thought something else and managed to come to a final decision about particular aspects of filming. We all had some different idea of which shot types we actually wanted to do so filmed each idea we had for one frame and then when we got to edit the clip we watched them through and gave reasons as to why which on was more effective than the other to make sure we weren't unhappy with the final decision.
Within the team I was in the short clip towards the end of it, so had to act. I also made some suggestions about shot types to use and what could be effective and made the suggestion of using the dolly for the point of view shot – though this input was tried and the decided it wouldn't work because the overall look of the shot wasn't very good. I also overlooked the filming/directed (as did all of us) and made suggestions if I thought that we should film again or film a clip in a different way. In the editing process I had a go at editing as did everyone in the team and made some suggestions as to where I thought was the best place to cut the clip and my opinion on the places in which we edited. The same as Gabi and Katie, I also helped in storyboarding the clip and gave my ideas as to what we could potentially do and suggested some shot types as well.
I believe the qualities I bought to the team would be having a close concern to continuity and being able to put forward my point clearly to Gabi and Katie as I felt I could say what I thought. I felt that I bought a fun aspect to the filming – as did Gabi and Katie – but I also felt that I was very conscious of the editing process to make sure we had it perfect.
I think within the team I could have played a more active role in storyboarding our film and coming out with other ideas as I don't think I made a huge input into that part of the task to create this short clip. I think that I could've had an input into the way in which shots were shot in the end as I believe that I didn't really say much about the shot types we use – even though they all turned out to work really effectively – I think I could've suggested some other different ones to use.

Our Preliminary Task

Our Story Board for Preliminary Task

Still shots from our Preliminary Task Storyboard...

Preliminary Task Evaluation...

In preparation for our preliminary task we reviewed a variety of camera angles, shots and rules to ensure that we could craft the most creative and well portrayed footage possible. Throughout our initial lessons our aim was to learn and put into practise the different types of camera angles and movement that could be used when filming. This included the basics to the more complex, from a long shot to a tracking point of view shot. We grasped this by implementing a number of tasks whereby we could practise this knowledge. The first of which was to plan, via a story board, what angles could be used in order to convey a particular genre of film. The genre given to our group was Sci-Fi and from that, we proceeded to produce an assortment of mysterious camera angles with close-ups and slow track and arc movements. This proved to be a very worthwhile task as not only did we gain experience with using the cameras but also obtained a better understanding of how to denote different emotions through film. 
Further study brought us to the aspect of sound. Whether it is diegetic or non-diegetic, it all poses as a crucial ingredient for the provoking of emotion from the audience. We think of sound as an underlying subtext of a scene, speaking without words. We watched a selection of films where sound was a highly important influence and viewed how it was able to manipulate the intensity and plausibility of a scene. On one example, ‘Lord Of The Rings’, sound was used to build fear and suspense from the non-diegetic banging of drums that built to a climatic crescendo to the diegetic screeching of the bad demons and the clashing of swords in a fight scene. 
Another important factor to consider whilst creating film, something which we as an audience take for granted, is the factor of continuity. We were able to explore this element through another valuable task. We were given 15 or so different still images from a short clip, which were printed off on sheets of paper and our job was to arrange these sheets in the correct order of action. Using common knowledge and our already understanding of how different shots are used to convey different action and emotion, we were able to more or less piece together not only the order of the images but also comprehend the unfolding plot behind the image. 
An additional aspect that was highlighted in our learning was the lack of continuity present in many films, even the more famous ones. We were shown several examples of errors made in high budget films and the consequences this had on the concept of the film. The simple lack of attention to detail when a prop, costume or setting is changed from one clip to another highly reduces the believability and the overall viewing experience for the audience. It corrupts the film and focuses the audience’s attention more on the disruption of naturalistic time rather than the acting and plot itself. 
After reviewing all that we had learnt, we were able to apply all the different factors into the storyboarding of our preliminary task. We ensured that the 180 degree rule was not broken and thought carefully about which angle suited the genre of the scene best. We considered Mis-en-Scene, and which costume, props and types of character best fitted our concept. Eventually, we were able to create a storyboard that fit the brief well and combined all the aspects of media that we had learnt about. Our concept is that 2 business like woman are meeting anonymously, both carrying a mysterious briefcase. After exchanging some dialog the each walk off with each other’s case