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.