Preliminary Evaluation

Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

The brief for our preliminary task was to produce and edit a video sequence which tells a story, showing tow people engaging in conversation, and follows the principles of continuity, and I worked together with three other people as a group of four. Within my groups were also Mari, Seb and Vivian- with each of us adopting different roles in the task - with Mari and Seb employing their acting talents, along with Vivian who coordinated the sound and directing, and myself taking position as cameraman. Seb and Mari previously took media GCSE at the school, therefore it made sense for them to act, with Seb the oldest looking, and Mari the youngest, to represent our characters which we envisioned soon after forming our narrative, whereas Vivian and myself felt hat we would like to take control behind the camera, as we have both had less experience doing so, I chose to film specifically due to the fact that it is a task which I have not previously attempted. As actors, Mari and Seb quickly got into role, and remained so for the entire task, and Vivian made sure that both sound and set were ready when recording, and I also tried my best to ensure that the recording was smooth and complete, with enough to edit into a final video.

How did you plan your sequence?What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?

When planning our preliminary film, we used our time in class as a group to first decide on a narrative for the conversation, and then moved on to discuss how we would frame the sequence. We dedicated our first session to coming up with our plan, and then used a storyboard in order to sketch up our sequence to make sure that it made sense and that we would be able to use it direct our shoot. After completing the storyboard, we composed a shotlist in order to plan which types of shots we would employ into the film, and make sure that we would use a range and stick to the rules of continuity. After reviewing all of our plans on paperwork, we used our remaining time to walk through our shoot and make sure that it would flow smoothly and that the shots were possible to take, and once we had finished doing so we were confident that the shoot would be a success, with no continuity errors regarding direction - such as the 180 degree rule.

What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?

During the task, we used different types of technology- both for the shoot, in which we used digital equipment, and then in the edit when we used computer software. When shooting, we used a Canon DB-30 digital HD camcorder to film the sequence in hd quality to make it seem believable and enable the suspense of disbelief, furthermore we attached the camera to a tripod- this meant that we could easily adjust its position and height smoothly and create a smooth, believable sequence of film. In terms of sound, we attached a shotgun microphone to the camera in order to improve the sound quality- so that only sound in front of the camera was picked up, making the speech more clear and understandable, with a par of headphones attached directly to the camera to assure that the sound was clear whilst recording. Whereas during the editing process, we used the PC software Adobe Premiere Pro in order to produce a final, complete sequence, using the program to select and edit clips and place them onto a timeline, where we could combine them and review the final video before exporting it as a video file.

What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

When planning our shoot, we first realised that in order for it to be successful visually, we would need to find the correct environment for our scenario - we realised that our media classroom was perfect, as it was a classroom- the setting of our initial idea. Furthermore, we also needed to make sure that there was no sound interference when recording, therefore we decided t film in the isolated media block, as it is well insulated and away from the noisy, crowded school, ensuring clear, understandable. However, we realised that other groups wanted to use the same area as us, so in order to combat this problem, we got permission from our teacher to use the classroom first, and then use the corridor area when our peers had finished their recording there. Once we began filming in the classroom, we realised that we had a slight issue with the layout of tables, meaning that in order to create more space, and improve the shot, we had to move some of the desks away, however thus was not challenging and apart from this there were not any other issues regarding space due to the simplicity of the sequence.

How successful was your sequence? Identify what worked well, and what would you improve?

Overall, i believe that our sequence was successful, as we included everything in the brief- creating and editing a continuous sequence involving a character walking into a room- our schoolgirl played by actress Mari- then sitting down in a chair, and exchanging dialogue with Seb, acting as the girl's corrupt teacher, exchanging dialogue. We also managed to include match-on-action within the sequence- of Mari opening and closing doors and walking into the room- and also demonstrated shot-reverse-shot within the conversation. As a smaller group, Mari and i also managed to edit the video successfully so that it was clearly continuous, with no noticeable flaws. When shooting, as cameraman, i also tried my best to ensure that we had multiple takes of each shot so that we could select the best ones when editing, or if tone turned out to have a flaw when viewed on the computer. However, there were also aspects of the video which were not so successful, when looking back over the video closely, i noticed that sound-wise, at the beginning, you can hear the background noise from outside the building, which was not heard through the headphones, however this doesn't really have a major negative effect as it also unintentionally further alludes to the school setting of the video. Regarding the continuity, i noticed two flaws, the first being that during the conversation, the shot-reverse shots between Mari and Seb's shoulders slightly break the 180 degree rule, as they are not parallel to one another, the other flaw is that the use of  a jump-shot at the end of the sequence as Mari leaves momentarily breaks the 30 degree rule which in effect could potentially confuse the viewer if they happened to notice.

What have you learnt from this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?

After taking part in the preliminary task, i have gained good experience of working as part of a group , and how to approach the task of continuity, which i have never previously worked on. Furthermore, i have also gained experience with being in charge of the camera whilst shooting, and although it was an interesting and challenging new task, i feel that i would prefer not to retain this position in future tasks, as i prefer being more physically involved- such as directing or acting. Furthermore  the use of the Premiere pro program when editing was a new experience to me, therefore it was interesting to find out how to use it, and very fun when i got the hang of it, and this is definitely something i look forward to doing more of during future tasks. Finally, i feel that by participating in this continuity task, i have broadened my knowledge on continuity, and its importance in film, and i believe that from acknowledging my mistakes, I will now be able to produce a much more effective and professional continuous sequence if i am faced with the task in future, and be able to stick to the 30 and 180 degree rules.