Preliminary task

Prelim Task: To create a continuity sequence involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whole he/she exchanges a couple of likes of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.

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

Group 2C
Sam, Philippa (me) and Jess

For this preliminary task, i worked in a group with Sam S. and Jess Wilson, i feel we worked very well and effectively together. For the planning process we broke up tasks between us:

- I was responsible for producing the story board.

-Sam did the script and rough storyline

-Jess did the shot order list.

Then again for the production process we all made sure each of us had a go at shooting,

-So the shots i wasn't in for instance, like the CU reaction shots of Sam, i shot.

-Sam shot the sequence with just me in, walking to the door etc.

-Jess did all of the shooting which consisted of me and sam, as she was not in the sequence.

For the editing then, we each had around 20 minutes each actually controlling the computer and software, but we all sat around together and made input as a threesome to eventually end up with our finished product.

2)How did you plan your sequence? what processes did you use? what theories did you try to take into account?
Here were the steps we made to plan our sequence
-First we brainstormed ideas together and decided on our final one,
-Then we wrote a script for it,

-Our next step was we drew out a storyboard, giving us a visual aid as to how the finished sequence should look.

-To make the shooting process easier still, we wrote out a shot list, to see what would be the best and most efficient way to shoot e.g. all the inside the classroom shots first, then the outside ones.

-From that, then we walked through our sequence and practised it a few times, to make sure we could get the right angles etc.

Overall we tried to follow the principles of continuity,
-For instance with our match on action (of sitting on the seat).
-And also we tried to use the 180 degree rule, to make our actress look like she was moving in the same direction.

-We also used the shot order theory, by using shots together that were asthetically pleasing, so not from a LS straight to a CU for instance.
-We also used the shot reverse shot rule, to allow the audience to see where the characters were in relation to one another.

 Another theory we used was Todorov's theory of equlibrium, as we can clearly recognise one of our characters being the victim, another the villain, and equilibrium of the victim at the beginning and then a disruption of equlibrium when the villain enters. Although it is not exactly like this, as our equilibrium is not restored at the end of the piece.

3) What technology did you use to complete the task and how did you use it?
For the shooting process we used a Sony Digital Video Camera & tripod with headphones and microphone, the headphones allowed us to hear what noise the camera was picking up in the shooting for instance a siren which we could notice and wait till it had passed before shooting. The microphone we used on the direct noise setting for the OTS shots and the general area sound for the master shot as this created good ambiance. The tripod made it easy to do our pan, as we just loosened it and turned it, it also made our OTS shots very steady and level. We filmed with the camera, and after we did every planned shot we rewound the tape and watched it back to see wether we had to do retakes, or to make sure our CU shots matched that of the master shot.

Our Editing Suite

Then for the editing process we used a Windows computer with Adobe Premier Pro software and used it how we had been previously taught:
-Plug in the camera and wait till the window pops up
-Close this window and just open up the project on Adobe Premier Pro
-Click at the top on FILE, then CAPTURE and watch through the footage, clicking the red button when you wanted to capture a shot and ESC to stop capturing
-Drag this clip from the clip library to the timeline
-Use the razor or drag tool to cut up the shots to the right duration
-Make sure you drag your shots onto the timeline in a zig zag, the first on video and audio one, the second on video and audio two, the third back on one again.

Our shooting Equipment

Group 2c Editing

Our Timeline on Adobe Premier Pro

4)What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
There were 4 main factors to take into account:
-We had to take into account the time we were given in all to shoot and edit our preliminary piece which was one hour to shoot and one hour to edit. This meant we had to be organised and efficient with our filming to make sure we got everything shot we had planned to do within that hour yet still at a high quality of filming. 
-Before filming we had to take into account how many actors we could use, who would be best suited for each role and where to film etc. This was because we needed a place that could look like a classroom and actors who could provide us with the anger/innocence we wanted to convey in our piece and also we had to work out how we were going to each take a turn at shooting, as we had a small group so two thirds of our group had to be actors too. 
-We also had to take into account the other group using the media block for their preliminary filming as it could create unnecessary noise which would be picked up from our microphone, and it could take up the space in the corridor we needed. We solved this by arranging different groups to different parts of the building in which groups could film without being disturbed.  
-In the editing process we kept our storyboard close at hand so we could easily arrange shots in order on the timeline,  this also allowed us the flexibility to make adjustments if one shot we had drawn on the storyboard did not flow well with the flow of the piece.

5) How successful was your sequence? please identify what worked well and with hindsight what you would improve/do differently?
I would say our sequence was quite successful especially our opening and match on action which flowed seamlessly, however, as always there are a lot of things we could have changed and take away and learn from this experience. For example, previously we planned to have a CU shot of the girl looking through the door from the view of within the classroom, however in the editing process we felt this disrupted the flow and made it unclear to the audience where she was, in this shot we could also see the reflection of the camera in the glass of the door, so we decided not to put this in. Again there is a little error in sound levels in the pan around the classroom as the sound levels change for a few seconds, this was because we accidentaly picked up the sound of a siren in the distance as it was hard for us to use the headphones and film at the same time practically, as we had such a small group. This disrupted the flow of our sequence and if there was a re-shoot we would be sure to fix this. Further more there was one other shot we decided to delete from our final editas it didnt work as we wanted, and didnt follow the 'shot order' principle of continuity as went from a master-mid/long shot to a CU of sams reaction shot which made it jumpy and noticable, because of this we did not include it in the final edit. Again, as we were limited to few actors, our acting wasnt very good, especially in the final scene where the girl stands up, as it is not a fluid movement and is clearly staged. If done again we would take more shots to make sure we got atleast one that was desired so it fitted our sequence.



What worked well: Our match on action



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

From this preliminary task i have learnt that making sure continutity techniques are correct is essential for a fluid structure of film. I have also learnt that they are harder to achieve than previously imagined, but after putting them into practise, i feel i know them alot better. I also refreshed my memory on my editing skills, how to capture and cut etc. I also feel i have learned that lighting plays a very important part in creating a good sequence, as you do not want any unwanted shadows or reflections to show up, so that you can no longer use that shot anymore. From this preliminary task i can now take my knowledge of continutity and precision forward to the rest of my foundation coursework.