Evaluation Of Preliminary Task

For the preliminary exercise, we were set this brief:
Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180° rule.


1) Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?I worked with Abirami Logeswaran, Harry Kettenis and Josh Stevenson, and we worked as a group to make decisions such as actors and costumes. I pitched an idea and we built on it as a group. We planned the sequence in a 40 minute time period, completing the storyboard and shooting schedule together. Josh was chosen to be an actor as he takes AS-Level drama, and I was the other actor as we wanted a female antagonist, and I was more comfortable with acting than Abi was, and the group didn't want to force someone to do what they didn't feel comfortable with.

2) How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?
To plan our sequence, we firstly had a group discussion and decided on the plot, then made sure we involved the key aspects given to us in the brief. Once we had established these shots, we added in a few extras to improve the continuity and add some personality to the sequence. We firstly drew out a storyboard, then carried out a walkthrough so we could iron out any problems, then followed this up with a shotlist in the order of what we were shooting in. One problem from the walkthrough was lighting, as what we wanted to do (use a spotlight) was too complicated and time consuming. Once the shotlist was complete we planned out costumes, that fit to our genre (thriller). I wore all black and Josh wore a dishevelled suit. When planning our sequence, we tried to include multiple theories, such as:

• narrative flow
• the 180° and 30° rule
• eye line matching
• shot/reverse shot
• match on action.

We found that having a storyboard and shot list was really useful during shooting as we had clearly mapped out what needed to be done. This ensured that we finished well within the time limit with minimal stress.

 3) What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?
 We used the Canon HV30 camera, a shotgun microphone, Mini DV Tape, Sennheiser HD 201 headphones and Adobe Premiere Pro to edit. 
Canon HV30: we recorded onto the Mini DV Tape, and changed framing and angles to help narrative flow. The shotgun microphone picked up any audio for the shot, and we used the Sennheiser HD 201 to hear this.
Adobe Premiere Pro: we viewed the clips and narrowed them down to the shots we wanted by placing them in a separate bin. We then cut down the clips using in and out points and dragged them onto the timeline using 2 video tracks, so the shots alternated between track 1 and 2. Once we established the shot order, we then cut down the clips further so the clips were seamless, and didn't hinder narrative flow or continuity.

4) What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?Planning: we had to take into account the amount of time we had to shoot, how difficult our set would be to set up and what resources we had at our disposal. Seeing as we only had an hour to shoot, we opted to keep our sequence simple, and decided to shoot within the Media Block. This meant we had to get permission to use PA7, and had to negotiate with other groups to use the foyer.

Shooting: when shooting, we had to make sure the lighting was correct, and that we kept within the allotted time. We also had to make sure our shots were framed correctly, as well as abiding to the 180° and 30° rule. Also, we had to ensure our shots followed the narrative flow, and had continuity by filming Josh completely walking through the door, for example.

Editing: we had to make sure there was match on action, narrative flow, continuity, audio syncing

5) How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and in hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?
I think our sequence was quite successful, as we fulfilled the demands of the brief. We matched the action of Josh walking through the door and sitting down, and made sure the eye lines matched. We also made sure the audio was synced with the video.
In hindsight, I think we should have had a bit more dialogue between the characters so as to ensure we had completely fulfilled the brief. Also, when Josh walks in through the door and out of the frame, which then cuts to a close up, we should have edited this differently, as it is quite disorientating for the audience to watch Josh go out of frame, only to be bombarded with him straight after. However, we weren't able to cut the clips together this way as we didn't have the right shot, so in hindsight I think we should have planned that part out in more detail so as to ensure we got the right shots.

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?
In completing this task, I have learnt how to plan a shoot well enough so that any problems, such as time keeping, can be avoided. I have also learnt about match on action and the 180° and 30° rule. This learning will be significant, as it will aid me and whoever is in my group to make sure our shoot goes ahead with as little hitches as possible. It will also help us make the opening with correct continuity so we can suspend the disbelief of the audience, and create a seamless sequence, using some of the many other theories we learnt, such as shot/reverse shot.