Preliminary Task - Evaluation

The brief for our preliminary exercise:

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/reserve shot and the 180 degree rule.

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

My group consisted of Louis, Vivian, Mari and of course, myself. Mari and I were the two actors, Louis was the cameraman and Vivian was the director. Although those were our primary roles, we all helped with each other's roles as well. There was some thought behind each of our primary roles. Our sequence consisted of two characters - a teacher and a teenage student. Mari is the smallest and youngest looking member of the group so it only made sense to have her act as the student. Similarly, I am the biggest and oldest looking member of the group so I therefore acted as the teacher. Louis was very keen to experiment with using a camera as he has very little experience of manning a camera, whilst Vivian was eager to challenge herself by taking on the role of director. Furthermore, Mari and I had also studied Media GCSE at this school, meaning that Vivian and Louis would most likely learn more from the experience if they lead the more technical side of the task. Also, for editing, we split into two groups - one being myself and Vivian, the other being Mari and Louis. This allowed us to all have a good portion of time to edit.

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

The first thing that we did, was to have a group discussion. We quickly agreed that it would be easiest to have the characters be a teacher and a student as that would link well with the school setting we had available to us. We established what costumes we needed then spent about 2 minutes outlining the general flow of the script. This is because we wanted to focus more on the setups and shots and, more importantly, how we would conform to the rules of continuity. Vivian and Mari worked on the storyboard whilst Louis started the shotlist. My role in all of this was to ensure that our decisions on shots were based more so on continuity than any other aspect. Throughout we had a few walkthroughs in order to test whether certain shots would work. We needed to ensure that during the process of Mari walking into the room the camera would always be on her right, thus conforming to the 180 degree rule. We also made the decision to film a lot seemingly unnecessary shots so that we had spare shots that could be used to cut to in editing, if needed.

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

We used a Canon HV30 camera, a tripod, a shotgun mic, Sennheiser HD 201 headphones, a clapperboard and Adobe Premiere Pro. We filmed with the camera using tape to record onto. We used the tripod to alter angles whilst keeping the shot steady. The shotgun mic allowed for the camera to only record audio form one direction, ensuring that a lot of background noise wasn't recorded. To listen to the audio whilst shooting we used the headphones, allowing us to recognise any audio issues instantly. At the start of every shot we would film the clapperboard (with information on) for about 2 seconds in order to help with the editing process. At the end of filming we reviewed all the shots that we had recorded. This enabled us to see if we missed any shots out or needed to re-shoot any. Finally, we edited everything with Adobe Premiere Pro. This included the process of selecting shots, cutting the video, cutting the audio and putting the shots together.

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

For planning we had to take into account the time, equipment and locations we had available. We only had an hour to shoot, meaning that we'd have to make the sequence fairly simple. We decided to use the Media Block as our setting as it would involve minimal movement when setting up. However, it did mean we had to get permission to use PA7 and that we would have to negotiate with other groups our slot to shoot in the corridor. Whilst shooting we had to take into account lighting, background noise and background movement. For instance, we couldn't film in the corridor when loads of kids were running outside because the bell went. We also had to check if the framing was right for all of our shots and see if there any issues with audio. We also made sure that any shots we took conformed to the 180 degree rule and the 30 degree rule. Even though we had the shots on the shotlist, we needed to check for any mistakes and make sure that any unplanned shots were correct. For editing we needed to ensure that the narrative flow was in place. We also had to check the audio syncing. This all built up to establishing the continuity of the sequence. Perhaps the most useful tool for this was match on action, which we relied upon heavily. We also had to make sure we didn't worry too much about 1 shot or cut as we only had 1 hour to edit.

5) How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?

I think our sequence was extremely successful. It met the demands of the brief well; displaying the correct narrative, utilising match on action, conforming to both the 180 and 30 degree rules, in turn leading to a solid level of continuity throughout the sequence.

However, there are a few instances when cuts in the sequence didn't flow very well. For example, the cut between the first and the second shot seems jumpy. This is because in the first shot Mari extends her left arm, whilst in the second shot she uses her right arm to open the door. This meant that we had to cut from the first shot prematurely. To further improve the quality of the cut, we could have altered the angle and framing of the shot so that the cut seemed more necessary, seeing as the current cut is on the border of breaking the 30 degree rule. Similar scenarios apply to two other cuts in the sequence, but they seem to be the only clear issues. Therefore, in hindsight, I would make sure that we make each shot's framing significantly more different as to avoid breaking the 30 degree rule. I would also ensure that in every shot the characters' actions are completely identical, so that I have larger windows of opportunity to utilise 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?

In completing this task, I have had the chance to witness the importance of every aspect of filming a sequence - planning, filming and editing. I have learnt that in order to edit a sequence effectively, you need a lot of narrative-consistent shots and in order to achieve these shots you need thorough planning. Specifically, I have learnt about the effects and importance of the 180 degree rule and the 30 degree rule, and how they can completely shatter the continuity of a sequence. This learning will be very significant as it will enable me to effectively create a seamlessly continuous sequence in order to suspend the disbelief of the audience. It will also be significant as it has taught me how to keep to a tight schedule and work effectively and quickly within a group, which will be of the up most importance in the rest of my foundation coursework.