1) What planning did you do? How was this useful and how did you change from your plans?
After being given our task and sectioned into groups, we brainstormed ideas and discussed possible storylines and camera shots that could be used for the task. Eventually deciding which storyline and camera angles would be most effective, each individual in the group created a story board as initial planning for the production. Individual storyboards were made so that each member of the group could refer back to the plan whenever required and to maximise understanding of the camera angles and shots planned.
As well as this, we created a shot list to re-enforce the directions on the storyboard which ensured we knew precisely which camera angles would be used in which shot/action and also delegated roles of camera managing, directing and acting to various members of the group. Being a visual person I would say that the story board helped me most in the initial planning to understand and remember the shots, situation and actions performed in each shot; however it is more time consuming and a more complex way of planning in comparison to the shot listing.
When creating the story boards, we did not consider time and therefore it was hard to guess how long each shot would run for or take to complete. To ensure that we had enough footage to last the two minute guideline, we filmed each shot longer than would we thought necessary; for example when filming the over-the-shoulder shot of Robbie walking down the long corridor, we filmed him walking up to approximately half way down the corridor to ensure we had enough footage when it came to editing. In our initial planning, we had planned to film Robbie walking in from an alternative entrance of the school, however when it came to shooting we found that the original entrance was too busy and noisy and would distract the viewers from the main action intended. To resolve this problem we changed location which meant that an extra shot had to be added; walking through the double doors and around the corner to the top of the corridor. Another problem we encountered was that we did not finish filming the conversation between Robbie and Jackson on the day that the travelling shots were filmed and consequently had to finish filming another day. This, however, created continuity errors because Robbie was not wearing the same outfit as the day of filming, therefore we had to delay our filming yet another day to ensure Robbie had the identical outfit on. We managed to finish shooting and edit the footage on time and have learnt to take this into consideration when filming our thriller introduction to ensure no continuity errors occur.
2) What camera skills have you developed? How confident are you with using the cameras and has this confidence changed during the project?
Having never before previously used a moving-image camera (only in an amateur situation such as family holidays), I think I performed my duty of shooting the footage well and have quickly learnt how to use the camera and shot angles effectively. I have also improved on my shooting skills and confidence by holding a steady hand when filming which is something that, at first, created quite a problem. I think the camera angles used most effectively in our preliminary task were the low angle, tracking shot of Robbie riding the bike into the school entrance and the low angle shot of the bike being dismounted and placed against the bike rack. These angles were effective in giving status to the character and created an interesting feel to an otherwise dull shot. Being interested in photography, although not having a high-tech still images camera myself, I have experimented with various camera angles and lighting before and know how both variations can render the tone, mood and effect of a shot. This is something that will help when shooting our thriller opening.
3) What editing skills have you developed? How confident are you with using the editing program?
Before the project I had not used any sort of film editing program, only for still images, so was not aware of how to use it and did not have much confidence in the controls. However with a little guidance from those more experienced in editing, I managed to quickly learn and understand the basic controls and skills needed to complete the project. Working well together, Zoe and I managed to successfully edit our footage, removing and resolving any continuity errors we noticed throughout and also adding several slide transitions such as fade to black as well as including a title slide. Although not knowing the editing software in detail, I am confident in my basic skills and feel I would be successful in editing footage independently; however this knowledge could be expanded so as to know the software in more detail. Overall, I am pleased with the outcome of our short film and am looking forward to experimenting with new and different editing and shooting effects in the production of our thriller introduction.
4) Other comments.
I think that our group worked well together throughout the project, sharing ideas and giving constructive criticism when necessary, producing a successful and varied film in the end. Despite the occasional organisation error, such as the continuity error due to Robbie’s change of outfit, we managed to complete the project on time and resolved any problems quickly and efficiently. The 180 degree rule was used successfully when shooting the conversation and performing the shot reverse shot action; this is important to ensure that the audience is aware of the positioning of the characters and scene and ensures the viewers do not becoming disorientated or confused.
