Media Blogpost
Preliminary task
Our preliminary
task was a continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a
door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair across from another character
followed by a short conversational exchange.
Planning
Before anything
could be shot or edited, we had to plan our scene in order to make sure the
shot was well organised and smooth. Planning is an effective way of beginning
this task as it lays out something clear to follow and stick to. The first
stage of planning was to decide upon a location to shoot in, after talking in
our group we went off around the school to decide if our suggestions would be
suitable.
When we had decided
our location, we went back to class to create a floor plan. Creating this floor
plan was very beneficial when it came to filming later on. Deciding where we
could place the cameras allowed for a smoother, faster set up. Also, planning
gave us a rough idea of how many shots we would need to take which ensured our
time efficiency as a group. With each cameras position planned, we could then
decide what each would be used for in order to achieve maximum effect and what
parts of the scene each angle fitted best.
Within our plan, we
incorporated the 180 degree rule to ensure our scene had continuity and ran
fluently as well as making sense to the audience. Breaking this rule would
possibly cause disorientation to the scene. Selecting where the clear 180
degree line between the characters would be placed made sure this did not
happen. Doing this planning ensured we didn’t waste time trying to figure out
camera positions when we had filming time and, more importantly, that when it
came to editing we didn’t realise we had shots we couldn’t use due to lack of
continuity therefore having to get rid of entire chunks of filming.
As well as a floor
plan, we had to create a script, it was important to decide on this as early as
possible due to the fact it allowed for time to learn lines as well as using
the dialogue and actions when planning the scene in regards to camera position.
Techniques
For our preliminary
task, we used a wide variety of techniques when it came to our editing as well
as filming. We used the skills we had learnt in our first term of lessons in
order to make our work seem as professional and well put together as possible
including variety in order to showcase our ability and learning.
There was a
specific technique we wanted to place emphasis on in our scene. In class, we
learnt that the Coen brothers filmed conversations from within the space,
between the characters. This meant having the camera placed on the table
between the two characters shooting single shots for each characters direction.
As many conversations are shot from over the shoulder, we thought using this
alternate method would draw more attention due to the fact its less commonly
used.
Doing this is
effective for a number of reasons, this includes isolating the characters in
turn, as opposed to having a close up of the other character in the background,
it displays the character alone. It also gives a more personal feel to the
conversation and allows the audience to feel as if they are almost
eavesdropping on the conversation like they would if they were spying. As well
as this, it reveals more of the frame as its not dominated by the other
characters shoulder for example. This gives the audience a chance to observe
the surroundings, therefore gaining more information about the location and how
it links to the character and plot.
In addition, we
used shot reverse shot to allow both characters to be clearly displayed in turn
and allowed each character to have head/ nose room through rule of thirds. All
of courteney’s shots were filmed at a slightly lower angle which gives the
audience a sense of looking up to her. This demonstrates her power control and
dominance in the scene. In contrast, my character had an extreme close up of
fidgeting with hands, this emphasised the nervous energy in the character
showing it had less power.
Main learning
points
By doing the
preliminary task, I have acquired a lot of skills that will help later on when it
comes to creating our thriller project later on in the year. Personally, I had
no previous experience with working with cameras or editing so creating this
task was a big leap yet with the knowledge built up from lessons and peers I
was capable of producing the scene.
I learned a lot
about how to edit shots with in and out-points in order to crop the scene down
to the section we need and piece them together into a fluent sequence using dip
to black when its necessary.
