My Prelim Evaluation

CONTINUITY PRE-LIM VIDEO ABOVE

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

There were 3 other people in my group, Ray, Sailesh and Sian. We split the task between us, Ray and Sailesh were acting and Sian and 1 were working on managing sound and directing shots. However, we planned for the preliminary task together. For the editing process I was paired with Sian. Everyone managed the task really well and were very time efficient, everyone put forward suggestions and we had discussions over each of them to make sure every member of the group agreed with it.



group photo

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

To plan the sequence we created a shoot-board, a script and a shot list to save time. The shoot-board was very effective in helping us see how we were to angle our shot and who should be acting in it. We didn’t use the shootboard exactly from shot to shot; we switched shot 10 and 11 during editing as we felt that looked more realistic.

shoot-board

The Script was good because it made sure that the lines were the same in different shots so that we could easily edit and cut things together without a hassle. The shot  list was helpful as we shot similar scenes at once to save time so there would be less ‘setting up’ however due to the fact that it was not in chronological order it got confusing at times.

shot list

Since both groups knew that we had a scene outside the classroom in a corridor we negotiated timings so that weren’t filming at the same time. During filming we used varying theories effectively to make sure that the preliminary task brief was met. The theories included the 180-degree rule, the 30-degree rule, match-on-action, shot-reverse-shot and the use of master shots for establishing the scene of the place. 

180 degree rule

 The narrative structure that we had was quite understandable as the conversation was simple and brief. Also the actors were very helpful with how they expressed their new personas making it that much easier for the audience.

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

For technology the camera was set up on a Libec TH-650 HD  tripod which made sure that the shots we were taking were properly balanced, it was height adjustable so we could get different angles from it, making it more flexible. This was good as it meant we could shoot from different angles. For example, low angle and high angle. The camera we used as the Canon Legria HFG3O which was also very lightweight so we could carry it around easily. The camera came with headphones and a Canon DM-100 Directional microphone which we used to manage sound so that we knew exactly what was heard in the shot at all times and if we needed to re-do anything due to factors like background noise.

camera and headphones

The hardware that we used was the PCs in school, which were running on Windows 7. The software that we used was 'Adobe Premier' this was for editing the clips together to make sure that it was continuous. The media technician uploaded these clips after we had finished filming. The first part of the editing process was to rename all of the clips into the shot number and take number so that we could quickly identify where the different shots were.

adobe premiere screen shot

We watched through all of them and labelled each one good or bad so that we knew exactly which ones to select. Before we started Emma gave us a quick demo of how to use the software, she informed us of the multiple-tracks feature which we used to place our scenes. Sian and I had to make sure that the different shots were always alternating between two tracks. In order to match the action and therefore meet the continuity task we tried to make the final frame of one-shot match exactly with the first shot of the next, we did this by having the actor re-do the last bit so that it had more of a natural flow, this was very helpful when editing.

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

We had to take different factors into account when planning, shooting and editing since we were doing it within a school setting. One thing we did have to plan around was the school bell, to make sure that it wouldn’t ruin any scene or else we would have had to re-do it. Also we were filming in a classroom that was near a field were students were running and screaming, because of that we needed to film the shot again but this time with closed windows to make sure that the lowest level of sound was coming from there. A huge limitation we had was regarding timing as we only had an hour for filming and the same for editing. This meant that we had to do fewer takes of each scene and to just accept the ones we had and work with that as we were unable to fix the audio across certain shots which became apparent during the editing process.


photo of my group filming

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

The Brief was a short task which required us to include shot-reverse-shot, match on action, a brief conversation whilst not breaking the 180 degree rule. The sequence was overall successful in doing this. We used our planning materials properly and always looked at them for reference making it all exactly how we pictured.


Example Gifs of the techniques used below...

Shot-reverse-shot

Match on Action

180 degree rule

In hindsight, there were some shots that could have been better for example shot 12 were Sailesh shouts “hello” in Ray’s face and he replies with “I don’t care” because of that angle Sailesh is covering Ray’s face so we don’t get to see his annoyed expression.

gif of task

Due to timing we had to accept that final shot, however to improve we would have filmed one better take perhaps at a two shot or a close-up. There was also an audio error with Sailesh walking into the class, for some reason there was no sound so we had to take more time in the editing room fixing that.

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?

This preliminary task has taught me how to make film a sequence in a short amount of time, which will become useful for my future creations. From the editing process I have now become familiar with the 'Adobe Premiere' software so from now on editing will hopefully take a shorter amount of time. I have improved my skills in shooting which will make sure that the filming for my future opening sequence is of good quality. The pre-production process taught me how much preparation is necessary for such a simple sequence with only a couple lines of dialogue. A clear shoot-board was needed and a lot of discussions for example about shot angles etc., needed to be had so that all parties in the group were happy and on the same page. Something that I should do for the future is to make a physical account of which takes were good so that I wouldn’t need to go through every single clip when editing. Also going through each scene as a test run would be a good idea, as sometimes adjustments from the shoot board may need to be made, as the action/angle in real life may look odd. Now that I have all this new information it would make future projects slightly easier since I now know how to improve from my mistakes. However my future coursework will be at a much larger scale making it more difficult therefore getting experience through the preliminary task was very beneficial in making sure nothing goes wrong in the future.

HW 4b - Revise for your written assessment (DYM)

HW 4a - Plan your prelim video (BLK)

HW 3b - Existing film continuity sequence analysis (BLK)

HW 3a - Continuity task evaluation (BLK)

Continuity task evaluation

Explain the story of your video

1.    In the continuity task two characters were walking down a staircase having a conversation regarding their class homework. The dialogue died down as they reached the bottom of the stairs and at that point, character ‘A’ accidentally pushed character B as he attempted to playfully touch her shoulder. This meant that she had a bad fall. Whilst character A was making sure B was not injured, another character joins the scene worried. As this occurs character ‘A’ panics and runs in the other direction as a way to avoid responsibility for the issue

     How did you attempt to create 'narrative flow' (continuity?

2.    We attempted to create narrative flow (continuity) by having different camera positions for example ELS, MLS and LS so that the audience wouldn’t see the shot change as “jump cuts” since it wouldn’t look natural. The reason why this would help the shots flow is because it would allow the audience to see what was taking place from different angles. The audience would then understand where everything was in relation to each other.

     Did you achieve full continuity? If not, why not?

3.  As a group we didn’t achieve full continuity. An example of this would be at the end of the second shot where you can see that character B falls and in the third shot you see her falling a second time. This repetition reduced the idea of realism because the audience would understand that, that was an error. Another way we didn’t reach full continuity is through the failure of ‘match on action’ where the characters did not repeat the full action and instead go straight from where the last shot ended but not be in the correct position. So when the audience would see this, the character wouldn’t have any momentum making it appear very unrealistic.

     In hindsight, what would you do differently to improve the narrative flow of your video and tell your story more effectively?

4.  In hindsight to improve the narrative flow, it would have been smarter to focus more on the pre-production aspect, for example through storyboarding so that as a group we could use it as a basis for discussion whilst simultaneously making it easier to visualise the shots. Also going location scouting instead of blindly picking a place with a staircase that was in one of the main school corridors as a lot of interruptions were made.

HW 2c - Sound in film openings (DYM)

Romeo Juliet:

Romeo and Juliet 1996

Dialogue

Diegetic dialogue can be heard from 0.10 to 0.46 during the opening sequence from a television in a dark room, the programme is some sort of news show where a lady talks about a situation and its chaos to inform the people as well as to give the audience some context. The camera slowly zooms in from an ‘ELS’ to a ‘CLU’ during this piece of dialogue, when it finishes, the camera moves to the city in question. At 1.07 the dialogue starts again however from the voice of a narrator so it is non-diegetic, it explains the news story with greater detail. The sequence ends with an older man shouting in car in the city, it is not clear if this is before the chaos or after.

Sound effects

Just before the TV turns on in the beginning of the opening sequence we see the production company after a couple of seconds to allow reading time, the TV statics and you see a name appear, soon after the dialogue starts. Towards the end of the dialogue, it starts to get much louder and just before the music starts playing you hear the sound of a missile in the background suggesting strife, which relates to the dialogue. Whilst the second piece of dialogue is playing at 1.07 you hear the sound of a helicopter then see a helicopter flying, so it is diegetic. The sound of clashing instruments is timed with the fireworks so maybe the director is creating this idea that you can almost hear the fireworks too since there are a lot of sounds going on (from the character sequence especially).

Music track

At 0.50, a loud old-fashioned, non-diegetic opera song starts to play for dramatic effect. At the height of the song the words “IN FAIR VERONA” come on the screen with a black background, at 1.06 the music track fades but is still there. This mixture of sound is meant to panic the audience. At 1.39 the music starts to build a crescendo and the characters one by one appear with a freeze frame in their movement so we know exactly who is who. The music has a very powerful opera singer with even more powerful instruments. As this is happening the camera is cutting to different places in the city, which creates this very chaotic, feel. This contrasts to the establishing shots right after the words ‘in fair Verona’ was shown as it was much more peaceful and bright with billboards. At the end of the sequence while the man is shouting you get to hear music from the radio in the car also, so there is never a quiet moment.

HW 2b - Analysis of titles in film openings (DYM)

11.23.63

This sequence starts with a very loud tune that is in sync with the image shown and the text. When the tune gets louder, writing appears on the screen. It immediately starts with the lead actors name being shown at 0.01 seconds. Moving to supporting characters up until 0.18. The producer is then shown at 0.19 with crew maintenance and executive producers following. While this is happening a lot of different types of shots and angles of objects are being shown. There is red string in the sequence, which suggests that it is a crime drama, the loud and intense music showcases this too. The final title placement shown is the director and as it does the music gets louder then fades in the next second with the film title appearing as it goes silent, suggesting something very sudden and quick (which could be foreshadowing the film)

Deadpool

Comic images shown till 0.09 seconds then the publishing company 'Marvel' is shown. Straight after it goes black for 3 seconds and then leads on to cast members however instead of actual names they are parody ones e.g. "hot chick" and "Gods perfect idiot". In the background old 80s music is playing which creates this nostalgic feeling for the audience. The entire title sequence is one shot including frozen characters and objects in the air floating.

Comparisons

The difference between 11.23.63 and Deadpool is that 11.23.63 placed much more significance on their lead actors compared to Deadpool. In fact Deadpool did not contain any actual legitimate names except for the publishing company. Even though Marvel is a company it has just as much of a fan base, arguably even bigger than, a lead actor. This may be because they were shying away from the typical film conventions in attempt to be humorous and appeal to their niche market. 11.23.63 had a lot of cuts from shot to shot however Deadpool had one continuous one with no cuts at all creating this idea of how one thing leads to another. The aesthetics of 11.23.63 were much more monochromatic compared to Deadpool which had a lot of bright colours.

HW 2a - Existing Opening Sequence analysis (DYM)

1. Identify the film and its genre 

Legally Blonde - Teen Drama/Romantic Comedy

2. Identify where the story takes place and the time scale.

The story takes place at a sorority club in college set in America.

3. Summarise what happens in the sequence in chronological order. How significant to the story telling is the order of events.

In the sequence, some sort of letter/card is being transported through the campus to a girl called Elle Woods, it is assumed that she is the main character. As the letter progresses through the area we get to see more and more important characters for example the supporting cast. As this is happening we get to see Elle's morning routine and how everything is going to plan almost like the calm before the storm because at this point everything is going a bit too well. She then receives the letter and the audience get a hint of whats to come later since she reads the letter out loud.

4. Do events link to each other or are they distinct, unconnected events?

The events do link together as its all a continuos narrative flow of a letter being sent to its owner by hand

5. which characters are introduced and what are their roles in the film? how do we find this information out.

The main character is shown throughout the opening sequence however we do not see her face until the very last 25 seconds, this creates a feeling of suspense for the audience as they are anticipating this from the moment the film starts. Also, three characters got more screen time than the rest of the people shown which can only suggest that they are the supporting cast or somehow related to this Elle Woods Character. Finally the love interest is shown at the end of the sequence through a picture where the main character glances towards it very lovingly, also the dialogue at the end further proves that the man is significant to the plot line.

6. How much story information is revealed and how is it revealed to the audience? what is deliberately withheld?

Not a lot of information is revealed to the audience, all that is received is a lot of establishing shots to set the scene of the campus and one main sorority. We do hear a bit of whats to come through the reading of the letter but we aren't given a lot of detail which helps keep the audience on their toes

7. What do you think the audience needs to know at the start of your film? explain your answer.

The opening sequence should allow the audience to get a feel of the film. This should directly correlate to its genre, it can be done through music choice which will hopefully set the tone of the film. for example a horror film should have very low music that isn't upbeat like pop music. The opening sequence should have shots of the setting so the audience can fully understand where it is set so they know the protocol the characters should "follow". Also it should introduce the audience directly or indirectly to the main character.

HW 1b - Reflections on my film still (BLK)

1. The film still could be described as something that is very eerie and mysterious, the genre that this fits well in would be Horror/Thriller. As it is a genre which aims to create dread and panic for the audience done through unsettling images, which could be a portrayal of the audiences worst fear.

2. I knew that having the victim in a small and compact place would emphasise the vulnerability of the character so there is a sense of sympathy for her. The actor is looking down to the floor clutching her knees, showing this very timid and innocent side. Since the frame is centred on whats underneath the table it is very dark. However, the light directly shines on the actor with a surrounding darkness conveying to the audience that she is the focus of the still. The lighting in the corner is very streaky, showing the audience that a door has been opened. This suggests that there is something out there that she may be hiding from.

3. The actor is looking away almost as though she is scared of whats to come creating a very tense atmosphere. I intended for the audience to understand the cold dark empty feeling that was apparent in the film still (and almost every horror film) The high angle creates the impression that there is 'something' looking down on her, something that is much more important. This tells the audience that the actor is very weak and helpless.

4. The things that i found were successful in the shot is the amount feeling that you can obtain from it all for example the framing. we used a close up which made it much more intimate, the lighting which accentuated the macabre atmosphere due to the darkness. And of course the acting

5. In hindsight I think if more time was available a better setting would of been found and we wouldn't of needed to limit ourselves to just close up shots because of surrounding furniture (like the tables that are visible in the shot) which would have taken away the effect.

HW 1a - Existing film still analysis (DYM)

Narrative


The characters in the film still are all wearing ancient clothing (mostly cloth) which suggests that it is a primitive time. This tells us that they are very in tune with nature and the true human instincts that are very animalistic and violent, hence the sword directed at the level of the camera almost as if its coming into contact with the audience almost breaking the fourth wall. The still is focused on the man who is holding the sword which suggests that everyone behind him are supporting characters with less power. In the shot there is one female amongst a lot of men which tells us that there is an imbalance of gender equality.

Genre


The violence of the shot and the abundance of weapons that you can see tells the audience that this is an action packed war film. There is this feeling of anxiousness when you see the still which tells us that there maybe a lot of suspense in it. Gerald Butler has a very mean expression in the film still which also reinforces the idea of a war film.


Audience


Typically males are the prime audience target for action war type films as they contain things that are stereotypically "masculine".  The majority of characters in an action film are also male as you can also see from the film still, so this would attract a male audience also. Females maybe drawn to the film through superficial means such as looks or maybe because of the actors involved, Gerald Butler is quite famous and has his own fan base.