Evaluation question 7

1. Evaluation question 7

2. Preliminary Exercise • When starting the preliminary task, my knowledge of filming was below par. I was aware of the fact that there are rules which needed to be followed to acquire a practical, flowing sequence, however I didn’t know them. I went into the preliminary task with a very basic level of knowledge. The preliminary task was an effective starting exercise as it taught me the style of filming called ‘continuity filming/editing’, which we as a group would then incorporate into our sequences at a later stage. This is a method of editing where the viewers can’t typically spot where the cut happens, creating a smooth, flowing piece. • When it came to actually filming, all the aspects which we were told began to make sense; entering and exiting on specific sides from the previous or following shot to match them together, for example, opening a door, and then having the next shot of the hand turning the handle. We learnt from an early stage that it’s important that our film follows an understandable storyline without any dialogue to explain what’s happening. As a result of this, we incorporated a thriller-esque type of song, building tension in scenes which are actually the complete opposite- walking through the corridors of college. • For our prelim, our main issue was the fact a group member was absent, leaving us a man short which required an extra person to fill that role. Apart from that, our group didn’t encounter many issues other than it was raining so we had to re- arrange our shot selection from outside to inside. We also encountered a few moments where we needed to be rushed, so we couldn’t apply to specific custom white balance needed for some shots, resulting in some shots looking grainy. • We tried to incorporate a level of mystery relating to the thriller genre in some ways. As nothing was said until the end, we laid a mysterious soundtrack over the sequence trying to build anticipation and convey mystery, which is a typical element of thriller films. The dialogue at the end is juxtaposed to what’s portrayed throughout the sequence, with the intension of acquiring some sort of individuality at this early stage of our media career.

3. Continued… • Group work is something I have been doing for a while, so working with others didn’t exactly faze me, more the other way around. I was put into a group with others I had never spoken to and I was fine with it, however other members seemed to be quite shy, resultantly making some situations challenging, as not everyone’s opinion was expressed. Because of this, I felt I would partially take control of the situation and build the initial ideas. However as time passed, the group members began to become more comfortable in expressing their opinions, and more ideas started to flow and communicating generally became easier. As this was the case, we eventually finished our piece with a fairly similar level of work done, some doing more on filming and some more on editing. • Delegating roles was at first a challenge within our group. No one wanted to be the actor and everyone wanted to be the camera man, so it was difficult at first. So I decided to be the actor as it seemed like no one was ever going to, and after that it was quite easy who did what; filming, editing planning and directing. I felt like I should come forward and take up that position, rather than killing more time arguing who would. • Writing a storyboard was something was difficult at first, as everyone claimed that they couldn’t draw. After a while, we all decided to do 2 boxes each as it was only fair. After delegating parts to certain people, we finished our story board with a good understanding of what was required, applying the appropriate terminology to where it was needed. • We followed the important 180 degree rule, which is where we the actors and directors, imagine there is an invisible line, so that there is a separation between what’s being filmed (characters, objects ect) and who’s filming it. This concept of filming maintains clear spatial relations and on-screen direction. An example of this rule in action is where I would leave the shot on the left, and then enter on the right, creating a smooth continuous motion. This area in still part of continuity editing. • At the end of our piece, we also incorporated a shot-reverse-shot, which is where one character is shown looking at another character, and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. We used this at the end where a small portion of dialogue was used. This is effectively used to create a realistic conversation, as it shot keeps switching back between characters, focusing on who is speaking at the time.

4. Opening title sequence- Filming! • We started by planning, keeping in mind important concepts of filming. However before this, we had to invent our idea for our film. After brainstorming some ideas between the three of us, I eventually came up with the main idea of our sequence; being a crime-based thriller surrounding a character who has a weakness and desire for money, and makes it by selling illegal drugs, and slowly selling away his morality and everything pure about him. After our idea was polished off, we jumped in and started to plan out our sequence. • For instance, we specifically planned out our sequence shot by shot, so we had a detailed plan to follow on the day. Ryan created a detailed and intricate storyboard for us to follow, which constructed a clearer image of our sequence. We have a few associated POV shots following our main character walking down the street. We also planned elements of Mise-en-scene, like our money and drugs props, our main character Eli’s costume and certain locations we were interested in shooting at. These locations were mainly dark and urbanised settings, relating to our crime thriller genre of the film. We used our experience from the preliminary exercise to create a more structured and elaborate plan surrounding the important elements of our film. The prelim provided us with the opportunity to improve our skills on filming and editing. It was apparent that some members did more work, or put more effort in than others. I tried to create a flow between the group, involving some who didn’t input as much as others at that time. This was difficult and only worked a few times. I included myself multiple times as being an actor, and helped Ryan out with decisions on shots, like the location or the specific angle of the shot. •  We made sure we kept to the basic rules of cinematography when filming our sequence; the 180 degree rule and continuity were things that we made sure we stuck to throughout the filming process. Ryan was a competent and knowledgeable when operating the camera, and kept this elements in the back of his mind at all times. We made sure to include these aspects as it presents our sequence as being professional, which is an important element.  • As I wasn’t the camera, I didn’t specifically record any shots, but if I had to choose it would be the time-lapse. It took 10 minutes to record but it went smoothly, however someone did actually walk in front of the camera about 2 minutes through so we had to re-do it. Luckily, the sunset was the perfect time to film it and we managed to capture the sun slowly going down as the clouds moved slowly behind the Brighton pier and the Eye. We sped it up in the editing stage which completed the shot, keeping Eli in real time, making it look effective as it reiterated his isolation which is a key theme of thrillers. • Overall, as a group I think we were quite pleased with our final product, we used a range of shots and locations which correlated well with our narrative and genre. However, at some stages, challenges were presented; people turning up late or the rainy weather effecting our filming. As a result, it made it difficult to organise the group, as well as the fact we were limited to filming on only 2 days of the week due to our main actor not being available, so we didn’t get all the shots we wanted to film. Also, on behalf of the whole group, I would say we might have been a bit lazy when it came to the filming. Also, we figured that we would have to edit some of these clips with much skill and precision to ensure that it had a criminal- gang related atmosphere to it, so we as a group delegated that role to the man who claimed he was the best at that job. Sadly, he could talk the talk, but not walk the walk. As of this, it negatively affected our film, as when it came to the editing stage, the specific person missed a lot of lessons and someone else had to jump in. •  As a group, if we were to do anything different during the filming process, it would have been allowing more days for us to film more shots. As well as collectively pushing our team mates harder to contribute more to the film, as it felt like Ryan and I were doing most of the work. Having said that, we are happy with the finished product of our film.

5. Editing! • When it came to the editing stage, we had previously delegated roles, electing Roman as the main editor and Ryan and I would be there for support and general ideas and opinions. Roman was happy with the editing part as he said he’s had previous experience in the field, and enjoyed doing it anyway. • Ryan had a good, competent idea of what we wanted to produce so he helped Roman put the shots in the right place, whilst Roman cropped them so that the continuity flowed correctly. During these lessons, Ryan and I would work on our blogs while Roman would be in the edit suite. Every half an hour we would check up on Roman and as the lessons progressed, he seemed to be putting less and less effort into the project, wasting valuable time. Unfortunately, he eventually stopped turning up and so Ryan came forward and put maximum effort in with help from me on ideas for fonts, syncing of song and special effects like the £20 note in the sky, and the police siren at the end of the sequence. • With some help from the pro Steph, Ryan was able to finish the rough-cut passed on from Roman and eventually the final cut. It was obvious Ryan was more competent in this area of expertise, so I provided ideas and support throughout. • Ryan said he learnt a lot when editing, using a range of transition tools and effects like cross dissolves and fades to black. He also made sure the continuity was on point by cutting the shots so that they were all smooth and precise, which is an important element. •  He said the hardest thing to do was matching the cuts to the soundtrack which took the longest to do because the soundtrack changed 3 times in our sequence. We were both pleased with what he was able to achieve syncing wise, as he managed to fit the soundtrack and SFX in the right places to sync with the shots. He made our piece appear much more professional when comparing with preliminary exercise edits. • As a result, Ryan, with some help from me, was able to achieve a properly effective edit relating to our genre of crime-thriller. We incorporated elements in our filming stage, like drug deals, and then improved the shot by speeding up or slowing down, and then syncing to the soundtrack. We were pleased with our end result however we wish we had shot more shots in the filming stage, and if Roman would have attended more editing lessons, so that he could have imputed more of his opinion into the edit as he did have some good ideas.