For our preliminary task, we had the task to film under brief
of continuity. The task involved editing a character opening the door, crossing
a room and sitting down opposite another character, with whom he/she then
exchange a couple of lines of dialogue. We had to embody all the features of
the brief into a short film.
Before we could start filming we needed to plan our film including where it would take place, the script and the different types of shots we would use. To begin with we looked around the school to find a suitable filming place in which we could set our scene. Once we had decided a to film we went back to the class room to start planning our floor plan and storyboard, this would ensure we knew what shots we were going to do and also ensure we didn't break the 180 degree rule which was crucial to the task. Drawing out the floor plan helped us decide on the shots we were going to use which benefited us greatly when creating our storyboard. The storyboard gave us clarity of our scenes, it ensured we were sticking to the brief as well as using a variety of shots and angles to make the film more interesting. We also decided on our scrip we had chosen to use which was from the film 'Mean Girls'. Choosing the scrip early on gave us time to edit any of it which needed adjusting and also gave us time to rehearse it. During the filming we made sure to look back at our plan to remind us of the shots we were aiming to use and what action we were supposed to be filming in each clip. Each stage of the planning helped us film a smoother and more organised film however, the additional planning we could've used was to rehearse the whole film through at least once, with or without filming. This would've helped us make sure we had continuity throughout the entire film.
Techniques
In our film we used a variety of techniques, during previous lessons we looked at a range of techniques we could incorporate into our piece to make it more interesting. Throughout the whole film we made sure we stuck to the 180 degree rule. This rule made sure the film made sense, and is as crucial for the viewers to follow to enable them to understand where everything was in the different scenes. During the cross over between the walking scene and the dialogue between the two characters we used an extreme close up of the opening of the door, this gives the impression that there could be some sort of significance to what is inside the door and gives slight curiosity to the shot. This technique is used in Breaking Bad on the first episode when there is multiple extreme close ups on significant objects/ things which give more information about the character. Though they have different purposes the camera shot gives the focused object a purpose. In the fist shot we used a long/high angled shot, this abled us to set the scene of the school place which suited our school based movie script. We also used a birds eye shot to make the film more interesting, we used this when passing over an object between the two characters. This shot was inspired by Coffee and Cigarettes, aiming to look directly onto the scene and changing the focus of the scene giving it more depth. While editing we had to cut our scenes to show continuity, we incorporated a quick dip to black once during the filming to make one of the change of scenes smoother otherwise it would've look disjointed to the previous and after shots. To finish our short film we used a fade to black to show a definitive ending, this technique is a traditional ending to films and programmes, which inspired us to use it to show a professional end.
The use of close-ups in these shots draws the attention to the subjects
We used a birds-eye shot to add variety of camera angles, this was inspired by a shot in the film cigarettes and coffee
I have learnt a variety of key learning points from this task
all of which will be valuable in my thriller project later in the year. The
practical aspects which I will refer to are some of the simplest things such as
using the camera, such as learning how to zoom and focus. These skills will be
crucial when creating my thriller piece as I would've already practised the
techniques to make the camera work a higher standard. Understanding how to use
and open the editing software was one of the main practical aspects which was
key to learn. This has abled me to know the basics within editing such as
importing clips, how to add in and outputs and how to export clips, these
skills will allow me to use the programme efficiently. The planning aspect of the task showed me how
important it is to have clear ideas before filming. By working in a group,
creating a storyboard and floor plan allowed us to have a more professional
outcome, instead of spontaneously forming ideas during filming. Though planning
improved our piece majorly some aspects of our piece didn't go as smooth as I
wished. For example the audio in the clips weren't smooth and had to be edited
to make piece more continuous than originally. This also goes for the camera
work as there was slight camera movement in some shot where it shouldn't've
been, making it look less smooth and skilful.
Throughout the project we constantly referred back to the 180 degree
rule, as this technical aspect of film making is key to establishing film to
make sense. This technical aspect will have an impact later in the year as it
will show my understanding on its importance in making a well-made piece.
During class, we learnt techniques such as how to shoot someone walking, from
texts such as peaky Blinders and Saturday Night fever. These texts showed us
how to establish a character before showing the character as a whole. This will
be compelling to use in my thriller piece as it will result in my piece being
professional and enticing for the audience. In the future I will widen the use
of techniques I've learnt and incorporate more into my task to discover more of
my ability. For example, my piece we didn't use advance technique when shooting
the conversation, which made it look less professional and disabled a wider use
of editing tools we could've used.
