Preliminary Task -Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue.
We planned the shoot to ensure we did not break the 180 degree rule by rehearsing the scenes and filming multiple scenes to ensure we had the best angle and shot. To ensure we would not break the 180 degree rule we rehearsed several times to give us an idea of how the scene would appear. We planned each stage and each shot/angle had a specific purpose. We planned the shots using a storyboard which showed us the basic structure and it showed us the angles we would use. We tried not to stray too far from our storyboard as we were happy with the variety of shots we had included. We also created a floor plan so when we arrived at the location we could quickly film as we had a short amount of time to film. We followed the floor plan with slight alterations ( for example: when the first character enters the room and is standing).
During filming we followed the storyboard whilst adding a few scenes such as the last two scenes. We added the last two scenes so we could include more shots and use these shots to show character's status ( in the shot below character 1 is lower than character two for example- which shows the power of character 2).
I feel that there is not much more planning we could have done in the time we had. If we had more time I would have wanted to use lighting more effectively.
Techniques
We used various techniques in our final cut. For example we used 11 different shot types. We also obeyed the 180 degree rule as if we were not to follow it the viewers would become disorientated and the short film would be confusing to watch. An example of the 180 degree shot can be seen in the shot below. This shot orientates the viewer and allows the short film to be easier to follow. We also used continuity editing to make our short film seem . Continuity editing can be seen from 0:18 - 0:24. The continuity editing is smooth and there is not any sudden jumps which gives our short film a sense of professionalism.
We also used a mixture of shots. For example we used an extreme close up of character 1 (image below) in develop an intensity to the scene. The character has equal space on the left and right side of their face as we intended in order to show that the character has a calm mental state.
When editing we changed the order of shots. For example, we cut the shot of the two hands and inserted it into the first conversation shot whilst the dialogue continued in the background. We also used fade to black a few times to make the transitions smoother.
Main Learning Points
Whilst planning our task my group and I worked well which allowed us to plan efficiently and film quickly. We were all happy with the end product and we were happy with our storyboard.
The Preliminary Task also allowed me to become much more confident whilst using a camera and using various angles. It also taught me how to edit and I feel more confident when editing so when I edit my final task I can use the software to the best of my ability.
The penultimate shot is used to establish character 2 as a powerful individual shown through the different height in the shot. We tried to portray character 2 as the strongest character by showing her as calm and collected. We did not use any extreme close ups of character 2 as we did not want to present her as intense but rather as calm with a sense of authority and power. We also portrayed character 1 as the weaker character by leaving the character on his own at the end to isolate him.
We kept to the 180 degree rule throughout the short film by shooting on one side only in order to prevent any disorientation of the viewer. Our conversation was inspired by "Coffee and Cigarettes" as it used various shots whilst showing a conversation. We also used a bird's eye view shot which was used in "Coffee and Cigarettes" as it was a unique shot which isn't always used in conversations.
Our main problem during the filming and editing was the sound quality. The sound quality in the short film is poor so when I film and edit my final task I plan on using a boom-mic to ensure a high sound quality.
We did encounter one other problem which was that when editing we needed a shot to fill a gap which we did not have. We did not have enough time to re-film so we had to improvise and we put another shot in the gap.
