Evaluation of the Preliminary Task

Evaluation of the Preliminary Task

In the task we had to make a short video involving a conversation between two people (using the shot/reverse-shot), someone coming through a door (match-on-action) and use the 180 degree rule, which is when the characters in the scene are connected by an imaginary line which the camera only operates on one side of for every shot in the scene so the characters are always on the same position in each shot.

What went well?

The use of the shots was executed well. We had two instances of the shot/reverse-shot in a conversation. The 180 degree rule was also used in these conversations as for the duration of the conversation the audience never sore anything behind the camera and the characters stayed don the same sides of the scene. Out match-on-action was used when Oli Harbord walked through the door to start the first conversation. The camera shows his hand opening the door then cutting to him coming through it, the door being open the same amount as the first shot.

Our editing skills were also used well for this clip. We used a variety of shots and different angles, editing them together in most instances very well. The most frequently used shot other than the shot/reverse-shot was the match on action which can be very difficult to use as it may cause continuity issues if not edited properly, however we used them very well.

Match on Action- A match on action is an editing technique used for continuity editing in which one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action of the subject in the first shot.

Theo 180° rule-The 180° rule is when filming only takes place within the 180° angle in which this is maintained in a conversation. This allows the audience to have a greater understanding of the location.

Shot Reverse Shot- A shot reverse shot is another continuity editing technique. It is used when a conversation or simply characters looking at each other or objects. It could be what the character is supposedly looking at, either a point of view shot or over the shoulder. If the character is looking at someone or in a conversation with them, the next shot would be a reverse angle shot of the character they were looking at looking back at them. We used this when Theo and George had a conversation, switching between both of them.

Improvements:

There were three instances were the audience could see the Josh Graham, our camera-man, in the reflection of windows. The first was the shot of Oli reading the text message, we can see Josh’s hand in the reflection of the screen. The second was the shot of Oli walking past the water fountain when Josh’s shoulder is visible in the reflection of the door and finally when Oli and I leave the scene after the first conversation the audience can briefly see one half of Josh as he films.

Another minor problem was ensuring that the video had continuity. For filming we had to ensure we had access to the areas of the school for both days and that all people involved wore the same clothes on both days. This issue was handled well and we prepared very well for any potential continuity issues. However the was an instance of a continuity error. In the scene were Oli is coming down the stairs, there is a shot of his feet coming down and he leads with right foot but in the next shot (a match-on-action) he plants with his left, this was minor but still noticeable by us and the audience.

Lessons learnt for next time:

Firstly we learnt the importance of location. As we could only film during school time we had a very limited number of locations. We took this into consideration for our final piece, ensuring that our location matched our characters behaviours and our stories narrative.

We also learned the importance of costume. As we were in school we could only were our sixth form suits, however for our final product we spent time assessing what costume our characters would wear and then developed a full costume list so it matched our narrative to give the video a more authentic and genre specific feel.

Between the time we filmed the Preliminary task and our final product we developed our editing skills so we could incorporate more challenging shots.