4&5. Preliminary Task & Evaluation: Stalker Boy (Anna McConnell)

STALKER BOY

Pre-Production and Production

Due to the limited preparation time we received, our group were unable to draw a storyboard in order to plan our preliminary task. We had the basic outline however of the plot therefore it was not a huge difficulty to film the movements of the characters. Initially, we had envisioned our piece to be a thriller opening however throughout filming we found ourselves veering towards comical themes such as James' dialogue 'Damnnn' when Keiley walks past. It can be seen in our bloopers how we had planned for James to bang his hand on the frosted window, creating an eerie thriller-like atmosphere but, despite this, when it came to the editing process, it was easier to collate our scenes as if it were a comedy.

As part of our Preliminary Task brief, we were obliged to film a person walking through a door in order to include the technique of Match on Action. It is supposed to look as though the events are happening in real time as an example of continuity editing although we used two shots and edited them together.

Here is an example of where we used the technique of shot reverse shot in order to capture the emotions of both parties in the conversation as they speak.

These shots were filmed separately and merged together during the editing process.

The 180 degree rule is where the camera stays on one side of a conversation so it wouldn't interrupt the flow of the conversation and also wouldn't confuse the audience as the characters don't change sides. We were careful throughout filming that we did not break this rule.

Post-Production

 A spontaneous decision, we used Scouting For Girls''She's so Lovely' as a backing track for our preliminary because, not only does it's upbeat happy tune help establish the genre of our piece but also the lyrics mirror the adoration James' character had for Keiley's. 

4&5. Preliminary Task and Evaluation (Megan Marsh)

Brief
We were tasked to produce a short film that showed specific skills and actions. We were informed that the film would need to show continuity editing, match on action, 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot. These were included in our short film.

180 Degree Rule
The 180° rule is a cinematography guideline that states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another . When the camera passes over the invisible axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line and the shot becomes what is called a reverse angle.

Match On Action Shot
Cutting on action or matching on action refers to film editing and video editing techniques where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action. A common example is a man walking up to a door and reaching for the knob.

Shot reverse shot 
Shot reverse shot; or shot/countershot) is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.

4&5. Preliminary Task & Evaluation - Continuity Editing (James O'Rourke)

Preliminary Task - Continuity Editing (James O'Rourke 6124)

Original Video 'Stalker Boy' 

Brief 

We were tasked to produce a short film that showed specific skills and actions. We were informed that the film would need to show continuity editing, match on action, 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot. These were included in our short film.

Match on Action 

This is where one shot seemlessly cuts to another. Here we can see the character walk through the door and then the camera cuts to the inside where we see the character walk through the door on the other side.

180 degree  rule

The 180 degree rule is where the camera stays on one side of a conversation so it wouldn't interupt the flow of the conversation and also wouldn't confuse the audience as the characters don't change sides. We used the 180 degree rule with shot reverse shot. Shot reverse shot is when the camera switches between two characters while they are in conversation with each other.

This is an example of shot-reverse shot which we used within this task.

Pre-Production 

Due to the fact that we had such a small amount of time for this task we had very limited planning and the Pre-Production was very quick and rushed.

Storyboard

Due to the short time frame we were unable to create a storyboard for our preliminary task so we decided on an idea and put it together before we started shooting the task for real.

An example would be like this:

Story

Initially we decided to do a horror, psychological narrative but during the filming stage we found that a more romantic comedy style would work better with the footage that we had shot already. On the way back from filming we decided with the footage we had how we would edit it together to look more like a romantic comedy.

Location 

Due to the fact we were limited to our school grounds, we suggested using locations which were familiar to us so we could get the scenes shot quickly and that we prioritised finding a few locations which would be noticeably quieter. This led us to use the main strip in the car parking area and the toilets within one of our school blocks. This enabled us to adapt our script and story to the surroundings so we could get the perfect shots for shooting the footage.

Post-Production 

This consisted of using editing software (Final Cut Pro) on an IMac, where we proceeded to put together our short film using different clips that we had previously shot.

4&5. Preliminary Task and Evaluation (Harsh Makwana)

Our aim was to produce a piece using continuity editing involving filming and editing a character opening and closing a door, crossing a room and sitting down opposite another character, with whom he/she exchanges a couple of lines with. We aimed to demonstrate match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.

Evaluation

Pre-Production:  

• We did not have a lot of time to plan; only 30 minutes. 
• We only had time to write a script and not enough time to draw up a storyboard. 

Production:

• Our production process involved finding a setting. 
• We decided to film our task in a small hall where we had a lot of space to set up the camera and use many different angles.  
• We found props such as a table, chairs and a box of pin pong balls.
• We used shot reverse shot to add a sense of continuity. 
• As a group, we made sure that we included the features that the task required.

Post-Production:

• We imported all the different scenes into Final Cut Pro.
• We then started to piece together all the different scenes using match on action, which added to our continuity editing.
• It was during the post-production stage when we noticed that the speech in our scenes echoed around the room and because of this, we had to detach the audio line from the visual line and raise the volume of the speech.

3. Rule of Thirds - (Group Work)

Rule of Thirds - Group Work

The Idea

The Rule of Thirds is a term that is used by film makers and photographers in which an image is located in specific locations within the frame. The first image above shows the guidelines that would be displayed on a camera screen if the setting was chosen to show it and the second image above shows the points where the guidelines cross/intersect. The third image reveals an animal positioned on two of the intersecting points. The Rule of Thirds is used so the camera can be pointed at objects that are positioned on the guidelines.

Pictures using rule of thirds

Centre 

Left intersection points 

Right intersection points 

Right third

Left third 

Centre third 

From these images we can see that the use of the rule of thirds can give us ideal shots for our thriller opening.  

2. One Minute Film (Anna McConnell)

Our One Minute Film

Pre - Production

During the process of pre-production our group:

• Discussed and decided on the suitable genre - We decided on Thriller
• Thought of an original concept to use for our short film.
• We assigned each person a role 
• We wrote the script and drew out the storyboard in order to assist us when the time of filming arrived.
• We discussed the locations and arranged with the drama teachers to be able to use their classroom as we were able to black it out for the mysterious effects 
• We organised the props that would be used; the lanyard, the table and chairs, and the bracelet.

Production

During the process of production our group: 

• We put the camera on a tri-pod in order to get the a straight clear shot of when the interrogation happened. We filmed all these scenes at once to keep all the present day shots identical.
• We filmed a close up of the suspects eye flickering to conveyed the nervousness of the character.
• There was a blackout in the room and we used phone torches for the interrogation scene in order to add a sense on realism to the piece. 
• We used hand-held camera work right at the very end of our film, when the murderer is seen fleeing from the scene to involve the audience in the action and add a scene of urgency

Post-Production

• We used Final Cut Pro on the iMacs to edit our 1 minute film.
• We put the scenes in order and overlaid a black and white filter over the past clips and blue tones over the interrogation to emulate police sirens and a tense atmosphere. 
• To enhance the clips we used a creaking door sound effect and added backing tracks to build tension in order to portray the thriller genre

We learnt a lot throughout this process such as the level of planning for all the little details and our editing skills, considering it was the first time any of us had used Final Cut Pro. Personally, I feel that our group worked well together and we did a reasonably good job in the time we have. However it was quite difficult as the camera kept going out of focus.

2. One Minute Film (Megan Marsh)

Pre - Production

·       We discussed different types of films while taking into consideration all the different genres in order to decide on a Thriller short film

·       Thought of a story line that could be possible to act out over the time period of our minuet long film

·       We assigned each person a role 

·       We wrote a very short script and then drew out a story board in order to make the process more visual in order to bring our idea to life. 

·       We ensured that the locations we were planning on using were available by talking to members of staff and arranging times

·       We organised the props that would be used in order to make the film look more realistic; the lanyard, the table and chairs, and the bracelet.

Production

·       By using a tri pod we were able to get a clear focused shot of the investigation scene as well as maintaining the same angel throughout all the shots in the ‘investigation room’ this was done through filming all the necessary films at once before moving on to a different location in order to be more efficient with time.

·       We used a powerful close up at the beginning of the film in order to build tension, suspense and mystery. 

·       There was a blackout in the room and we used phone torches for the interrogation scene in order to add a sense of realism to the piece. 

·       Towards the end of filming we used hand held cameras during the more active shots such as the murder running away in order to bring the audience closer to the action. This was also achieved through using a hand held camera to view the body in order to highlight the realism of the film. 

Post-Production

·       We used Final Cut Pro on the iMacs to edit our 1 minute film.

·       The first part of editing involved placing the scenes in chronological order before editing them anyfurter to see whether or not or film was long enough or too long

·       Then we used a black and white filter to show the contrast between present day and flash backs. We also used filter in order to make a certain scene more apt to the environment, e.g. we used a shadow effect in order to build more suspense in certain parts of the film. 

·       To enhance the clips we used a creaking door sound effect and added backing tracks to build tension in order to portray the thriller genre

·       Special effects

·       Trimming

·       Sound effects

·       Transitions

·       Credits

Overall 

I think overall we worked well as a team, everyone was assigned a job and therefore everyone had a chance to participate. Also by dividing the time evenly after shooting the film we were all able to have a go editing the short film, because of this I now feel more confident as it was my first time editing something and I am pleased with the outcome. I am also happy that my team appreciated and evaluated my ideas during post production when making a story board, as it had a large impact on the filming process. Finally I think we used our common scene in order to film scene in non-chronological order so that we would save time.

2. One Minute Film (James O'Rourke)

One Minute Film - James O'Rourke 6124

Here is our trial run of filming, here is our extract called 'Spy Mission'

Pre-Production

- Thought of an original concept
- Thought of different characters to fit the narrative
- Thought of the location we wanted to film at
- Traveled to the location we wanted to film at first to see whether it fitted the narrative correctly and whether it gave us the correct space needed to film the section of the extract
- We pitched the roles to each other and issued them accordingly
- Wrote a script to help fit the narrative
- Gathered together equipment that was needed for example camera, tripod and tissue paper
- Drew a storyboard for the narrative

Production

- Filmed at multiple locations
- Used different camera effects to create different themes for example the use of handheld camera gave the audience the sense that they are in the extract with the character
- Used a close-up on the villain's face to make the scene more believable and more personal to the audience making it look as though the villain's attention and gaze is directed towards the audience
- The use of manual focus/zoom during the final scene of the extract to stop the scene becoming blurry due to auto focus/zoom, to allow the final scene to end perfectly.
- Used props to make the extract more believable to the audience

Post- Production

- Use of editing software using IMac's, to join different scenes together to create a more longer video than what was filmed individually
- On the editing software we added sound effects and music in order to give the extract more continuity to create more atmosphere that the scene is already creating
- Proceeded to then upload this to Youtube where we watched the final cut with others and we were able to engage with the audience and acknowledge their reactions to the extract

WWW- We as a group were able to work effectively together and were able to listen to other people's contributions to ideas/concepts about what our extract should consist of. Also we molded the characters from our own preferences and this also helped us to shape our script.

EBI- That we used different filters for the editing process and that we could have used different camera techniques to help enhance the viewing experience for the audience.

Learnt?

I have learnt how to use editing software effectively and I have learnt how to use different camera techniques with different stages of production

I believe that our final product was very intriguing and I had a lot of fun coming up with ideas/concepts and actually help to make this extract a reality. The audience's reaction I noticed when from watching this was that they enjoyed the funnier scenes especially the end scene and that they stayed quiet for most of the extract, therefore suggesting that their attention was directed towards the narrative. This shapes my future production projects as the skills that I have learnt this time I can use for the other projects for example using editing software.

2. One Minute Film (Harsh Makwana)

Pre-Production

During the process of pre-production, Anna, Megan, Teejay and myself thought of our original concept. We considered all the different genres that we could explore and eventually, we settled with thriller. We picked the characters within our short film and then assigned a role for each of us: Megan being the murder victim, Teejay being the suspected murderer, Anna being the actual murderer and myself as a police officer. We all wrote the script together. We aimed to use as little dialogue as possible to ensure we met our one minute target. The drawing up of our story board was also going on at the same time as the script writing which saved time and gave our film a sense of structure. We then began to discuss what locations we were to film in and we decided to film in the drama room as it has good lighting and there were also props in there that we went on to use during production. 

Production

During the process of production, we filmed in two different locations; predominately in the drama room and partially back stage in the main hall. We decided not to film the scenes in the order they were to be in the final product. We did this because we did not want to keep moving the camera around as our film features flash backs, which required the same camera angle. At the very beginning of our film, we used a close-up on the prime suspect's face which showed his eyes flickering to convey nervousness. We decided to completely black out the room and use torches as spotlights. This was especially effective during the interrogation scenes as it added verisimilitude. However, this did cause the camera to become unfocused which prompted us to use manual focus. We used hand-held camera work right at the very end of our film, when the murderer is seen fleeing from the scene, which gives a sense of urgency.  During production, we used props such as a table, chairs, a bracelet and a photo card which was used to portray to the viewer who the real culprit was. 

Post-Production

During the process of post production, we used the iMacs to edit our film. Using Final Cut Pro, we were able to cut certain parts of filming out and also put the scenes in order. Using the same software, we were able to add sound effects like a door creaking and several different backing tracks to add to the eerie atmosphere. We also added filters; for the flash backs, we used a black and white filter to infer those scenes were in the past and for the present interrogation scenes, we used blue tones to create a nervy atmosphere.

WWW: We had a clear genre and the storyboard led to a clear structure also. We also picked a location with good lighting which helped whilst filming. I also feel the black and white filter was very effective as it showed that the scene was in the past.

EBI:We could have made the plot clearer to the audience by perhaps adding more dialogue. Also if we had more time, we could have added a company name and credits at the end to make it look more professional.  

1. Welcome Post!!!!

Hello,

Welcome

To our group blog.