Preliminary Exercise Evaluation

Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

I worked with Matt, Aidan and Daniel. In our first meeting we gave everyone tasks which had to be complete for the shoot; this included the script, shot list, story board and the shoot schedule. The tasks were given to each person based on what they wanted to do and their skills, for example I took charge of organising the shoot schedule and directing and shooting the sequence, Aidan did the storyboard, Daniel did the script and Matt did a detailed shot list and all three of them were acting in the sequence.  Although as a group we all contributed towards each individual task and it was a group effort.

How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?

We all put forward ideas and this was noted it in a mind map where we had a heading for key points such as the genre, story etc. We had put forward various different ideas for our continuity clip; however as a group we decided to do a serious one with a humorous twist at the end. We used the theory of continuity and this was thought thoroughly throughout our planning, shooting and editing as it’s vital for our sequence to be successful.  During our planning we used this theory to help as with shots, therefore we included shots which followed the 180degress rule, match on action, shot reverse shot and a master shot. Once things were put in place we moved onto producing a script, shooting schedule and a shot list.

What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?

In order to complete this task we used a variety of technology, we used a camera and tripod along with paper work for shooting and used Adobe Premier Pro for editing. We used the tripod to help us achieve the shots we wanted at a high quality as it prevented the camera for shaking and it allowed as to track smoothly.

What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

When planning we had to consider things to ensure shooting and editing ran smoothly and prevent any issues. We had to plan the location and times of our shots, this is to prevent clashes with other groups and to have the same lighting (if shots are outdoors). We had to consider who was going to act in it and play what role. 

How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?

Our sequence worked well and most of the shots worked and flowed well, however there were shots which didn't work as well as we wanted it to. For example the shots with Matt walking had the windows open in some and closed in others, this is a continuity error. In the future, we would look out for these errors and make sure they do not occur. We broke one of the rules with the conversation between Aidan and Matt, however we resolved this by adding another shot of Aidan, but from this we have learnt to ensure we shoot a master shot of any conversation. We made a mistake with continuity when Matt opens the door, as it's open in one shot and then closed in the other. We would improve the sequence by making sure all the shots followed without any continuity errors such as closed/opened windows and doors.  

What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?

From this task I have learnt the importance of planning and following a shoot schedule as organisation is vital to completing the shoot with no major issues. I have learnt the key theories of continuity as I have actually done a practical; this has also allowed me to experiment on things which I could try on the final coursework. We also learnt that things can be changed and you do not have to stick to the plans you made, for example we changed the order of our shots to make the sequence make more sense, this included Matt and Daniel's walk into the room.