Preliminary Task Part 1

      

  

We once again made our way down to the studio to shoot a new set of clips that will be put together to create a whole scene. However in this particular session we began one of two lessons about the preliminary task. The OCR definition of the preliminary task is:
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 exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.

We were put into groups of 4 and given the story board shown above and each given a different location to shoot the scene. My group were put in the main studio which had a house set built into the centre that we used to make the task look realistic. The storyboard was basic but we had to shoot the scene from at least five different shots if not more. We firstly began by making the decision of where the camera should be placed for filming the establishing shot, As always we started with the safety shot (wide shot) to make sure that the whole scene and everything going on is easily visible. We made the choice that Eduarda and Ella will be the actresses reading and performing the script whilst me and Marija worked behind the camera. Although we were working in two separate halves we would continually stand in for one another and each person gave input as to what shots they thought would look best in this sequence. 

After filming the wide shot we began to shoot the other angles that were displayed on the storyboard. Although the storyboard was there for us to use it was only a guideline and other ideas were welcome to be tested to see if we could make our final tasks look better.and this allowed us to experiment with our newly found knowledge. We created a set of over the shoulder shots filmed from behind both Ella and Eduarda and we did 3 takes per side to make sure we had the best shot possible. Matt taught us that too many shots is never a problem and that it actually makes the later editing process easier because when one clip doesn't work there is always a back up, however, not enogh can lead to falling  behind if needing to re-shoot becomes a problem.

We then continued on to shoot some close up shots, we did full face close ups of both aElla and Eduarda but also close ups of just their eyes which although not on the story board we decided would be add to the sequence and build it up to make it more interesting to watch. After this Ella suggested we try a focus pull. I stepped into her spot while she helped Marija angle the camera, as a group we decided that we should have the camera on a close up shot of the door handle but the handle should be out of focus, after saying "action" we would then pull the shot to focus seconds before the door is opened by Eduarda.

Furthermore the whole shoot let me learn different ways of shooting only once scene and how input from other people can lead you to creating more interesting and gripping shots that I would not have yet thought of. I also realised the importance of shooting the same angle multiple times so that it doesn't matter if it ever goes wrong because there will always be back-up footage and this is something I will remember when I come to shoot my thriller sequence.

Editing Lesson

In this weeks studio session we were taught about editing footage. Matt gave us a set of tips and instructions as to how to edit rushers (unedited footage) and how we could create a sequence that fits together seamlessly to create the effect that a whole scene was filmed and created from many different angles all at once. We created the sequence with the footage that we shot in studio session 2. I worked with Molly and Eduarda when editing at we took it in turns to experiment the best ways to piece the sequence together.

We once again used the Premier Pro programme and used a variety of tools to create a short flowing scene. The Premier Pro programme can be used to edit footage of any size, from something small such as editing of a YouTube video, to something on a larger scale like creating a feature film. The unedited footage that we upload from the camera to the computer is known s "rushers". This name originates from when films were firstly being made at an earlier time and the film was rushed to be quickly developed overnight so it was ready to use the following day with no delays.

We placed the rushers into bins, bins are the names of the folders used to where the developed films would be separated to. Once placed into the bins we individually viewed each shot we took, doing this allowed us to have an over-view of our previous work as when shooting in the studio you never look at the footage until the editing process. It also let us see which pieces we shot will fit into the sequence, where they will fit and how it will look when its finished. When using this programme we were given very specific commands to use and even one wrong click could potentially ruin the entire editing process so we spent a lot of time after planning taking in the information and establishing what each key would achieve if pressed.

After we made the decision of which shots we wanted to used we began putting them into chronological order. If we wanted the shot to start slightly later that where we began filming we used the "I" key to establish the starting point we wanted. After creating a starting point we were satisfied with we dragged it down to the bottom right part of the screen where all shots eventually become arranged together. The most important rule with the drag and drop is to ensure that no pieces of footage overlap. When adding a clip some parts may need to be cut out of it to shorten the scene or allow two different angles to fit together perfectly, to do this we learned to use the razor tool to cut any particular part of the footage that is un-needed and we did this by pressing "C" in the keyboard as well as using the mouse. We ended up having a short sequence that looked professional and different to anything I have made before.

Camera Lesson 2

We went back into the studio for the second time to begin to learn the basics of film creation. We began the session by setting up the camera again the the same manor that we followed last week with extending the tripod, setting the spirit bubble, attaching the camera and battery and setting onto pan.

                    

We were first taught about the 180 degree rule and where it applies specifically to the art of filming and how we can remember to use it. The 180° rule in a cinematography guideline that states that two characters in a scene should generally maintain the same left/right relationship with each other. When the camera passes the invisible axis connecting the two subjects , it is called crossing the line and the shot becomes what is called a reverse angle.

Prior to this lesson i was unaware of what the 180 degree rule was yet it was something i have noticed before on the TV. I have noticed when i conversation takes place it is always shot on this line and is never crossed. Matt proceeded to describe the 180 degree rule using three detailed examples:
1) Matt's first example was the sequence he created using his toy bike, he filmed the bike driving across the table from the left to the right, after breaking this rule and filming it again it became apparent on screen that the bike was actually travelling from right to left making the shot look as if the bike was in the wrong direction.
2) Next he used an example of 2 people having a conversation with one another, once again upon breaking the rule and re shooting again it looked as if everything had been reversed and as if the two people have switched sides making the shot look inaccurate.
3) The last example is one that is used on TV regularly and if the rule is broken in this matter it will cause upset and that is using the rule at a football game. If the 180 degree rule is broken in a football match it can look as if a team is scoring in the wrong goal if the camera is to switch to the other side meaning points could be given incorrectly.

In Matt's first example of a toy bike sequence, he showed us exactly how he created this sequence and important things to remember when doing so. He began by choosing a side, left or right, and ensuring he kept within the 180 degree of that particular side he firstly shot a wide angle which is also refereed to as the "safety shot" it is known as this because even if other shots that are taken do not look good or do not fit in with the plan this shot can always be used as all important aspects can be seen. He then moved on to take a mid shit so that although not all of the set is visible the important aspects can be seen in more detail. Mid-shot meaning that the shot is closer to the object of interest but not so close it is the only aspect to appear on screen. Lastly Matt showed us how to film the close up of the bike. The camera was zoomed right into the bike and the lens was then focused meaning that it was the only part of the shot that was in full focus. These 3 shots were all shot from the same camera placement but the zoom and focus was slightly altered to fit the specific needs to make the shot look best.

Using the techniques we were shown by Matt we were placed into groups and created our own sequence. In my group was Tori, Harriet, Eduarda and Molly and we had Tori as the person of interest and her objective was to simply walk in and sit on a chair and leave approximately 3 seconds later. We took a variety of shots but of course as always started with the wide-angle shot. The other shots we did included: close up, close up (eyes), close up (mouth), side profile, feet, legs and feet, hands and a mid-shot. We learnt that the more shots you take the better the final product will be when edited.