Preliminary Filming task Evaluation

What camera, editing techniques and codes did you use in your film and how do they influence the audience’s understanding of the film?

One of the techniques we used when filming the continuity task was the match on action technique. We used this technique when it came to the shot of the two characters walking through the double doors of the corridor. As the characters went, through they would be shot from behind, the camera angle then moves to the other side of the doors and the characters stayed in the same positions as they were before. It was shot a few times to make sure it was exact.

Another technique used was the shot reverse shot, this is where one character is shown looking at another character, and then the other character is shown looking “back” at the first character. We used this when the two characters where having a confrontation with each other to let the audience perceive one continuous action.
We also made sure to use the over the shoulder shot to allow the audience to place the characters within the setting. It also made the film seem more professional as it’s a common technique used in character discussion and helped create the drama seen between the two characters more intense.

The most important technique for this continuity task was the 180-degree rule; this is a basic film editing guideline. It states two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. This is important from an audience aspect, as if the characters are shot suddenly from the wrong side of each other it can be disorientating and throw the film off balance.

How did you use new technologies in your construction, planning and evaluation. What skills do you have at using this technology?

New technologies that were used where the digital cameras used for filming, these allowed us to be able to play back footage we had just shot as well as being compact making them easy to carry around. Because these were not professional cameras, a lot of the footage is not as good quality as we hoped. In addition, we only had one camera therefore we could not do multiple shots from different angles without having to cut and move the camera; therefore we could not get as many different perspectives.

When it came to editing, we used non-linear software, which allowed us to piece together our film and cut out any bad takes as well as add special effects and sound if needed. This was the first time using this type of software for editing therefore there was a lot of guidance needed. There was also a bit of difficult in being able to blend the shots smoothly together and if there was more time, this could have been done much better.

For planning, a storyboard used to create a better understanding of each shot. This helped filming run smoothly and was uploaded onto our blog so that, when it came to our film being completed we could compare the final footage to the original planning and see what had to be changed.

At the completion of our film, it was exported and uploaded onto YouTube to let others be able to access and comment. It also had to go on YouTube to be able to export it onto our blogs.

How successfully does your final product meet the brief?
Overall, our final product uses 3 of the techniques used in a successful continuity shot. It does this by showing two people walking down a corridor, going into a classroom and having a discussion. It iss a short sequence and has been edited to show it as being one shot with help of special effects.