Prelim Task Evaluation

In the preliminary task I worked with Esther, Matthew and Noriane. Me and Esther was in partners and we undertook the first task of pre-production, this including many aspects such as the training of camera/filming equipment as well as sound equipment, deciding on what the film is about, storyboarding, the script, how many shots will there be, the type of angles and camera movement techniques we will use, e.g., high angle shot, close-up shot and panning. I and Esther managed out tasks in a very organized and equal way, when deciding on what our film would be about, we discussed the shots we would like to include, the techniques we would like to use, i.e. I thought the use of close-ups would be useful in our film as it would create an effective impact by allowing the viewers to see the facial expressions of our cast, giving our viewers a chance to understand what our actor and actress are going through in the film. Also, Esther discussed with me what camera movement technique she felt would be most appropriate for specific shots, i.e. one shot we discussed about using was one where Matthew is walking through a corridor into a room; she thought an appropriate camera movement technique to use would be panning. Esther and I also managed our tasks in other ways; we discussed about ideas and decided on one, we then began to develop on the storyboard, which helped us to understand how we are going to shoot our film, and how we will portray the message of our film in a way that will let our audience understand. We also discussed the script, what should be in the script etc. the homework of the storyboard and script was done over the weekend by Esther although, through the weekend me and Esther still worked together on it, by exchanging numbers we could communicate over the phone and so we discussed the amount of lines to be put into the scripts, what should be said, we also discussed the actions and reactions of the cast. I.e. in a few shots, Matthew and Norianne are arguing, we agreed on using an action reaction shot for this, so we can see the facial expressions and emphasize on the importance of this argument in the film. On the following Monday, I decided to proof read the script and directly apply my feedback to it, by editing it to make it better, basically making a few improvements and adjustments, I included stage directions, I also included directions for the cast, e.g. the high or low level of tone of voice, the sarcasm, tension, or sadness etc in dialogue speech. We also when being face to face, went over the storyboard again to make sure it made sense, we made a few adjustments to it too. Those are examples of how me and my partner organised time. Although, few mild issues did come up with our time management; when we began to do the shooting of our scene, we went straight into it, with little rehearsal, we went straight into shooting. The problem we encountered with this method was that because we did not rehearse enough, when we had problems with the shots we were filming we had to deal with it on the spot, improvise on the issue and resolve it as soon as possible so we wouldn’t loose time, however, we did loose a bit of management and control of timing, instead, before filming we should have, made estimate timings for each shot, so it would enable us to work out how long it will take for each shot and the timing of each take within the hour given, and the pace we should be working at in that 1 hour we were given. Instead our lack of control of time management caused us to take double the time, which in reality would not be acceptable in a filmmaking industry. By experiencing this, it has helped me learn what we did wrong and how I can learn from the mistake by choosing a different method of managing time then I did before, so next time, differently to what I done before, I will rehearse more of my shots and I will manage all timings for my shots and takes within the time period of filming given in order to keep things flowing and to avoid issues like taking too long, giving too much time to filming a shot then having to rush the other shot, which makes the filming look messy. I think a good strength of mine was in pre production, when it came to discussing the script and proof reading it, I felt quite comfortable and confident in doing that task, along with going over the storyboard, matching it up with the script and seeing if it goes well with the script, other aspects of pre production like deciding on types of shots, angles and camera movements, I felt confident in deciding which ones to use in the filming, as I feel familiar with the effects of these types of shots and how, where and when to use them in filming, i.e. a close up used to show the Noriannes angry facial expression and a panning camera movement to show Matthew walking from down a corridor and through a door. In addition, another strength of mine is in post production, in the editing process. We used adobe premiere pro, and it was quite easy and swift to use, it was easy to drag and drop, capture and cut shots. Digitalizing was easy doing, which was basically capturing all the best shots we would like to use in our prelim task.

In my task I used cannon XHA1, DV (digital video) camcorder. This camera is mostly directed to independent filmmakers, broadcasters, documentary filmmakers and journalists etc. at first we was given basic training of how to use the camera, we were taught how to set the camera and tripod up, i.e. when setting up the tripod it is important to adjust the level of your neck, so when placing the camcorder on top, the camcorder will be leveled to your eye, therefore making it comfortable for the cameraman to use the camera. I then learnt how to set up the camcorder on the tripod, when setting up the camera on the tripod I learnt how to lock it into position on the tripod so it is securely placed, for the safety of the camera basic checks to ensure it was on the tripod correctly was simply by holding the camera from the top and to gently push it in a few directions to make sure it wont move or fall off. To make sure the camera is leveled, we had to adjust the spirit level, this is important when using the camera because if you fail to check or adjust the spirit level, then when filming everything in the frame won’t be leveled in the shot, but tilted and uneven. We also learnt other basic things like inserting the battery into the camcorder and inserting a tape in the camcorder. Also, I learnt other interesting things in using the actual camera, i.e. for effects of zooming in and out, you can also make adjustments to the speed of the zoom and control how fast or slow it is in your filming. I felt using a digital camera was very convenient. It made things quite simple and straightforward rather then complex. With film, it becomes more fidgety and time consuming when you have to convert the film onto a tape and go through numerous processes, whereas digital is pretty much straight, you film it, it goes on tape, you upload it, edit it through your computer, and your done. Filming on the other hand extends the process.

I had to consider many factors when planning the scene, I had make sure that the ideas for what our scene will be about and that what we came up with wouldn’t be too complex as if it was, it might cause confusion for us and then consequently the audience. Especially because our scene had to be very short (2-3 minutes), and filmed within half an hour. For example, if I was to come up with an idea, that involved countless props and action parts like fights etc, then it would be very unrealistic to produce within an hour. So I had to make sure that the idea we were to come up with would be convenient, suitable and realistic to the time set for us. When planning, I made a shooting schedule. Arranging all the shots in order, I arranged them by setting/location. So which ever shots were featured in the same room, I shot them all together, this saved time, because if I done it in a way that one shot was in a classroom, and the next shot was outside, then the next shot is back in a classroom, and done it in that order of the story board, then this would consume more time, by having to move around continuously and set up again causes loss of time, which could also interrupt the management of time. Another factor I had to consider was when filming, two takes is needed for every shot. Sometimes we found it hard to get the shot right and some shots had numerous takes, so a factor we had to then consider was just before filming each shot, to practice it and briefly rehearse it. In editing we had to consider some factors too

From the prelim tasks I have learnt for myself through this experience about what filmmaking is the difference between film and digital and how digital has developed in the technology world by making it so easy to use for even people like me, a young student, to use and produce a film with. From completing my task I have learnt from the ways I ordered my task, what I done wrong, i.e. not thoroughly rehearsing the shots before filming it, yet I have learnt from the things I done right in my task, like constantly communicating with my partner about the pre production work, the script, storyboard and schedule and discussing about it to her. Although we did not manage our time well, as we should have made time limits for each shots in order to get everything done on time, we also physically learnt from the experience, and by actually going through it, we can actually see what went wrong, why it went wrong and how we can solve it, how we can manage our time in a better and more professional way next time. I think a strength I had was when using the clapperboard when filming, I was familiar to how I can communicate to the cameraman and the actors, when to begin there roles, my role was to indicate at every take, the shot that is being filmed, and the take number, I had to allow few seconds after clapping the board before saying action and beginning the shot. My job was important as it helps the shot to flow the way it is supposed to and I think I done a fair enough job of it.

I learnt many things about the editing process, I have learnt how to capture images onto the computer, and digitalize them. I have basically learnt the order to go through to edit shots and arrange it into a film/clip. I learnt how to go over shots and cut off excess filming parts and keep the necessary parts to make our clip. After cutting clips I learnt how to drag it into the timeline and place the shots in the right places so It makes the clip flow. I covered how to add on effects which was simply dragging an effect onto a shot. Making decisions in editing sometimes came easy and sometimes not. As I was editing with my partner Esther, it meant we both had to agree on how these shots were edited, and in truth, we did disagree on a lot of things, like, where to place a certain shot on the timeline, what take we preferred, for instance I might have preferred ‘shot 1 take 1’ whereas ester might have preferred ‘shot 1 take 2’ instead, this meant we somehow had to come to some agreement which shot to use. Other issues in making decisions was also in little things like how long the shot should last for etc. although there were disagreements we did agree on many things too, like some shots we agreed to use and where to place it on the timeline, we also agreed on the effect we wanted to use and on what shot to place it in. in honest truth we actually did not plan our time to complete the task, as this was the first time we have done editing, we had to experience the ‘do’s and not to do’s’ in the task first hand in order to actually know what to do in the task to save time etc. we basically got straight into editing and done as much as possible in the time given. Problems we faced in editing was simple faults like when accessing the software, after setting up the camera and connecting it to the computer etc, when we had to capture the shots onto the pc sometimes it said it could not connect to the pc, and as many times as we restarted the software, camera, switched things on and off, it did not work and this wasted our time, so the best alternative is to simply just change pc.