Preliminary Task Video

This is the finished video for our Preliminary Task



Evaluation of my preliminary task:

The video above shows our finished preliminary task, which overall worked out how we wanted; however, we did come across some problems along the way which had to be fixed.

The first thing we had to do was make sure the location was free, and seeing as we used parts of the school courtyard and building in school hours, that wasn't always so easy. Which meant we had to film some shots more than once because someone was accidently in the background. Apart from that, most of the shots we filmed were right first time. However, we did have some troubles with continuity and the flow of shots during the editing process. We filmed the shots over two days so we needed to make sure Chris was wearing the same clothes both times, which we did, however it was the teacher Alex, that we realised we had a problem with. Whilst filming in a teachers office, they offered him a tie to wear, which meant all the shots we filmed him in the previous day without one didnt match. This means we had to cut out all the shots we filmed of him wearing the tie so that the continuity flowed. Other problems we had during the post production stage was the flow of shots, we hadn't really done anything like this before, so getting the shots to cut from one another smoothly was hard. We did the best to overcome the slight jumps we had by using transitions such as crossfades.
The soundtrack we chose to follow the storyline, as it goes with the character and shows the fact he is rebelious, as well as the fact it helped cover up the sound of wind for the shots that were filmed outside.
Despite all the problems we came across, we managed to somehow overcome them, either in pre or post production stages. Below is a list of ways in which we can improve our filming and editing for our real task:

Improvement Suggestions
-Some shots we needed to use a tripod, as the camera wasn't always steady
-Use different camera angles/shots/movement
-Use more sophisticated editing software
-Spend longer planning so we know what each shot will look like before its filmed
-Look into props and characters in more detail
-Make sure the location is clear of other people
-Check the shots flow before leaving so re-filming isn't required

Preliminary Task

Before I was allowed to start on my own film opening, along with my group, I was asked to carry out a Preliminary Task, which consisted of filming and editing a 30-60 second clip, of someone walking through a door and saying one or two lines of Dialogue. This is just to test that we know how to use a video camera and are able to use editing software.

We decided to keep the actual concept as simple as possible, and not do anything we didnt have to. So with that in mind we decided we would film it within the school grounds, so we could do it whenever we had a Media Studies lesson or a free study period together. The plan was to film Chris, the Protagonist, as he makes his way through various parts of the school, towards a teachers office, to recieve punishment for something he had done. We drew up a rough Storyboard, explaining the plot and Camera Angles & Shots we was going to use, picture below:

Below you can also see pictures of our Filming Locations:



This picture was taken on the second floor of a school building, and shows the window used where we filmed the opening shot from.







This is of the view seen from at the window, which we used to film the opening with.






The next picture is of the first set of double-doors that Chris walks through to get into the school building.








This picture shows the office door we used from the outside.









And finally, this picture shows the inside of the office, where the clip ends.





Overall, the process was very quick and easy, and only took three lessons to film and edit, however, we did come across a few minor problems along the way, both when filming and also editing. One problem we had when filming was due to a camera shortage; at the time when we had to film our Preliminary Task, other groups within the school were still using the cameras for their work. This meant we had to find a camera of some sort in which to film our video with, fortunatly I had a small camcorder, that I use for my own personal media projects which we used, this did mean the video suffered in quality, but that didnt matter as much as the task was just practise.

During editing, we found that some shots we had filmed didnt flow together as much as we would have liked, and had to use Transitions such as a Crossfade to make it look better. We also found out that due to some shots being filmed outside, we had an annoying muffling sound in the background from the wind, which is why we decided to insert a Soundtrack to cancel out the sound. There was also various shots we couldn't use as it either went against the 180 Degree Rule or because of bad Continuity. These were all found in the office, where we had filmed some parts of the scene with Alex (the teacher) wearing a tie, and some parts where he wasnt, which means we had to scrap all the shots where he was wearing the tie.

Despite these minor set backs, we were still able to produce a 45 second video clip, without having to go back and film any parts again. The next post will contain the video clip showing our Finished Product........

Research

During my first term of Media Studies, I had to study and analyise the opening sequences to two classic films, 'Dirty Harry'and 'The Usual Suspects'. I was shown the first four minutes of both of these films, and had to analyise them in terms of Mise-En-Scene, Camera Shots/Angles, Sound and finally Editing. Below are just some of the points I found out when analysing these film openings:



The film opening of 'Dirty Harry' is effective through its use of clever Camera Shots, especially the Point Of View (P.O.V) shot which shows the killers perspective through the sight in his sniper rifle, as he stalks his target. The film was also influential for its Mise-En-Scene, and how the protagonist Dirty Harry, and his rival were portrayed, through the use of clothing, props, etc.





'The Usual Suspects' opening is also effective as it combines use of slow and smart Editing with an eerie, thriller styled Soundtrack. Slow cuts are used in order to make the audience watch more closely than normal, as the opening is purposing made to be confusing. This is also associated with the music, which is used to add tension and build suspense.

Introduction

For my AS Level Media project, I have been asked to film an opening sequence to a film of any genre, containing titles and lasting for approximatly 2-4 minutes. During the rest of my blog, I will show you step by step, how me and my group have gone about doing this.