Evaluation

The brief for this preliminary exercise was to film a short conversation between two people, demonstrating some filming techniques. These included following the 180 degree line, shot-reverse-shot and match on action. The 180 degree line is where everything is filmed on one side of an imaginary line, if the line is crossed then the shot is ruined with the constant changing background. A shot-reverse-shot is when the camera switches from showing one person to showing the person they are talking to so the audience can assume the two people are facing each other. Match on action is used in order to create a sense of continuity within shots, so an action carries across a cut, which helps conceal the edit.

 

In order to prepare for the film a risk assessment was done, in order to make sure that the safety of the group was ensured whilst we were filming. Then it was time to write the script using Celtx, which was then drawn out as a storyboard with all the shots planned out from the shots list we had prepared long in advance in order to make filming easier later on. Once it came to filming we did some location research, shifting chairs around to suit our purpose and making space for the tripod. Then it was a matter of collecting our props, which was to have a purse and a bag in order for my character to give Sophie’s character money.

 

On the day of filming we started by doing all the shots from inside the room, Beth behind the camera in the corner filming a wide shot of the whole scene. After we had acted it through once, Beth then moved the camera along the 180 degree line and then filmed the whole scene again but from a different angle, again wide shot. This allowed the clips for the shot-reverse-shot and the two shot. Once we were all happy we had the right shots, we then moved outside to film the walking into the room part. We used a pan to follow Sophie walking through one door and moving to the next. The only problem I personally felt we experienced was managing to get far enough into the corner with the tripod in order to get everything we wanted into the shot.

 

Once all the clips were filmed and the entire group was happy with them, it was time to edit it all. To do so we used a program called Final Cut, hooking up the camera to the computer in order to access the footage we had. Then it was a matter of selecting and cutting all the clips we had together, making sure we showed match on action, shot reverse shot and that it was all shown on an 180 degree line.

 

In the video we show Shot-reverse-shot when its switches between showing Sophie when she is talking and then moves onto looking at me and then back again. All the footage is shown from working on the 180 degree line and match on action was used twice in our little film. Once when we showed Sophie opening the door and then another time when I was getting some money out of the purse.