Preliminary Task Evaluation

I believe our preliminary task, short film does demonstrate continuity to a high standard. This is because there is a smooth transition between each frame, and all the shots are in the correct order for what we intended. We enhanced the continuity in our film by using post production continuity editing, all this was done with the intention of making it easier for our audience to follow and therefore understand the storyline.

Right at the start we placed a 'dissapear' transition between our last introductory slide and the actual film, we thought this was a good idea as it allows the viewer to fully establish when the film begins.

We have included the match on action which we were asked to have in the movie. We decided to use it when the mummy enters the room. We filmed a shot from outside the room, of the door being opened, and we then filmed a shot from inside the room, where the mummy starts on the other side and enters the room. When while editing our work, we spent some time matching these two shots together, until they matched perfectly, and the transition was as smooth as any other shots in the film.

We also included the recommended 180 degree rule in our film, once again, another technique used to help the audience understand our movie. We ensured that we used it throughout the film because without it, it may not make sense to watch at all. We mainly focused on this during the production of the film, before we went ahead and started filming any piece, we would make sure we were following the rule.

We used the shot reverse shot in our short movie, this is a good technique to use during dialogue as it shows what the characters are feeling by having close up for their faces, and it allows the audience to follow the conversation, and feel part of the action. It can also make the scene seem more tense, which i believe is the effect it has on our film. We use it when the cowboy first realises the other person she is sat opposite is a mummy.

If we were to film our piece again, i think we would reconsider where to film our movie, as parts of our film came out with strange lighting that we are not too happy with. Apart from this i think our movie turned out quite well, and  believe everyone in the group is happy with it. All the camera angles we used and the editing we added, all turned out how we wanted it to.



Part of our film where the lighting was not correct.

All these techniques we have used are helpful as they all contribute to the audience understanding and following the storyline of our short movie. They also make it look as best as possible, and give it that expert finish we were looking for.

I think we did very well working as a team to plan our preliminary task. We spent a lot of time planning, this was  of course ensure we get the best result possible for the final piece. As part of our planning we thought a storyboard and script would be necessary, to get these finished as soon as we can, we split into pairs from our group. My pair worked on the storyboard, whereas the other pair started work on the script. We soon found out while filming, that these were really important, as without them, the filming would have taken much longer and we would have found it harder. If we wanted to know what angle to film at, we just had to look at our storyboard, instead of thinking it up on the spot.

I feel my group worked well together throughout the task. Every ones opinion was taken into consideration at each stage of the production. We each took turns to use the camera and editing software, so we all got used to how everything works, this will of course help us in the future. I think communication was key to our group working well together.

I found it interesting to learn how to use the editing software as i had not used anything like it before. When i started i thought it was going to be very hard to use, i soon found out that it was quite simple. I was impressed at how this software can completely transform a clip of film.

I learnt that anybody can make a short film, spend a bit of time editing on a computer, and technology can give it a professional finish. I have also learnt how to use what we have been taught in class about camera angles, and put it to use with the cameras we were provided with, to do this we had to learnt how to use these cameras, but this wasn't too hard.

I found doing this preliminary task very rewarding.

The Film

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The Camera

This is the camera we used to film our preliminary task.

The filming

When it came to film our piece, we choose to use two cameras, we thought this would be a good idea because we could then split into two groups so could get it filmed quicker. I had never used these cameras before, so i wasn't sure if they were going to be easy to use or not, but after we were taught which each button was, it soon became very clear how to operate the cameras. We choose to also use a tripod to enhance our camera angles, it was a bit of a struggle to fix the camera onto the tripod, but once it was on there, we could start filming, and after a few shots the camera became very simple to use.
Our filming went ahead smoothly, with little problems. The only issue I believe we had, was that we were so concentrated on the camera angles and shots, that we forgot about our script and dialogue at one point! We had to resolve this by going back and filming the same section again, but this time with the actors speaking!
We didn't change much when filming, we kept to our storyboard plan and the camera angles we had wrote down, but we did add some shots. We filmed each section more than once, this allowed us to film at the angle we originally planned, we then would watch the footage back, if we were happy with it we would film at the same angle again, if not, we would film from a different angle, to see if we could get better results.
After watching back some of our work, we noticed that in one section with the cowboy dancing, we filmed it under a bright light, this made it hard to see any detail in the clip, so we filmed it again but in a different part of the room.
I think our group prepared as much as we could for filming. I believe that the storyboard which we spent a long time on, really helped us when it came to filming, without it, it would have taken us much longer to film as we would have had to think about how would were going to film it, while we were filming it.
While we were filming, i think we worked well as a team. We each took turns filming, so everyone learnt how to operate the cameras. Every group members opinion was valid, and if someone wanted to try out a certain camera angle which other didn't, we would still try it out. I think one of the main reason why we worked so well together was because we were always talking to each other about what we were doing.
I really enjoyed learning how to use the cameras, then putting what we had learnt in lessons about different camera shots to use on our own film. It was really rewarding to watch the final edited piece.

The script

FADE IN

INSIDE THE FANCY DRESS PARTY

MUSIC IS PLAYING and there are PEOPLE DANCING. The COWBODY goes to get his BEEPING PHONE from the table and then SITS DOWN TO LOOK AT IT.

The MUMMY enters and SITS DOWN OPPOSITE the COWBOY.

The COWBOY looks up from his phone.

COWBOY

Oh, are you alrigh-

The COWBOY notices the MUMMY, who smiles at him.

They both STAND UP and face each other. The COWBOY begins to DRAW HIS GUN.

COWBOY

A mummy.

MUMMY

A cowboy…?

The COWBOY looks at him disgustedly, whilst the MUMMY is confused. The COWBOY SHOOTS and the MUMMY collapses.

The COWBOY celebrates and DANCES TO HAPPY MUSIC.

A HAND appears on THE COWBOY’S SHOULDER and TENSE MUSIC begins. THE MUMMY is revealed behind THE COWBOY’S SHOULDER.

MUMMY

Hello, I’m already dead- you hat wearing fool!

THE MUMMY walks out, pulling tissue off himself and flicking it.

MUMMY

I’m a mummy, silly.

FADE OUT

The storyboard

This is my groups storyboard for the prelininary task. It shows are initial ideas for the camera angles we will might use when it comes to filming our piece.

Preliminary task ideas

For our preliminary task, we have been asked to create a short movie that includes: 180 degree rule, shot reverse shot and match on action. We also need to include a person walking through a door, sitting down at a table and exchanging dialogue with another person. 
As a group of four we have come up with an idea of our film being set at a Halloween party. At this party there is only one person, and they are dressed as a cowboy, then, from the door enters a person dressed as a mummy, this angers the cowboy. They sit opposite each other and exchange disgusted looks and dialogue. They begin a showdown, and this resulted in the mummy being shot. Our movie will then end with the mummy getting up and walking away unhurt.