Preliminary Continuity Task Evaluation

1. Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

I worked with Mario, Angela, and Thakshana. We shared the tasks between us from the beginning, Mario and I drew up the storyboard with the groups' help, and decided the shot types and framing, Angela wrote up the shot list, and Thakshana wrote up the full script.
During the shooting period, I was mainly on camera, Angela was the main director, whilst Mario and Thakshana acted in the sequence.

2. How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?

The first step we took in planning our sequence was to come up with a basic plot, and storyboard it. The storyboard was very basic as we only needed to get the general idea of each shot across to each other, and on the shoot day only needed to refresh our memories as to what each shot entailed. We wrote a basic script on the storyboard, but re-wrote it later on on a separate piece of paper. We also drew up a shot list in shoot order, this allowed us to plan when we were going to shoot each individual shot, and also plan the timings around what other people using the area were doing so as to not get in the way. We tried to take into account shot-reverse-shot and the 180 degree rule when Mario and Thakshana were sat opposite one another talking, and also match-on-action with movements such as the door opening and Mario sitting down.

3. What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?

The camera we used was a Canon Legria HFG30, mounted on a tripod, with a directional microphone attached at the top. The tripod was very useful for panning, whilst the microphone was good at picking up the main bulk of conversation without too much background noise. To edit the footage, we used Adobe Premiere Pro CS5. We dragged our shots into the software, and cut them and placed them in the timeline so they fit with our storyboard, and also demonstrated good match-on-action. Once we felt the sequence was finished, we rendered it out and uploaded it to YouTube. The only downside we noticed when editing was that our master shot didn't really fit in with any other shots when we tried cutting to it in various places, this is due to the fact is was very similar to the over-the-shoulder shot of Mario during the conversation, so it broke the 30 degree rule. We also used some low-tech equipment for our shoot, such as the clapperboard.


4. What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting, and editing?

When planning our shoot, we had to take into account who else was using the areas in the Media block that we wished to shoot in, whether it be classes or the other group who were shooting, and at what times they would be doing so. We didn't really need to take into account lighting too much as we filmed in a classroom setting so the light levels outdoors were irrelevant. During shooting we had unforeseen issues that we should have noticed when planning, namely that the master shot sees through the window in the door, through the window in the opposite door, and thus into the opposite classroom, where the other group were filming. We mainly got around this issue by waiting until the other group were doing a shot from somewhere else where we couldn't see them. When editing, the main factor we had to take into account was the time constraint. We only had an hour to edit, so we only needed to worry about choosing which takes to use in our video, and where we were going to cut them.

5. How successful was your sequence? Identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?

Overall I would say that our sequence was quite successful, we managed to include several matches on action, and we did adhere to the 180 degree rule and demonstrated shot-reverse-shot. The shots of Mario opening the door, and the ones of him sitting down were the best in my opinion as they were well-matched and really added fluidity to the sequence. In hindsight, there were several areas in which we could have improved. For example as previously mentioned, the master shot was far too similar to the shot over Thakshana's shoulder, so we couldn't really use it. The result of this is that there is a long section of just over-the-shoulder shots with no variation in shot type or framing. To improve this we could have re-positioned the camera to a side-on view of the table, or perhaps moved it to the other side of the table so it pointed towards the door over the table. Another improvement we could have made would be where Thakshana gives Mario the finger. Though the match-on-action of the shots seems good at first, the sudden change of Mario's expression doesn't really fit well, in my opinion it looks like he reacted too early. To improve this we could have had him wait slightly longer before pulling the surprised expression, or just not have that expression at all.

6. What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?

The main thing I have learnt from completing this task is that there are many factors you need to take into account when planning and shooting a sequence, such as lighting and location. This task has given a clear demonstration of how and why to follow the rules such as the 180 degree rule, and also made me think more about how shots should be structured and planned out before shooting.
I have also developed some experience in making the most of the footage you have if something goes unexpectedly wrong, (our master shot breaking the 30 degree rule), although I hope to have learnt enough about good shot planning by now, if anything did happen to go wrong in future shoots, I think I'm now more likely to be able to work around any issue that may arise.