Preliminary Exercise Evaluation - Questions 5 & 6

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

In general, I think our sequence was rather successful. We were able to include some of the criteria, such as the match on action (as the character walks through the door), and we did not break the 180-degree rule. We succeeded in creating a continuous piece of film, in which the character opens a door, crosses the room and exchanges a few lines of dialogue with another character. However, we were not able to get the shot/reverse shot accurately; we did film a lot of footage from both perspectives of the characters, but were not able to fit it into the actual sequence because it disrupted the continuity of the whole piece and looked unnatural. Therefore we ended up with a shot/reverse shot but from slightly different angles. If we were to shoot this again, we would have made the character entering the room sit down on a chair, so that both characters were at the same eye level, as this caused us problems when editing, in order to include a shot/reverse shot that worked effectively. All in all, the task was a success and I think we should all be really pleased with ourselves.

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?

I think I have learnt a great deal from this task Firstly, I learnt all about the process of filming i.e. the correct terminology used on set to make sure the crew are ready before filming. I also learned quite a bit about directing, using the camera to capture footage from different angles and a bit about sound too. Furthermore, I think I learnt the most about editing, as this process was completely new to me before we started. I learned how to cut up and piece together the different parts of the film we needed, developing my understanding of continuity as a result. I was taught how to add titles to a sequence and how to render the clip. Looking ahead, I think this experience will greatly benefit me when completing the rest of my foundation coursework because I now know what to expect; I am aware of some of the problems that may occur during filming and I also know how to avoid said problems. For example, keeping on the same level will help create a good shot/reverse shot, how to deal with locations and sounds etc. I will to take the knowledge and understanding gained from this exercise and apply it to my next practical activity.