Preliminary task

During our editing me and my group used Movie to cut out unnecessary things from the filming to try to fluently intertwine our sequence. We used a range of shots including medium two shots, over the shoulder shots and shots and a few more. The actual clip itself is shown above although we did not manage yet to remove the pauses between each cut due to a lack of time in the lesson. We also used editing effects such as transitional fade-to-black towards the end and eye-line match shots once again. These proved to be a minor challenge especially with the difficulty of creating the eye-line match shot.

Below you will see our storyboard and planning in which we showed the timing and length of each scene:
 
The making of the storyboard really helped us in the post-production stage and showed us the precise timing and shots we had to use to keep us on track. Although everything did not go as we planned, we expected to film the sequence in a classroom yet we were sent to do it outside and due to raining outside, we looked for a new area to film and we had to make a compromise and not film exactly to what we had initially planned.

Preliminary Task: Short Film

During the process of editing, our group had to go through different trials. For example, a certain shot may or may not have been needed (e.g. a long shot of two people talking or just shot reverse shot) or the lighting of a shot was too light/dark.

However, it wasn't too difficult to use 'iMovie' (video software), as we were allowed to experiment with earlier footage. From this experience we were able to carry out actions like cutting parts of a clip that were too long or unnecessary and adding effects such as a fade to black transition.

In the end, we managed to compose together a 49 second film which concurred with the necessary requirements. 

Below is the short film itself which makes use of different cinematography techniques.

Preliminary Task (Filming and Editing)

In the lesson today me and my two partners (Alex, and Thomas) all carried out the preliminary task, which involved filming what was instructed to do, and then later edit it which was to be handed in and shown to the teacher at the end on a USB Key. During the filming process, we had to include: match on action of walking through a door, shot-reverse-shot of a conversation between two people, and make sure that we kept to the 180 degree rule so to not disorientate the audience. All this was able to be completed successfully.

Before actually creating the short film, a storyboard had to be created which helped us have a rough idea of how things would be laid out, and the overall plan of how each shot would work when actually getting to filming. By using this storyboard as a guidance, all three of us were successfully able to complete the initial preliminary task. Below is a couple of images of how our storyboard looked like during the planning process.

From the screenshots, it is clear to see that by adding in the shot time and all of the camera angles such as medium close up found in the details, it is how our group successfully finished filming and editing. By including this, it gave us an idea of how when filming, what specific camera angles and shots would be used. Adding in arrows onto the further rectangle box, along with a rough sketch it shows how the character is moving. This again was helpful during editing and filming which is the reason why filming worked efficiently.

During the actual production of the short clip,  using the storyboard as guidance we were able to successfully produce the short clip. The problem that was occurring the most when filming was that sometimes there were wrong camera angles and movements being used or the different environment that we initially wanted to use was not able to be accessible  For example, we initially had planned to use a classroom to film, but due to the space in the school and the rain, we had to film in a different area of the school. This, as a whole, resulted in some of the camera shots being changed such as a long shot to a medium close up of one of the people walking.

With the post-production process, the editing was one of little to no challenge. The difficulty in getting the match on action right was particularly challenging as occasionally it would cut too quick or cut too late meaning that the match on action looked choppy. This as a whole made the whole editing process a lot harder. However, eventually the match on action worked as well as we could do it, but due to time issues it wasn't perfect. In the end cutting out irrelevant scenes or prolonged ones were eventually removed from the final "film" which made it what it was at the end.

Preliminary Task: Planning - Storyboard

The first part of the preliminary task was to create a storyboard which was to act like a plan and a script during the actual filming and editing of the short film.
All of the group contributed to the context and illustration of the scenario which conveyed the guidelines that were needed to assemble the film - during the filming process, the storyboard was used as a reference as to what we had accomplished so far, what our next step was and if we had missed something out.

Below are scanned images of the storyboard which has sketches accompanied with details of each shot. They include the quantity of shots, their duration, what type of shot is portrayed and what is included (i.e. sound/dialogue).

    

Preliminary Task: Filming & Post-Production

Today Trevane, Thomas and I started filming and editing the preliminary task that was set as part of the coursework.
We were told to film in the dining hall at the school which complicated things, as we had initially planned the environment to be a classroom. However, we were still able to follow the necessary criteria which was to demonstrate match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. This was accompanied with standard cinematography techniques such as a close up, panning shots, mid shots, long shots and over-the- shoulder shots.
When it came to the editing and post-production, not much was needed to modify the clips to produce the final short film because the main thing we needed to manage was the length of specific clips and increase the volume.
Overall, everything went more or less according to plan and schedule and the task was completed; so the next task is to hand the short film to Mr Hobbs on a USB for next lesson.

Below are scanned images of the preliminary task brief and a guide on how to go about the required cinematography techniques. Also, there is a video explaining the 180 degree rule which applies when doing a shot reverse shot.