For our
preliminary task, we were asked to produce an approximately minute long film.
Within the film it was required to demonstrate three key aspects of filming.
Match on action, shot-reverse-shot and the 180-degree rule. These three aspects
were to help us achieve fluid continuity editing. (CONTINUITY EDITING-text is
created in a chronological way to achieve a sense of realism.) This sense of
realism makes the text look more professional for the audience as well as
creating a sense of verisimilitude for the audience as well.
PRE-PRODUCTION
In terms
of pre-production, the process was very limited as we were asked to start immediately
after being told about the project. We had to discuss the initial idea and
genre of the film and the location in which we could film it. During this
discussion we were sure we all were completely sure about each step and made a
mental storyboard to stay in tune with out initial plan. We had also
established cast and crew. We had decided Aidan and Shane would be the main
actors in the film and Tawanda assumed the position on cameraman whilst I was
an extra. We decided to choose the study room as the main location where the
conversation is set to occur. It suited the narrative well, as the characters
were two school students. Our aim was to make the film slightly comedic but
also portraying the everyday life of a school student. In terms of using the
camera, Tawanda had previous experience in using the DLSR camera, which was
very beneficial to the group as a whole as he was able to teach us a few
things.
The three
key aspect of filming:
Match on
action – The cut between two shots show that no time has passed between them.
It is when you cut during an action to another camera angle but showing the
action from the same point in time that you left it from the previous shot.
Shot-reverse-shot
– when two characters are conversing, the shot shows the character looking to
where we imagine the other character to be without actually seeing them.
180-degree
rule – there must be an imaginary line drawn across the room, cutting it in
half. This is to ensure that all shots are filmed from the same side of the
line. If the line is crossed, character will appear in swapped positions
disrupting the sense of realism and causing the audience to be disorientated.
We had
the main character, Aidan display a match on action shot where he walks out of
the bathroom, down the stairs, out and around the music block. It was also
displayed at the moment of realization and he ran through the 6th
form block and to the study room.
Shot-reverse-shot
was displayed through the conversation between Shane and Aidan about the
homework. The 180-degree rule was also displayed here, as we were sure to
always shoot from the left side of Shane so that the characters would remain to
be in the exact positions on the same sides.
PRODUCTION
In order
to create this environment so it would be perfect for the actual filming. We
prepared the tables and chairs in the study room and calculated exactly which
angles we would shoot from. We also incorporated the use of props as we
gathered some papers to look like we were doing actual homework. This added to
the sense of realism. We use the artificial lighting of the study room because
we had decided that this lighting was bright enough for a good quality video. We
incorporated a range of camera angle and shots because of our collective
knowledge of the different kinds. For example we used low angle, medium shot,
close up shots. The low angle shot created the effect of the character being the main area of focus. We included these shots to have a good range and to show that we have the ability to take these shots and for purposeful reasons.
POST-PRODUCTION
I
personally was particularly interested in the post-production stage as it was
my first time learning how to edit using the editing software ‘Final Cut Pro
X’. Shane had previous experience and taught me the basics. First we had to
select the necessary pieces of footage and compile it into the general idea we
had for the narrative. Then we went through and pieced together the shots and
scenes to make the footage flow effortlessly to achieve continuity editing. The
process was very intriguing and I am definitely looking forward to trying it
again in the future. However, it was a very lengthy process as the software was
rather slow and it kept freezing in certain places, which made it difficult to
distinguish which parts needed more tweaking. After we had completed this, we
had accomplished the goal of creating a piece of continuity editing that
followed the narrative perfectly. We were mainly excited to add soundtracks to
give the film a little bit more substance and character and add the comedic
element. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between the
two edited pieced of the same raw footage. We used this soundtrack to create an element of humour and to reflect the emotions of the character, for example, when he is going about his day in a carefree manner, and then when he realises he has homework to do and the sound of the shock he is undergoeing reflects this. Our Final Cut Pro experience was very successful as we cut together our video rather effortlessly apart from a few mistakes here and there, all in all we were able to get a little bit of experience as i had never used it before. I wish we had a lot more time to complete it though as we had to film and edit all in one morning and we were very rushed for time.
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