Preliminary Task & Final Product
On vimeo there's a video of my preliminary task that I worked on with three other class members. During the prelim task we had a script to follow whereas for our final product we had to make it from scratch with a lot of planning. But as I looked back at the prelim film now, I've noticed many changes I could of made to make it even better, such as camera angles. However, I've also noticed the editing skills used in the prelim film could have been used in my final product as well such as the use of match cuts.
Pre-production
The only planning our group did during the prelim film was coming to an agreement with who will be acting in the film. Also, it wasn't necessary for us to plan the dialogue as we received a script, and any adjustments made to the dialogue were made as we started filming. Moreover, whilst we were filming we chose the types of shots we thought matched the scene well along the way. We didn't make a storyboard of where we wanted each shot to be nor did we discuss it. Also, since we didn't know each other very well everyone agreed upon most of the suggestions and there weren't any disagreements.
During the prelim film I lacked hidden skills, especially when it came to teamwork. I wouldn't interact much with the group and did the work without putting a lot of effort into it, and only suggested ideas when necessary. Therefore, I wasn't really good at decision making and mostly agreed to what I thought was right and mostly worked independently and would do what I thought was right. This changed drastically when it came to planning for our final product. This may be due to being in groups with a bit of choice, having to interact with each other and do several group posts regarding our final product.
Final Product Planning
After working on the prelim and lacking planning skills, this improved by far when working on my final product. We used different planning skills to make sure our film isn't unprofessional and is organised. First of all, once we decided we wanted to do an youth drama we searched variety of youth drama films on YouGov and got the age of audience. This helped us to think of the plot of our film as we were thinking of the age group as we were planning the storyline. Then we decided to create a storyboard where we chose a variety of shots we would like to use in a particular scene . This was really useful during our film, as we got familiar with the type of shot that will be more appealing. We then changed our storyboard into an animated storyboard so we get a clear view of how the shots would look like before using the camera. Moreover, timetoast was a really beneficial website that helped us plan the exact date we will be filming, what we will be filming and when we will start editing.
​However, the only problem we had during the planning was not everything was followed once we started filming. For example, there was specific shot and scene we mentioned in the storyboard that we decided to not conduct whilst filming as it was not necessary. Also, our dates of filming were also changed due to no one being available. I've learnt that planning might be useful but there are also changes made which affect the planning, however I have improved a lot when filming our final product due to our planning and organisation - we knew what we were doing unlike the prelim.
Production & Post Production
When it came to filming I wasn't really confident with the camera and using different types of shots. For example, when it came to handling the camera I didn't try anything new and stuck to the simplest technique. I decided to not move the camera from the tripod and kept it in a still position and only moved it with the handle when I needed to do a pan movement. Also, I wasn't sure whether the shots I suggest would be correct, so I decided against giving my input and agreed with the simple close up shots, long shots and establishing shots as these shots were common and needed in our prelim.
On vimeo there's a video of my preliminary task that I worked on with three other class members. During the prelim task we had a script to follow whereas for our final product we had to make it from scratch. But as I look back at the prelim film now, I've noticed the changes I could of made to make it even better. I've also noticed the editing skills used in the prelim film could have been used in my final product as well. Also, I wasn't experienced at editing match cuts and the match cut we've used for the prelim was not bad for a first try.
Analysing
- Lighting - We didn't face any lighting problems as we were in the same building and it was daylight. The only time you see a slight change is when Daniel goes through the corridor but this wasn't a problem.
- Mise-en-scene - When it came to costumes we didn't really need think about whether the actors clothes matches their character. But looking over it now, neither of them look like they're doctors or adults. However, the college lanyard could have gave an idea that they played important roles in the building. Also, the close up shot of the permanent marker wasn't a good choice when it came to them fitting their characters role. However, the shot was good as it created tension and the papers on the table show they're working.
- Camera - Due to moving rooms constantly and finally ending up in a really crowded room it was difficult to conduct a high angle shot and it ended up looking really unprofessional. Also, when we were shooting Daniel about to sit down on his chair it was impossible to get a full body shot of it as there room was no space to move. However, in the corridor there were really good long shots and close up shots which I think looks the best.
- Editing - The match cut of the door was used properly to not only emphasise on how he he'll be entering but also, to show 'only staffs' section. The transition made to skip to Shakayla fiddling with the permanent marker in a slight motion helped create tension.
- Sound - The use of sound wasn't really creative, as we only stuck to dialogue. This was also because we didn't know anything about garage band where we had the chance to create our own music. However, in the prelim I think the sound would have been successful if there were foley sounds used.
Camera angles, shot types, distances & framing comparison..
I think the distance shots were conducted better in my final product then the prelim. We managed to get an establishing shot of the location and an establishing shot of the actor - Marcus - walking along the pavement. I think they were both successful shots, as it is clear and shows other surroundings near it.
This differs from my prelim because when you look at the corridor shot, you don't have a clear distance shot of how far the corridor goes to. I think this could have been done better if someone took a shot of Daniel whilst being at the end of the corridor.
We did a similar shot in the prelim to our final product. But we've developed this by following our actor down the stairs to follow his path instead of only showing the top him coming up the stairs half way. I think this development was good as it gave the audience an idea of the location he left and the location he is leaving to.
My framing skills had changed thoroughly during my final product. This is because I gained the knowledge from my prelim that the actors head should be at the top of the screen with no space above them. I decided to use this knowledge during my final product, as you can see the drastic change in the framing in my final product.
Even though I followed that knowledge, the framing skills in our final product wasn't perfect. In this particular scene, there was no space above but the face of some of the actors were cut off. I realised that it's important to see carefully see what is being done. This scene was necessary for our film but could have been conducted better if the faces were shown of the actors.
Comparison of sound
We developed this in our final cut by adding music for our productions and throughout the whole film. We did this through garageband where we learnt how to create music from scratch and control the frequency of the sound so it corresponds to our film. For example, the music we had throughout our whole film helped build tension and get the audience thinking that something drastic will be happening.
In our prelim we didn't use any sounds other than dialogue. This was because we didn't have an idea of how to use garageband which helps make the music sound more realistic. Nor did we use any foley sound, so the movement of the actor is heard as we didn't think it was necessary.
Also, we used foley sounds of a door slamming which we chose from YouTube and downloaded it to our film. This was also done for the audio we recorded to use as a voice over. The use of the foley sound made the scene appear more realistic and the audio helped give an idea of the characters lifestyle.
Overall, the development of sound has also changed a lot due to more knowledge and planning of how we wanted the outcome to be like.
Comparison of editing
I think the match cut used in my prelim when Daniel opens the door could have been used or developed in my final product. One of scenes that would of been an excellent idea to use this is when Marcus is 'spudding' his friends. There could have been either a close up shot of the contact or a close up of his friends to show a clear facial expression of the characters.
The editing skills in the prelim and final product seem similar. This is because the transitions for both of the footages are in the right places and corresponds to the film. But I've developed in understanding where a right transition should be made.
Comparison of mise-en-scene
Our footage has a problem of lighting as you can see the lighting changes from bright to dark. This is due to the timing of the footage being filmed. However, we've tried covering it by adding different lighting to correspond to each scene.
This differs from our prelim where the lighting is the same throughout the whole footage. However, a problem with our footage that was developed in our final product was costume. Due to lack of planning we didn't think about whether the costume would suit the characters role. However, for our final product we developed in this by carefully thinking of the costumes for ever actor in the film.
Overall, after conducting the prelim it helped me develop particular scenes in my final product. For example, camera shots, framing and sound. Also, after carefully looking at both my prelim and final product I've understood the changes I could have made to them both clearly. Neither of them were perfect but there is much more development on the final product that isn't noticeable in the prelim.