What I learnt when I filmed my Preliminary Test

For my first Preliminary Test I learnt a lot about the basics of making a film. This was because I made mistakes, however they were very useful as they made me think about what I needed to change in order for my film to look more realistic and have more continuity throughout.

For the second Preliminary Test I changed a lot of aspects, these were:

I used a clapper board to make it easier for when I came to the editing suite. This helped as I was able to identify the shots I wanted to use, therefore I didn't have to watch all the footage, just the bits I wanted to use for the exercise.







I also changed the camera angles to create a more interesting atmosphere in parts of the film. For instance, when the two characters sit down and say a couple of lines of dialogue, I used a close up shot, rather than a medium close up, which is what I used in my previous film.

When I filmed this time round I found it much easier, as I had more of a basic idea of how to shoot a film, and the rules that come with filming, such as the 180-degree rule and the rule of thirds.

In general, the second preliminary exercise was much more a success than the first. I am pleased with the final outcome of my film.

Main Task Research

Psycho


GENRE - Horror/ Thriller

PLOT - A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client, she consequently leaves town, finding herself in a small motel, with a weedy man who seems very pleasant and takes her in. We soon find out this is not the case.

Fight Club

GENRE - Action/Drama/Thriller

PLOT - An office employee and a soap salesman build a global organization to help vent male aggression

Leon



GENRE - Crime/Drama/Thriller

PLOT - Professional assassin Leon reluctantly takes care of 12-year-old Mathilda, a neighbor whose parents are killed, and
teaches her his skills.

Final Preliminary Exercise

This is my final preliminary exercise which has gone a lot better than the first one.

Preliminary exercise

I filmed my preliminary exercise however I realised when loading it up I had a few problems with the camera angles and the general plot of the film.

This preliminary exercise made me realise how the camera angles are extremely important in creating the right atmosphere for the plot of the film. It also made me think about the 180-degree rule as this was a problem when i initially started filming. There were also other issues whilst filming such as, the dialogue was not as clear as i would have liked.

This for me was a good learning curve as I was able to point out what went wrong in my film. Now I can go back and film it again hopefully without any of the mistakes that occurred in the first preliminary exercise.

Shot Reverse Shot

Shot reverse shot is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character, and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the audience assumes that the characters are looking at one an other.

Shot reverse shot is a classical hollywood style, which involves continuity editing. This gives the impression that there is no transition between the two shots, making the viewer believe there is one continuous smooth action.

This is a film i found which shows clearly what a shot reverse shot looks like.

Rule of Thrids

This image demonstrates how the camera shot can be broken down into thirds in order to create a more interesting shot,including not only the protagonist, but helping to create depth in the scenery. This helps the director to include setting/introduce the setting without having to specifically set the scene. By positioning the protagonist slightly to the left or right of the shot immediately creates a more 3D image, rather than a flat image by having the character in the centre.

180 Degree rule

Before we started filming the practice preliminary test, we learnt how to use the camera, also putting into practice the 180-degree-rule.

180 Degree Rule




This explains that the camera cannot cross the dotted line in the centre as it would create confusion to the audience, this is because the camera (if on the other side of the line) would visually switch the two characters around, thus making them look as if they were the opposite character.

This is a clip I found on youtube which helped me to understand the 180-degree rule.

My own set up plan for preliminary exercise

Set up plan (as a class)

Set up plan (as a class)

Notes on the Continuity Task

Brief

I have chosen to make a video for my media task. This includes me filming a preliminary video, in order for me to get to know the equipment involved in making a film. For example using the camera appropriately and editing programs such as 'final cut pro'.

Firstly we have to do a preliminary exercise. This includes filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom he/she then exchanges a few lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

MAIN TASK - the titles and opening of a new fiction film to last a maximum of two minutes.