Long shot from behind the tree

By showing half the tree and half of the main character on the bench, displays the sense of the mysterious figure spying on her. By standing away from the main character also portrays how the figure is weary of approaching the girl, and therefore keeping his distance.

Wide shot of sitting on bench

This wide shot portrays the main character alone on the bench. She appears isoalted away from society, instantly making her a target and vulnerable.

Establishing long shot of main character on the floor.

This shot of the main character on an unclean footpath and graffitied wall, shows the background of the whole film, displaying it to be filmed in the streets of Manchester. Showing her on the floor associated her with a homeless person, further suggesting that she has a bad lifestyle in order to end up this position drinking on the floor outside.

High angle shot of main character's feet.

This high angle shot suggests the main character to always be looking down at her feet due to insecurites. It is also a chance to focus more on the more unusual elements associated with girl that makes her different, if not an outsider; such as the smiley face laces.

Extreme close up of pressing piano button.

This extreme close up enables the viewer to look closer at the main character. The untidy black nail varnish is exposed to suggest the untidiness as she has let the colour chip. The colour black demonstrates the gothic, dark effect.

Finished Task "Him"

Director's Commentary

How did you attract/address your audience?

To the attract the audience, numerous popular techniques are used to help entice and interest the viewers.

The idea of a main character being a female teenager was included to attract a teenage audience, mainly the female gender. Also, being a similar age enables the teenage audience associated with our main task, are then able to have an instant connection with the characters.

The props and costume used were further suitable as it portrayed a teenage age group wearing similar clothes that possibly they would wear. The initial untidy physical appearance would be associated with the stereotypical views of a teenager, particularly at college, further perhaps creating a link with the target audience as they may also be a student, living a more free lifestyle.

The title was purposely ironic. With the main character being female, the audience would expect it to be a film from her point of view. However, the opening sequence is in fact portraying how the male antagonist has power over her mind, thereby dominating the title in his mysterious identity only referred to as 'him'. This cryptic element was used to also attract the audience, making them sceptical as the title does not explain a lot about the film, so hopefully would make them want to watch it to find out. A short, snappy heading would contrast other films making it stand out from others. The film 'Brick' also had a similar effect, as the title does not portray a clue about what the film is ultimately about.

To further attract the audience, the music was kept very basic to make the action on scene appear more dominant. Although classical music is not very popular with teenagers, often in many successful films it goes unnoticed, when in reality the music is the most crucial part of creating an emotion, particularly a sad one. Therefore, to create sympathy for the character, minor chords are included to instantly portray a gloomy atmosphere, as though the main character is not happy.

Moreover, by using a character which does not physically appear to fit in with society by wearing unfashionable clothes, would also attract an audience. It would immediately portray her as different and standing out from the crowd but the reason is unknown as to whether it was a personal choice, or whether society is the one segregating her.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

For our main task we chose the genre of a psychological thriller. To prepare us on how to achieve this genre, we studied the opening of films with a same genre to help us succeed in creating a similar one. Different films that we looked at created different responses as an audience, for example intriguing the audience as to the upcoming plot of the film, or a disturbing reaction also sceptical as to what is going to occur throughout the film.

Like many films within the media, female main characters are often portrayed as vulnerable and are essentially the victim within a lot of psychological thrillers. We used this same idea as we felt that it would be better and easier to present a character which is distressed and naive straight away.
However, we also challenged the stereotypical view of a teenage girl, particularly of her untidy appearance. For example, by giving her a hobby of playing classical music on the piano is perhaps not associated with a young girl, who does not fit the image of having an elegant talent such as this. We purposely chose to challenge this idea presented by the media, but not to the extent where we created a character that the viewer no longer had a connection with. We were careful not to reflect a character which would not be likely to exist, making the audience lose interest due to no link.

A opening of a film we studied closely was, 'Brick'. We found this exercise very helpful particularly within the aspect of music used. A simple repetitive sound sequence as the opening soundtrack was very effective in order to achieve a disturbing atmosphere matching the chosen genre. The music only included one instrument as to not over-complicate and draw attention away from the action happening on screen, so no lyrics are used within the music composed.

We were influenced by this successful technique and decided to develop on this technique, therefore we used modern piano music that linked with our opening sequence. The piece was influenced by the Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi, whose pieces are associated with the series of 'This Is England'. The song "Nuvole Bianche" was played during a disturbing rape scene within the series, which added to the intensity. Because of this, Bethan improvised a similar piece on the piano to include in our opening scene. We felt that in doing this would hopefully achieve a similar effect, in creating an intense atmosphere, which would be instantly associated with that of a typical thriller genre. As a group, we thought that appropriate music for our opening sequence is one that has an immediate reaction on the audience, impacting on their mood giving the sense of a thriller. Many films of different variety of genres use classical music to capture the audience for different desired effects required from the director. It was also practical to have a person in the group that could play the piano, as rather than relying on other people outside of the group to perform on days which suited them, we were able to record the performance during media lessons which saved a lot of time and hassle.

To help distinguish the main character as being a typical loner, all the scenes are taken place in remote places with no passers by in the dull, quiet back streets, and empty area of the park. The camera shot from behind the tree observing the main character from behind as she sits by herself on the bench, also shows her to be alone, giving the sense that she is being watched by a mysterious figure who does not want to be found. This was developed, as when the main character turns around suspiciously, the camera jolts back to behind the tree, acting as a point of view shot from the unknown person that appears to be stalking her.

The majority of popular movies use continuity editing in order to achieve smooth flowing footage. "Brick" included matching shots which linked corresponding scenes. This makes is look professional, so we were keen to use the same idea to make ours look as professional as possible. We edited out shots in order, to give the impression of chronological order throughout the day, however we wanted to include flashbacks of the piano throughout the opening sequence to break up the scenes from outside, but also so that we could change onto our next scene in the park. It also gave the impression that all shots were filmed on the same day, when in reality it was over a period of weeks to get the shots fully accurate. The idea of certain props missing, was also an indication of the passage of time progressing throughout the characters journey, such as the beer can, as though it had been consumed. She is wearing the same clothes throughout the sequence linking to her untidiness, as she does not wear fresh, clean clothes each day, because of her abrupt lifestyle.

Moreover, after observing the film 'Brick' which inspired our ideas for our main task, we also thought that it was effective to have very little dialogue in the opening sequence. This matched the silence, and thrilling aspect of our genre of film which we were trying to achieve. Likewise, this influenced our decision to have our film suitable only for persons over the age of 15 as both of the films below which helped with our creativity, also use this age limit on their films.

A particular shot which I felt was effective, was the shots leading up the male character approaching the young girl. It only becomes clear that he does not exist in the final shot when the transition suddenly shows him over her shoulder, and the next shot revealing that there is nothing actually there, making it evident that this is all in her abrupt mind. This was the key event that linked with the idea of being a psychological film, as this is the first incline into her psychological disorder in which she believes she has a person victimising her, ruining her life. The music is also meant to add to the intensity the male approaching, instantly making the viewer recognise that his presence is bad and tense. The shot also links with the previous shot of behind the tree, as he is seen walking away from the tree where the shot was filmed, making it evident that he was the person secretly observing her.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The media massively contributes to the stereotypical view of different social groups. Within our production we decided that we would have a young, teenage girl as the main character. We tried to match this to the stereotypical view of the majority of teenagers being perceived as 'unstable' and rebellious in the sense that they drink and are unable to control their aggression.

Furthermore, by using a female character we felt that this would impact on the overall perception of her being vulnerable, in the sense that she was young and small in contrast to her age, giving the initial thought that she is weak and unable to defend herself as appose to that of an older male, who we decided to play the role of her 'imagination'.

We decided on using this stereotypical view of a teenager portrayed in the group of a 'college slacker' because we thought that the audience would be able to relate to the character more.

We achieved this view through the props used; beer can and a bandage on her wrist. Although, we did not show how the damage to her wrist was caused, this created the audience to follow their bias imagination of her causing harm to herself. This also was a good idea to leave the audience in suspense, as for a short opening of a film sequence it would not be appropriate to reveal a lot of the story line that follows it.

Also, the appearance of the character matched that of the social group of college students who look like slackers. This consisted of large, volumised hair, dirty black tracksuit bottoms, with an odd denim jacket. This helped us to portray college students of not having pride in their appearance, often wearing loose casual fitting clothes, usually that of a dark colour to make them look slightly intimidating.

However, we also challenged this perception as the character is actually a dedicated student, especially towards her music career, despite her untidy appearance. We hoped that through this we would achieve a character that perhaps fitted into the social group of having a rough lifestyle, therefore not having a lot of money to buy fashionable clothes to wear.

Also, a lot of the shots used within our production mainly focuses on the feet on the main character. These shots represent how she is always looking down on the floor walking, not wanting to look up at what awaits her as she is incredibly paranoid and does not want to face up at what awaits her because of this uncontrollable fear. This idea could make her fit into the social group of a 'bully victim', as though she does not have the confidence to stand up for herself and has the negative attitude, as she is always looking down at her feet. It also represented her as being insecure and a loner in comparison to popular teenagers who are out socializing a lot.

Because of this, we felt that by her drinking on the streets matched the social interpretation of the way teenagers are portrayed particularly in the media such as the news. However, at the same time we wanted this to mirror the decision of her turning to drink excessive amounts of alcohol perhaps because of her difficult lifestyle.



Moreover, the decision for the prop of a piano to be included, represented a solitary hobby, in which she played alone. This further portrayed her as an outsider with no social life. We aimed to show music as a way of an escape for her and to finally express herself. Therefore, when this is taken away from her due to her injury, she results in having nothing else in life that she perceives as working hard for to achieve.

The shots that were included also portrayed her as being alone. For example a long shot of her sitting alone on the park. This presents her of having no friends, and the idea of her wanting to be alone as she is segregating herself off from society by choosing a quiet area of the park of a lonely bench on the outskirts.

We hope we achieved the way we wanted our social groups to be perceived by the audience, and was successful in a lot of stereotypical views created by the media about different social classes. A lot of the main character was inspired by the media on the television such as the TV programme 'Skins'. This is a particularly good example of how teenagers are portrayed in a rebellious way, but still put forward as likable characters at the same time.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The genre of our production that we decided upon was a psychological thriller.

The primary target audience of this genre is normally the ages 15+, this is because they usually include a lot of violence and numerous psychological issues which some younger viewers may find disturbing.

Therefore, for our production we have decided upon rating our beginning sequence suitable for ages 15+. This is because we deem our opening of the film to have possibly some disturbing elements which may unsettle younger viewers, yet there is no extreme violence within our production or any gory elements that are regarded as being overly explicit so this age limit seemed appropriate for our main task.

Our production is obviously aimed towards people who particularly enjoy this genre of film, but mainly at the age group of female teenagers, as the main character is a female teenager. We tried to include as many techniques associated with psychological thrillers as possible, such as the distressed protagonist, usually a female depicted as being weak and vulnerable,thrilling music and a bad character to create the conflict with is essential in any storyboard in order for it to progress. These are used so that it appears much like a typical one with similar aspects that the audience are able to relate to much easier and associate with the same genre.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

A distributor is an important factor in order to get any film recognised through advertising. A media institution which would be appropriate for our genre of film, and target audience would ideally be popular on the television programmes which is also popular with our target audience of teenagers. Channels such as MTV and Viva and various other popular music channels would be suitable as the main viewers of these programmes are the same as our target audience; 15-24 years old. These channels have advertised similar films before being previewed such as 'Never Back Down' and a psychological drama 'Girl, Interrupted' which was one of the films that inspired a lot of our ideas for our film; 'Him'.


After researching several films that we consider similar to ours, we found that the distributors that would be most ideal for our film would be companies such as 'Red Wagon Productions' who are responsible for distributing 'Girl, Interrupted'.

Also, they are also behind several other films that have been featured on MTV on the television.

Likewise, we felt that being a purely British film, it would be appropriate for BFI (British Film Institute) to also distribute it, as they are responsible for distributing many well known, successful British films.

Optimum Releasing are also a UK production company, so would also be another option that would be appropriate for distributing our media product. Despite this, studio canal which is a French distributor may also be classed as ideal for distributing our film as it is popular with British films. American distributors would not be very appropriate as they distribute films which contain big-named actors such as Angelina Jolie in 'Girl, interrupted' and have an extremely expensive budget, which our film does not have.

Film 4 would also be an option, as it is owned by Channel 4 and often previews films produced in the UK, like our film.

Advertising can be very expensive and being a very 'no-budget' film, other alternatives would be more ideal. Such as forms of advertising on the radio as it is considered a lot cheaper to get our film noticed. Because of this, if our film was to be distributed we would choose a British Company which distributes low-budget films such as Working Title. In comparison to the films we have studied, they have had a larger budget and therefore can afford larger distributor companies to promote their film. Furthermore, our film is classed as typically British, with the typical working-class environment and untidy local parks set as our locations.

The time of release for our film would ideally be leading up to Halloween, during the Gothic Horror period to further enforce our genre of being a psychological thriller. However, depending on the other rivaling films being released at the same time as ours, as a second alternative we would choose our film to be released during the Summer holidays when a lot of people have time off, and therefore have more time to go out and watch films.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

During our main task, as a group we have learnt a lot about technologies and how to construct a media piece together in a professional fashion using appropriate software.

Normally, we are use to using basic computers, yet for our main task we used specially designed computers used for editing pieces of footage on the Apple Mac, and used the software Final Cut Pro software. These were a lot more complex, therefore it took a lot of practice and exploration to ultimately do our final desired effects on our opening film. Because of this professional programme that we used, it enabled us to use technologies which would not have been possible on a normal PC, such as adding in sound over the top of the footage, and inserting the credits between shots.

Although there was a lot of icons which were used to help us with certain functions, some procedures were difficult to achieve, such as trying to slot in the credits and change the way that the credits entered the slides. It took many attempts before we were happy with the final product.

College provided us with the recording equipment; camera-recorder and tripod. When filming we were especially careful when shooting all of our clips, to make sure that we left a large gap before and after filming. This made the process of editing in the suite a lot easier as we knew when to cut the shot and merge the clips to make the transitions smooth and flow. After getting use to filming with the cameras, this enabled us to develop our more creative ideas, as we knew how to work the camera for different desired effects, such as placing it on the flat ground, doing a close up of the feet walking down the pavement.

A shot which we wanted to include, was a fast paced editing shots, showing the main character running away from her imagination down an alleyway, dodging through the bins. However, after observing the footage that we already had, we felt that it did not fit in, and perhaps would not have finished the editing in time for the dead line, as lots of different shots were needed to be cut and inserted.

The tripod enabled us to do certain angled shots which would not have been possible otherwise, and was particularly effective for keeping the camera straight and not shake whilst shooting. It further allowed us to do higher shots that we were unable to reach at a safe, stable angle.

From watching other media products, we were able to learn more about the 180 degree rule and how to film it correctly without exceeding the angle. This was done in our product, so that it does not confuse the viewer when watching, particularly when there are two characters during a conversation. It is ideal to associate each person on one side of the screen so that the camera can act as the person's view. Swapping them round on straight after a shot, would confuse the viewer as the shots do not connect with the previous one shown.

Different shots are essential in creating different atmospheres and representing emotions. For example, a low angle shot suggests a character that is dominant and has respect, as the shot suggests that the character is above everyone and looked up by them. The camera acts as an almost point of view shot from the viewer, so that they can identify the person as being in control. Because of this, we were keen to use as many shots in order to show our creativity, and likewise present our characters in ways to provoke pity from the audience, from the young girl as she appears naive and alone. High angle shots would be appropriate, to portray her as being looked down upon, in contrast to having no control giving the effect of her having a dark cloud constantly above her head, disrupting her life. A high angle shot of her feet as she walked down the pavement suggests how she is always looking down, promoting the idea of her being insecure.

Some problems did occur whilst filming. At the beginning, we found the different functions of the camera, different to get use to, as every camera in different in that it has different buttons for different functions. It made some filming difficult in that sometimes when we thought we were filming, we took still pictures instead.

Another incident which occurred affecting our overall progress was after recording some essential shots from behind the tree, we put them onto the Mac to view, but were not able to locate the files, and therefore had to go out and make sure we recorded the footage again on a different day.

Moreover, after saving some of our edited footage at different stages, misplaced our saved footage instead of saving in the HD Macintosh folder. This created more hassle when we wanted to find our footage and carry on editing, instead of saving it to a server where it should have originally been.

To help us with ideas, we used websites on the internet such as 'Youtube' to help us look at footage from films which were ideal in helping us expand on our current ideas. We looked at the films, "Brick", "Changeling" and "Girl, Interrupted".

Blogger was also used as a diary, in order for our group to keep updating our current progress from the beginning with all of our basic ideas, leading up to the final piece. It was also an opportunity to share our final piece with others, and gave us practice if we were to use this software again in the future. Newer technologies are essential in creating better, and more realistic films in the cinema and in the media in the future.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Our preliminary task taught us many of the basic steps in achieving a smooth short clip. With this, we were able to expand and develop on our ideas through the basic knowledge that we were taught within our media lessons. It was a learning experience on how to work the equipment correctly and achieve the best quality leading up to the actual finished product.

From our preliminary task we were able to understand more about the amount of different angle shots required and were able to experiment on the angles which worked well with certain scenes. From our preliminary task, we were also able to eliminate some shots which didn't work to our desired effect.

The preliminary task also enabled us to detect any faults whilst filming some shots. For example, when experimenting a tracking shot, looking back at the footage were able to see more clearly how much movement was caused to the camera when maneuvering it, and whether it was a smooth transition from one side of the scene to the other.

Observing previous captured footage also showed us the quality of the picture, and whether some shots would have to be a closer shot in order to capture full detail to make the opening more clearer to view.

During this task, our group also learnt that in order to achieve continuity editing we needed more than one shot so that we could combine them with corresponding shots to make them look professional so that they appeared to match. Also, when filming we learnt that to make editing simpler, we had to record shots with a gap before and after the actual procedure that we wanted to included.

We explored the different tools available on final cut pro, and were able to look into them in more detail to choose from the variety to decide which one best suited our chosen genre best.

The preliminary task was an opportunity to listen to the sound quality of the camera footage. This gave us more of an incline as to whether it was appropriate to add in our own prerecorded diagetic sound to make the sound more distilled and clearer to understand.

This quality of the camera also had an impact on the different weather atmospheres that we filmed in outside. On our preliminary task, we filmed outside on a sunny day. Looking at the recorded footage showed us the glare on the camera from the intensity of the light, so we were able to adjust the camera to an angle where it wasn't noticeable, this made the the overall shot clearer and the scene more visible for the viewers for when we produced our main task.

Main task production report

We have been filming our footage for the post production for the previous 6 weeks and are close to completing our shots for the main task.

During the filming process our script and shot plan changed so that we could determine which shots were appropriate for the scene being filmed.

A problem features during the filming stage was the weather. On occasions it was sunny and others it was cloudy therefore it affected the general atmosphere and mood of the shot according to the pathetic fallacy which we aimed to achieve. We tried not to let this affect our shots by making sure we filmed important areas and scenes on the same day so that the weather stayed the same for the numerous shots we included.

Also, we had to ensure that no sun glare was on the lens of the camera making the shot look unclear. On cloudy days, we aim to improve the footage by making the lighting in the background brighter to match the weather on the sunny days.
Our group had to be prepared in order of remembering props so that when we did shots they were corresponding and looked as though they were filmed on the same day. We aimed to make our footage in terms of accuracy, look as faultless as possible.

The sounds with the footage were not as clear as we would have liked. Therefore, we aspire to add in the corresponding sound effects to make it sound more clean. For example, the sound effect of a stick snapping will be added, and perhaps the increasing sound of footsteps. The background music was originally Bethan playing the piano, because we felt the improvised music matched nicely with the chosen genre of the film that we decided upon. We found through a survey that without necessarily initially noticing, classical music is particularly effective in captivating the audience.

For example, if you were to play the opening of a film, without the classical music included within it, the viewer feels no connection and easily loses interest because of this. The background music of any film is the main contributor to the desired emotion wanted on the audience by the director.

The main character played by Bethan Syddall was chosen as the group felt it would be an advantage as having a performing arts student act in our group, instead of relying on other actors, we found it more practical to have our own group in our production in order to saved a lot of time.

Likewise, we chose our strengths as in Gareth had the most knowledge to do with the technology included, so he helped a lot with the editing stages on Final Cut Pro 7. We all have a significant input, but in different areas of creating our main task. Working as a group means that we have different responsibilities to contribute to the final product, but still corporate others ideas with our answers.

Detailed Shotlist of main task

This is the final shotlist we have for our main task. These were changed slightly from our original shotlist as we included new ideas which we deemed approriate.

1. Close up of sitting down and placing book on the stand.

2. Extreme close up of pressing button on the Piano.

3. Close up of playing keys.

4. High angle shot of legs walking down the road

5. Long shot of Bethan walking down the road.

6. Wide angle shot of walking by the wall.

7. Wide angle shot of sitting by the wall drinking alcohol.

8. Medium panning shot of Bethan and Chris entering the park gates.

9. Medium shot of Bethan walking towards the bench.

10. Medium shot of Bethan sitting on bench.

11. Wide angle shot of Bethan on bench.

12. Close up of Bethan crying.

13. Point of view shot of looking from a tree at Bethan.

14. Close up of Bethan looking confused.

15. Medium shot of Tom approaching Bethan.

16. Extreme close up of Bethan being scared.

17. Medium shot of Bethan shouting

18. Title

Production Treatment

For our main task, we have been assigned to create the opening of a short film, with a duration of ideally two minutes long.

Title: Him
We chose a short, snappy heading, so that it would strike the viewer, in the sense that it was mysterious as to who 'him' actually is within the film.

Genre: Psychological thriller
We felt this was a good genre to portray from the numerous openings of films that we studied in particular with the same genre to help us give the theme of a psychological thriller.

Duration:
The duration has to be two minutes long as an aim but can be 1:50-2:15 maximum.
When planning our film we had to make sure that we did not exceed this time limit, as to remind ourselves that this is only an opening of a film, and not a full short film, so therefore we are not meant to give a lot of the plot away so soon.

Audience:
We believe the audience that this film would appeal to people who would enjoy psychological films, and similar films such as 'Girl, Interrupted'.
However, teenagers are our main audience as the main character is a teenager, so we felt that the viewers would have an instant connection being a similar age.
Overall, for the opening of our film we deem it suitable for all ages, and do not find it too disturbing for younger viewers, however, if we were to continue filming for the rest of the film, we would make the footage suitable for persons 15+, because we feel that some scenes in relation to other psychological thrillers include some unsettling thriller aspects, and possibly bad language and violence not suitable for children.

Résumé:
The main plot of our film, involves a young psychotic girl who due to her paranoia ultimately becomes increasingly insane. Her imagination is abrupt; making her believe that there is a person trying to destroy her life and ruin her musical aspiration which is considered her most important thing in her life currently.

Costumes:
The main character's appearance of the young girl, should instantly give the impression that she is not necessarily in the correct frame of mind, due to her untidy appearance.
Wearing dark, unclean clothes such as black track-suit bottoms and a dark, denim jacket accompanied with a plain T-shirt, portrays the idea of her not following the current fashion trends that the majority of young girls similar to her age do. This would suggest that she is already cut off from society and doesn't fit in, whilst at the same time contributing to the idea of her perhaps due to her abrupt, difficult lifestyle means that she does not have the money to dress according to typical social group.

Props:
Some props were essential within our production as they were symbolic and helped in achieving our story line. For example, the large back-pack that she carried around with her for the majority of the opening was symbolic, in which it shows that perhaps all her belongings are located within the bag and that she has no set, stable place to live, therefore carries it around with her.
Furthermore, the beer can was also used to help represent her age, and to further enforce the idea that she is unstable, leading to her drinking alcohol in public alone, representing her as having a troubled lifestyle, ultimately making her appear unsociable.

Locations for filming:
We chose to film a lot of our footage at Alexandra Park, close to college. Partly because it was practical for the group as it was close to college, and a lot easier to be organised with time, but also it was due to it already being one of our original ideas to have the main character segregated even in a public place such as a park.
Within the park, we found a lonely bench, which would be appropriate in establishing the main character as being alone and vulnerable, and away from the crowd in the actual playground.

We also filmed in college, in the music practice room when she was performing on the piano. However, there was no shots that confirmed to the viewer that this was a college environment, so indeed they may have been mislead into thinking that it perhaps may have been her actual home. Being an opening of a film, we were able to be ambiguous with the props and set, to keep the audience's anticipated as to the true meaning behind these symbolic elements used.

Recording days:
After thoroughly checking over our plan to make sure that we were fully prepared for filming, we filmed mainly during the lessons that we had media, when the whole group was available, so that there was more help by everybody doing their assigned roles that we decided upon. Although, one main concern about filming in exterior shots is that the weather is unreliable so we cannot be sure if the weather will be the same for the next day of filming because it will look unprofessional. Therefore, we tried to film important scenes that appear in the same area, on the same day to try and avoid this from happening.

Budget estimate:
Because this is a college film it will not have a budget.

Preliminary Task Video

Preliminary Task Evaluation

Gareth Morris
Bethan Syddall
Tom Squires
Chris Mitchell

During the preliminary task our group learnt numerous techniques including how to edit and shoot a short video using the software Final Cut Professional 7 to help us with our understanding and improve our current media skills.



During media lessons, our group filmed and edited a short piece as part of our preliminary task. It was purposely basic as it was mainly a practice exercise in preparation for our main task.

Therefore, we filmed within the college grounds, outside and inside of the ball building. The storyline for this assignment consisted of a student meeting a friend in college after receiving a text from them.


Preliminary Task Evaluation


As a group, we believe that the preliminary task was overall quite successful, yet some minor problems occurred, but very rarely noticeable according to the footage.

Before filming, as a group we created a shot list in preparation for the actual filming process. After filming and editing the captured footage that we recorded we realised that some more extra shots were required in order to make the transitions flow and look more smooth to achieve continuity editing.

To avoid any mishaps like this happening in the future, such as in our main task, we would draw out shot list of the overall sequence to make a clearer diagram, making it easier to detect any faults that we could then solve.

Even though the shot list was not as accurate as we would have liked, we included some adequate shots which we felt were successful. For example, the medium shot of Gareth walking up the stairs. This may of mimicked a shot from that of a CCTV camera, as thought he is being looked over from above upon his every move., like in many private buildings. However, during this shot a student was noticed on the side of the screen which slightly disturbed the filming process and the shot which was only meant to include Gareth himself. Despite this, the person was in it for a split second so it was not very noticeable and therefore did not affect our overall editing and filming process.

Other shots that we deemed to be successful was the close up of Gareth opening the door. Although, the filming footage is a little bit shaky. This could not be prevented as when pressing the button on the camera it caused it to move slightly. Despite this, we consider this to be our best close up shot throughout the task, along with the tight editing which made it look even more effective as it corresponded with the previous shot.

A key element that was required in our task was the shot reverse shot of the two characters having a conversation. We used the 180 degree rule in order to make this shot look as smooth and professional as you would expect from something off the television. To do this, we shot the camera over Chris' right shoulder when he was speaking, and then followed by over Gareth's left shoulder during Chris' dialogue. Due to editing skills, we were able to make this seem like a smooth conversation between two cameras, giving the effect that it was filmed using two separate cameras, yet we were limited to only one camera. The over the shoulder shot was a good element to include due to it still revealing the person who isn't speaking, and a shot of the face of the current speaker.

Another key element also used during our task was a match shot. We included this during the medium shot of Gareth opening the door, followed by the extreme close up of Gareth's hand on the handle of the door. This gave the effect the viewer that it was a smooth transition to the next shot and therefore matched the previous shot, yet a closer more detailed view.

Another example of a match shot in our film was the opening of our video; the close up of Gareth's phone, followed by a medium shot including Gareth and the phone. Again, this match shot linked together through our editing, giving the impression that it ran smoothly and overall made the shots successful because of this.

All of the group contributed to the editing process of this task, although, Gareth had the most input because he had more experience than some of us. We had some problems with continuity editing towards the end. We stuck with the 180 degree rule, which made our task appear more professional as we used as many different shots as we could and edited as neatly as possible for the best viewing.

From our experience, we also learnt how to set up the scratch disk. We saved this to Macintosh HD 2, and then further saved into our own area where it would be easier to locate all our work that we have done.

Preliminary Task - Shot List

1. Close up shot of mobile phone.

2. Medium shot of mobile phone.

3. Medium shot of pupil walking towards building (outside)

4. Medium shot of pupil entering through the fire door (inside)

5. Front view high angle shot of pupil climbing the ground floor of stairs.

6. Back view low angle shot of pupil climbing 1st floor of stairs.

7. Medium shot of pupil's hand approaching the handle of the door.

8. Extreme close up shot pupil's hand on the handle opening the door.

9. Wide angle, medium shot of pupil entering through the door, approaching friend.

SHOT REVERSE SHOT SEQUENCE

10. Over the shoulder shot of person 1.

11. Over the shoulder shot of pupil.

12. Over the shoulder shot of person 1.