Preliminary Evaluation

Our task for this preliminary Exercise was to create a sequence where a person walks into a room (opening a door), sitting down with another person and exchanging a few sentences (having a conversation). Our main task was to ensure continuity throughout.

1.Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

• I worked with Alex S, Olivia and Zenia. 
• In our group, we all pitched in for the brainstorming, although the idea we ended up using was initially thought of by Olivia. 
• Olivia and Zenia initially acted out the sequence in front of me and Alex S so that I could note down the script, which I would then improve and Alex S could not down the actions for the script.

2.How did you plan your sequence? What processes did  you use? What theories did you try to take into account? 

• Brainstorming- At first, we brainstormed different ideas, first choosing a genre to work with and then seeing what narratives could fulfill the needs of that genre. We decided on comedy as directing a comedy needs to be clever, and we thought of it as a challenge. 
• Scripting- I noted down the initial script as it was being acted out, which we then, as a group, improved it by looking at how it would work and if it would work when the actors would say it in the sequence and developed it according to that.
• Storyboard- Me and Olivia drew the storyboard, although everyone was adding ideas on how it should be shot. Here we had to think about cinematography and how we would portray the genre using filming and genre conventions. For example, in our sequence we were trying to create an awkward atmosphere between the two characters, instead of an over-dramatic one, which is the type of comedy we were going for. We had to think about the 180 degree rule, and tried to achieve this through the conversation that would take place in the sequence. We tried to avoid breaking the 30 degree rule when it came to shooting, and tried to use framing that would allow us to achieve the match-on-action when we were to edit in post-production.
• Shot List- Zenia wrote the shotlist from the storyboard, which helped us then decide on setups.
• Production- Here we had to think about: rehearsals, location, casting, timings and setups. Setups were the most important, as we had to think about how to be most time-efficient and use our time effectively.

3.What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?

• In pre-production, we didn't use any technology, but did use the camcorder to look at locations and if the location would be suitable for what we were trying to shoot. 
• While shooting, we used the camcorder and a tripod. The tripod allowed us to pan smoothly and also keep the camera still to achieve the best shots we could.
• In post-production, we used Adobe Premiere Pro on a PC, it was easy to use and we got the hang of it quickly and managed to edit as best as we could in the time we had.

4.What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

• We had to make sure we were time-efficient in everything we did and needed to make sure our time was managed efficiently throughout. We managed this quite well as our setups were successfully shot so we didn't waste time repeating setups after we had moved from them. 
• As continuity was the main point of this task, we had to make sure our match-on-action was effectively shot, so when we edited we could easily edit the shots together successfully. 
• As we were located indoors and away from windows, we didn't have to take natural lighting into account as much, although we had to make sure that the lighting from outside didn't change too much so it wouldn't affect our shots.
• When planning, we had to make sure the script would work when the actors would act it out, so we had to do rehearsals to ensure the script made sense when acted out, so that we didn't have any problems when shooting the real thing.
• We repeated many of our shots when shooting, even if we thought they looked good so we could have spare footage when editing in case something went wrong. For example a shot we thought looked good at the time didn't fit in with the rest of the footage when editing, so by having spares we were trying to reduce this problem as much as possible.

5.How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently? 

• I feel our sequence was successful when it came to continuity. I think it flows really well from one shot to another, and the cinematography allows the viewer to understand what is going on. 
• Some shots, for example the reaction shots of the characters after the girl says she's the boy's mother are kept on longer than what would be expected, this was done to create an awkward atmosphere between the characters, and I think that worked well as it portrays a comic mood and fulfills audience needs for comedy, as that was our genre.
• What I think could be improved is, in the two shots were I stand up to hug Olivia, we had to make sure two things stayed in continuity at the same time, and I think that didn't work very well. When I was getting up, we had to keep my body moving up in continuity from one shot to another, and also the door closing in the background. We noticed this when editing, so we were unable to re-shoot. We had to decide whether we wanted to make sure I kept continuity, or the door closing, and in the end, as from the reactions of some people watching the sequence from outside our group, decided the door was more obvious to the viewer at first, so decided to make sure that was kept in continuity. 

6.What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?

• This exercise helped me learn the importance of setups. and how useful they are when thinking about time-constraint, as I wasn't very aware of this before. This will allow me to work more efficiently in future projects to achieve better results. 
• Continuity is something I wouldn't normally think about in previous projects, although I knew the importance of it, I never needed to use it. Now, I will keep it in mind to ensure I use it effectively if needed in future projects. 
• I have also learnt about the different processes and theories when it comes to continuity, for example the 180 degree rule and the 30 degree rule. Especially the 30 degree rule, which I previously did not know about but can now use this in any project that requires me to shoot from the same setup.