Planning - Initial Ideas

Work Hard Play hard -  The moral is that if you work hard then you can achieve your goals.

Idea 1

Two students that both skate. One focuses on improving in skateboarding and starts to succeed. Whereas the other is less eager and takes bad choices, like drugs or failing in school.

Idea 2

Again, both skate. One focuses on staying up in school, staying morally right, and improving his skateboarding skills. The other refuses to focus on school work, takes a chilled out approach to skateboarding and makes bad mistakes along the way. 

Both can show an arguement between the two characters where the scene intesifies and uses close up camera shots. Also, both can focus on different choices each person makes. E.G. Showing time pass by on a clock to represent the time and effort put in on school work for one character, or the other person leaving it on his desk or in a bin.

The Every Day Life - Following someone through a day in their life.

Idea 1

A young Boy (aged 16/17) and records his everyday activities, the people he comes across, the things he sees on a daily bassis. 

Idea 2

Following a young boy who hasn't got a family or friends to support him, and has to support himself. You can see how he manages to survive a day and the troubles he has to overcome. Main point of this idea is sympathy for the character.

Could use point of view shots so the viewer thinks they are seeing the events from his point of view, instead of just following the character. 

Narration from the character could be recorded and played over the top of the video. This could be used to make it surreal how scarred the character is or see his point fo view of things compared to what you would see. However, Sound equipment is to be considered for this.

Preliminary Task - Self Analysis

Preliminary Task


· Does your film use continuity editing so that the sequence of events are clear and easily understood by the viewer?


Toby - Yes it does, we use fade in and outs to let the audience know the intensity of the situation.

Michael - Yes it does, all the shots were edited together to show exactly how the scene would have unfolded as if the audience were actually there.

Charlie - Yes, our film uses continuity editing so the whole short film makes sense for the audience.

George- I believe that the short film we made makes sense as a viewer as the sequence of events is clear.


· Have you followed the directions in the brief? (A character opens a door, crosses a room and sits down in a chair opposite another character. An exchange of dialogue occurs.)

Toby - We stuck to the whole detention idea as we thought it would be easier to stick to the main brief.

Michael - We followed the brief correctly as our main character opens the door to enter the detention, walks across the room to his seat, sits down opposite the supporting character and they exchange dialogue.

Charlie - During the production of the short film we ensured that all of the regulations the brief specified were covered.

George- We made sure that our film contained the required shots and it was my job especially as the cinematographer it was my job to ensure that the correct shots were used.

· Have you used match-on-action?

Toby - We have used the match on Action when we opened and closed the door, making the atmosphere slightly more 'tense'.

Michael - We did use match-on-action as our lead opens the door and begins to walk through in one shot then continues to walk through and closes the door in the next shot.

Charlie - Yes, in our short film we used Match-on-action with the scene of the actor opening the door and then closing it and walking to his seat.

George - The match on action we used in our film was Toby reaching for teh door handle, showing him turning it and in the next shot that we see Toby in hes walking through the door after he has opened.

· Can you explain what a match-on action involves?

Toby - It involves a shot that is spilt into two different things eg, a door pulling down on the handle and then the camera moves onto the other side of the door and records the person walking in.

Michael - This involves any action being split between two shots, for example throwing the ball in one shot and catching it in the next shot.

Charlie - A match-on-action shot involves the use of splitting between two shots to show their action and the aftermath of their action.

George - A match on action is used to show a sequence of events that are broken into 2 main shots, one shot to show the action and a second shot to show the outcome of their actions.


· Have you used shot/reverse shot?

Toby - We used shot reverse shot when doing the over the shoulder shots

Michael - Shot/reverse shot was used during our dialogue when the camera reversed between the over the shoulder shots of both characters.

Charlie - We used shot reverse shot during the dialogue between the two actors, as we went over the shoulder of one actor, then the other, and then back.

George - The shot reverse shot we used was when Toby sits down and Michael and Toby share some dialouge a shot reverse shot is used to look over the shoulder of the two actors.


· Can you explain what shot/reverse shot involves?

Toby - Going from one shot, to another shot and coming back to the original shot.

Michael - Switching back and forth between two shots multiple times.

Charlie - It involves going from one shot, to a different shot, but then back to the first shot; You'll usually see this during dialogue between two characters.

George - It involves 2 main shots that are changed between it will commonly go to shot 1 then to shot 2 and back to shot 1 again.


· Did you observe the 180-degree rule?

Toby - When we sat at the table, the camera didn't move and the actors were on the same side.

Michael - During our dialougue we made sure to stay on one side of the characters keeping the actors on the same side of the shots.

Charlie - We ensured that we only stayed on one side of the characters throughout the dialogue so we follow the rule and take away the chance of confusion to viewers.

George - The 180 degree rule was used when the dialoge was exchanged.


· Can you explain the 180-degree rule?

Toby - When there is a scene where two people are talking across a table, the camera must stay on the same side of the actors. If it breaks the barrier then it isn't the 180 degree rule.

Michael - 180-degree rule is staying on one side of the actors during a shoot in order to keep the actors on their respective side of the screen, if a charcter switches side with another charcter the audience can get confused.

Charlie - 180-degree rule is where during dialogue you only stay on one side of the actors so that they stay on one side and do not change, meaning the viewers are not confused.

George - The 180 degree rule is in place to prevent any confusion when viewing.


· What role did you play in the making of the preliminary task? (e.g. filming, acting, editing, equipment organisation etc.)

Toby - In the preliminary task, i was an actor and co - director and also a writer.

Michael - During the preliminary I was a supporting actor, my main roll however was as editor, sound editor and composer finding the music that was used.

Charlie - I was the director during the task and gave my consent over the final outcome from different tasks, like editing and filming.

George - My role within the preliminary task was to be the filmer and management of the equiptment as i had to use equiptment such as a tripod to help with the stablization of the camera.


· How would you assess your contribution to the group?

Toby - I would look at the other posts on the blog and observe other poeples comments as we all contribute our comments on each post.

Michael - During the task i would help out when I could to make sure I was having a fair share of the work but if i felt like i was doing too much i left another member do some of the work to keep the work load fair.

Charlie - I've found that my group was more than content withb my contribution to the preliminary task, and therefore assume I have played my part well in the task.

George - I am quite proud of my cinematography i enjoyed filming and helping others, i would say i did well but i could have improved with things like the tilt up or just general control with the camera


· What have you learned from the process of making your preliminary film?

Toby - I have learnt how the media industry works as far as filming is concered and I have learnt how to co direct and also work with a team uin order to complete the task.

Michael - I have learnt how the process of film making is done and all the pre, during and post production works and how much work goes into it.

Charlie - I learnt that through all stages of producing the film, everyone brings something special to the group and helps to make the task more complete. Therefore, ensuring a healthy relationship between everybody in the group and being on the same wavelength with eachother allowed us a a group to work efficiently whilst with great effort and focus.

George - I have learned how to correctly and safely handle a camera to create some creative shots and angles. I also witnessed the editting process and how its completed and that was interesting to learn.

Preliminary Task - film + Audience feedback on the film

Audience feedback
When we presented our film to the entire class, we noted down all the feedback given back. Here are the points mentioned in the audience feedback:

• During the opening scene of the film George, the camera man, was seen in the reflection in the window. 
• Towards the end of the film, some sound was muffled as things got louder due to an increase in intensity.
• During some of the scenes, the camera shaked when physical actions occured.
• Some continuity errors, as one actor changed shirt.
• There should be some more closer shots when the action started.
• In credits/titles, we shouldn't use dots/ellipsis as it isn't something which is supposed to be used.
• We should cut the music or lower it when dialogue starts.

From the following points, we have thought of how to improve when it comes to our main task:

• Ensure any visual of the camera man or other surroundings people on set cannot be seen.
• Move the equipment further away, or use different sound equipment to reduce sound muffle. Also, we could strip the sound from the clip and use sound effects instead.
• Move the camera away or be more gentle with physcial actions to prevent camera shake.
• When we record, ensure the clothes are kept the same throughout the entire film.
• Be sure to close up if intensity increases in the scene, so the emotion of the actors and change in intensity is clearly shown.
• Be careful with text in titles/credits so we dont make the same mistake with using dots, and also so it looks more professional.
• Fade the music out or just lower it so dialogue can be clearly heard.

Group Roles:

Michael - In the preliminary task I was both an actor and the editor of the video, I participated in the acting in the video playing the role of the more nervous character in the scene. Also, I edited the video putting the clips togther in order, colour correcting the clips, adding titles to the clips and finding and editing in the sound that is in the background to the video. During the editing process of the task I took creative advice from everyone else giving input on how the final video should look.

George - During the preliminary task my job was to dictate the cinematography, i would give instructions on how to have the actors in the best position to show the skills we have aquired about learning certain camera angles. I also had my say in every scene or shot as i felt it important that we used as many types of shot that was possible in our time constraints. I controlled the camera during filming also.

Toby - In the preliminary task I was an actor and co-director, I would assist charlie in making the decision to use the camera shots and also add parts to our storyline. When having to act in the video, it did become a slight challenge to help with the camera work so what the alternative was, is that we would take photos of the shot, then show the group and then discuss weather we thought it would work or not.

Charlie - Throughout the preliminary task my main role in the group was to act as a director. Even though I put my input into other areas apart from the role of director, I found that my main part was to control the preliminary task. However, I did this in quite the orignal way. I was very leniant as a director, in the sense that I gave the core idea of shots we were going to film, and how the actors should play their part, but then let the other 3 members of my group get an idea of the director role as I was very willing to go with their ideas and see how it all turned out. I let them all give their ideas out, and then we would agree as a group that it seemed to be a good idea, and then filmed it. Apart from this, I supervised each part of filming and was on stand by during the filming, and editing to give my ideas and also give my consent. Finally, I added the audience feedback and typed the improvements.

Preliminary Task - storyboard

Photo storyboard
For our preliminary work, we are required to show proof of our understanding of camera angles and movements, through the use of them in our short scene. Here are the shots we obtained in the location with detail about how they are being used.

This is one of the initial camera angles we plan to use. This is a tracking movement shot where the camera will follow Toby as he walks through the corridor to the classroom his detention is being held in. We plan to use this, as well as a long shot of him walking down the hallway inside, at the start to set the scene and make it clear he is heading to somewhere.

This will be the second angle we use in the short film. This is a long shot/wide shot where the viewer will see Toby walk down the hallway towards the classroom. We will use a tripod on this shot so the camera is steady for the scene instead of having unnecessary shaking. In this shot foley sound will be added of Toby's footsteps as he is walking towards the door to the classroom.

This is another angle we plan to use early in the short scene. This and the image above of the hallway is going to be how we introduce the match on action shot, as we will use the match on action of the door opening and then cutting to a new shot inside the classroom showing Toby walking through the door and the classroom to his seat. Silence will be used throughout the scene to make the audience feel uncomfortable, only hearing the digetic sound of the door opening as toby walks into the classroom.

This is where the main scene will be shot. We discussed and came to the decision that this table will be where the dialogue is going to be filmed. This is a two shot and will be what we cut to when we are not using the shiot reverse shot for the discussion between the two characters. In some respects, you could also consider this the master shot.

This is one of the angles included in the shot reverse shot during the discussion between the two characters; It's over the shoulder of Toby, one of the two actors. This will be seen during the dialogue as the brief for the scene states that we are required to include a shot reverse shot, which is shown in this photo and the next photo.

This is the second shot of the shot-reverse-shot. This one is over the shoulder of Michael, to show any dialogue. It's used to show any reactions or emotion from the opposing actor. We will stick to the 180 degree rule to prevent any confusion to the audience when viewing the scene and listening to the dialogue.




Group roles
Charlie: In this work, my role was that I helped discuss the shots and angles we were going to use in the scene, and went to the classroom with my group to get the images. As a group we chose and agreed where our actors were going to sit, and then I took the photos. Finally, I wrote some of this storyboard, explaining the photo and why we used it.

Michael: In this task I was one of the actors in the photos helping establish the position of actors in the shot. Also i helped Charlie with the explaining of the photos, writing what kind of techniques we would use in the scene and the shot and how we could edit the shots together. I wrote some points as to how the shots would be edited and how sound would be included.

Toby : In this task I was an actor and was told where to go and what poses or types of movement I should do for the photos. Myself and Michael sat at the desk and allowed George & Charlie (cameraman and director), this allowed the 'over the shoulder shots' to be taken and also allowed us to get an idea of the 180 degree angle shot.

George: My role with this task was to help dictate what was written about each shot and to discuss how each one would be excecuted. I also helped to dictate how each shot would be taken and used and told the actors (Michael and Toby) to do. This allowed for us to get an effective story board.

Preliminary Task - pitch + Audience feedback on the Pitch

The Title : DT
The Genre : Drama/Comedy
Location : School Classroom (Classroom in the T block)
Time : After school (so it is looks empty and gives the impression it's an after school detention)
Characters : Toby (as himself) & Michael (as himself)
Plot Outline : Two friends are in a detention for an unknown reason, this small scene will  inform the audience what they had done, and include a 180 degree rule, Match on Action, Shot-Reverse-Shot and will include a high angle shot, Low angle shot and a Canted angle shot with some two shots.
Roles : Charlie : Director
            Michael : Actor / Editor
            George : Camera man
            Toby : Actor
Here are some photos of the classroom we plan to film in. There are two photos, one shows the doorway into the room, and one shows the middle tables we plan to shoot around.

After pitching, the audience recommended that we should:

• Include more drama in the detention
• Develop characters during the scene and ensure the characters have different personalities so we may feel sympathy for one and build a hatred for the other.
• Include unexpected events
• Ensure there is a sense of realism 
• If we include a teacher, we should make the teacher strict or abusive.
• Possibly create the characters so we dont sympathise with them.

From the audience feedback we plan to improve our work by:

• Focus on the acting of the characters to show their emotion. For example, the charcter who we show less sympathy to may be quite cocky and careless, whereas the other character could focus on feeling silly or guilty about receiving the detention and ensuring he remains quite and just gets on with it.
• The more hated character could use props or the environment to make the scene more dramatic and have more tension, as he could slam the door open or be aggressive with the chair he is going to sit on.
• Realism could be created by the scene being relatable, for example how quiet the room is to correspond with how empty a detention feels. Also, the reasons for the detention should be relatable, as occasionally detentions are given for something stupid.
• Finally, the way a character acts should present why we feel no sympathy for them as they should show no respect for the classroom and its properties as well as acting cocky or smart.

Group roles

Toby : In the pitch i decided that in the task we should do a drama genre as Myself and Michael are acting in the videos. We went to T4 which is the room where we are setting the scene and we took some pictures of what we wanted it to look like. I also came up with what roles and what the task should include (180 degree angle shot, the match on actions shot and the shot revese shot), location, and the time of day. We all came up with the title which is 'DT'.

Michael: During the pitch I gave ideas for the title of the preliminary task and offered to be an actor for the actual task. While the pitch was taking I place I recorded the audiences feedback in my book in order to help the group improve on what we had already come up with as the audience's opinion on the task is the most important. I also helped Charlie when writing up the audience feedback to write how we can use the feedback to improve our ideas and how we plan to implement what they had said.

Charlie: I was abscent from the lesson when the rest of the group decided the idea of the preliminary task, therefore there was no input on this part. However, when I returned I helped, as director, the shots and angles we would use in and around the location of our preliminary task. This also included discussing how we would go around the 180 degree rule, the match on action shot, and finally the shot reverse shot. I also took the pitch that Toby had produced and did the speech part of the pitch. Finally, with the help of michael wrote out the improvements to the scene from the audience feedback.

George: The main pitch idea was thought of by me, we spent a while talking about ideas and the one we agreed would be best of the preliminary was my idea. We all decided the best room tro film in would be my form room, T4, we decided this as it was accesable and suited our ideas and would make it easy to get the shots that we wanted. I helped to dictate the camera angles when giving examples of the shots we was going to try and achieve when it came to filming as I was going to be the primary cameraman.