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.