Media Prelim: Final Sequence

Group 1E Final Prelim Sequence - "I've Been Expecting You"

Media Prelim: Question 1

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

I was in group 1E (pictured above). In my group there were 4 people; Olivia, Narishma, Frank and myself. We each had at least one role in each of the three stages (Planning, Production and Editing)

During the planning, we all helped suggest ideas and storyboarded (Frank did the drawing). We worked well together to plan a final idea and to create a shot plan in chronological order of when we would shoot them.

During the production we each had our own roles:
Narishma - Director and Clapperboard Holder
Olivia - Camerawoman and Sound Director
Frank - Actor
Me - Actor

During the editing stage, we all took it in turns to edit the sequence (doing about a quarter each). However, we all helped each other with ideas about how we could order the sequence and improve the editing on the individual shots.

Media Prelim: Question 2

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

When planning our sequence, we first wrote out a script on file paper, detailing our different shots, mise-en-scene and our dialogue. Using our script, we could then draw out a storyboard.

Originally, we drew our individual shots onto post-it notes so that we could move around the order of shots easily to achieve our final storyboard. Once that was achieved, we drew out our final storyboard onto the template to use during the shoot.

Finally, we planned our shot order based on the difficulty of our shots and the chronology of the individual shots. Doing this as a group made it easier and quicker, and once we had completed the shot order we were ready to shoot our sequence.

When planning our shots on the storyboard we took into account match-on-action (opening the doors), shot-reverse-shot (the conversation) and the 180 degree rule (throughout the sequence). When shooting and editing, we kept to these theories so our sequence made sense and didn't confuse the audience.

Our Draft Storyboard:

Our Final Storyboard (Extract):

Our Shot List:

 

Our Shooting Schedule:
 

Our Script:

Media Prelim: Question 3

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

To complete this task we used a range of technology.

When shooting the sequence, we used a Canon HD Video Recorder with a Shotgun Microphone attached to the top of it. We used headphones to hear the sound from the microphone whilst recording, so we could easily hear any background noise. We didn't use artificial lighting in our sequence, as

it wasn't necessary for the narrative of our sequence.

When editing the sequence, we used Adobe Premiere Pro to cut and order our sequences so that they flowed continuously without confusing our audience.

Media Prelim: Question 4

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

When planning, the main factor we had to take into account was the location of our sequence, as we had to choose a setting where we could fit the camera, tripod and both actors so that it didnt look cramped and so that we could fit everything into the shot. We eventually chose one of the edit suites in the Media Block, as it was long enough for the character entrance and we could fit all our equipment into the room easily. We also had to take into account the other groups, as they would be shooting in the same area and we had to make sure they weren't in the background of any of our shots.
When shooting and editing, we had to take into account background noise. We had to make sure that if there was any background noise in our shots that it wasn't too distracting and that it didn't suddenly cut our midway through an edited shot in our final sequence.

Media Prelim: Question 5

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

Overall, I think our sequence was good. I think our editing was to a high standard and this worked well, as there was the match on action made the sequence flow and we kept to the 180 degree rule throughout the sequence. We also used shot distances in a logical order, so that the audience is taken over the physical space smoothly, rather than jumping about.

In hindsight, however, I would improve the scene where Frank spins around on the chair (pictured above) as the spin is only shown in one long shot. Originally, we had a close up of him spinning and then we cut back to the longer shot, but this didn't work with the match on action and it didn't appear to be very smooth. I would improve this scene by shooting with easier shots or by spending more time on the editing, which I couldn't do for this task. I would also take more shots for the establishing shot at the start, as the hand isn't at the same height when I open the door as in the next shot, so the continuity is wrong. By taking more shots, we could edit it better and find the correct shot to make it flow. 

Media Prelim: Question 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?

From this prelim task I have learnt a few things. Firstly, I have learnt about how effective match on action is when it comes to making the sequence flow continually. I have also learnt about the 180 degree rule, and how that is used so the audience isn't confused. Finally, I have learnt that to make it easier at the editing stage, you need to do lots of takes for each shot, so that match on action is easier to edit in. When editing our prelim task, we found it hard to match up all of the shots, as we didn't have enough takes for some shots. For the rest of my foundation coursework, I will try to get lots of takes for each shot, so that when it comes to editing, it will be easier to get match on action and for the sequence to flow continuously.