Preliminary Task

Discribe the set brief fro the Preliminary Task. What was it you were asked to create? Use the correct media specific vocabulary and show that you understand the meaning of these terms. 

The set brief given to us for the Preliminary Task, was to produce a short film involving a character opening a door, entering the room and exchanging a few lines of dialogue with another character. This Continuity Task has to include match on action, 180-degree rule and shot/Reverse shot. When we were handed this task,
we firstly researched the unfamiliar terms to find out what they mean:

.Match on action: An editing technique to portray continuity

.180-degree rule: When filming takes place on the same side (On the same 180-degree angle) in order to maintain a conversation and to give the audience a sense of direction.

. Shot/Reverse shot:When number 1 character is shown looking at number 2 character and then the number 2 character is shown looking back at number 1 character. This term is usefully used when a conversation/discussion is taking place.


Evaluate everything you did leading up to the point when you started filming (Pre Production). Discuss how this process helped to prepare you for filming. 

In order to develop our knowledge regarding the filming process, as a group we researched and explored a variety of camera shots, camera angles and camera movements. This led to us experimenting with different shots and posting them onto our blogs which was helpful as now we always have something to refer back to. We also examined the effects of the camera shots, for instance, a low angle show makes the character within the frame appear intimidating whereas on the other hand, a high angle shot makes the character look weak and vulnerable. Additionally, the research advanced us to look at short films to see how the shots were usually ordered. The majority of the time the clips started with an Establishing shot, to give the audience a sense of location, and then the shots would get closer to the character, for example: a Long shot, a Mid shot, a Close up and then an Extreme close up.

As a group we then began to generate initial ideas relating to out Preliminary Task, taking into account Verisimilitude and Practicalness. In the end we decided on the scenario of 'An unidentified figure opens a door and walks into a dim lit room with a young female tied up in the decaying corner. The figure then proceeds towards the girl and rips the duct tape from her mouth. Conversation continues and the girl, at the end, finds out who her kidnapper is'. We then created a storyboard in order to present each of the 12 shots. This allowed us to visualise what the final product would look like; we had to focus on what kind of camera Shot/Angle/Movement would be used, what characters would be in the scene and what sounds would be generated- This prepared us for the filming process as we had a kind of check list to follow.

Concerning Mise-En-Scene, we planned the locations that were needed for our Preliminary Task and the casting as well. We wanted our location to also relate to our plot so we chose to film within the abandoned bases at Grafton Underwood as the buildings are rather eerie and creepy. However, before we finalised this decision I went to the location and took multiple photographs of the different sections we planned to film in to ensure that they were suitable. When it came to deciding the actors to play the characters, we wanted to make sure that they were some way decent at acting so we limited it to people who did Drama at GCSE level. Eventually we chose Myself (Mea Fenwick) to take ride of the unidentified figure and leah Mitchell to act as Emily-more reasons for this can be found on my blog.

Next we focused on editing, specifically editing with Adobe Premier Pro as this was the programme that we eventually created are Preliminary Task in. This was crucial for me as i have never edited before and i learnt a lot of important, basic skills that would support me thought post-production. It also allowed me to picture the final product clearer as i had a greater understanding on how the whole process worked. The last thing we did before filming, was make a filming schedule; it made sure that our group was organised, we had everything that we needed and made sure we all took our safety into consideration.

Describe the filing process itself (production). How did this go? 

Due to our thorough planning in Pre-Production, the process of filming went great. We record each scene multiple of times incase there were any flaws in previous clips and we also ensured that all dialogue was clear. Our group also filmed each shot longer that necessary so that when we edited them separately, we could make sure our clips had continuity from one to the other.

There was a few complications regarding lighting; as we filmed, the shadows and light would constantly be changing as we were using the sun as a light source instead of a source that we could control- for our main task i won't completely rely on natural sources to light the scene as we could use light boxes instead. Also, we discovered that the lighting was to dim when we were trying to film the close up of the figures hand on the door handle - in order to solve this problem. we got a torch and directed it at the handle to give the shot some light.

Explain the editing stage fro your Preliminary Task (Post-prodcution). This should include how you applied new skills you have learnt. 

I use Adobe Premier Pro to edit our Preliminary Task. During the editing proceed, I wanted to add in elements of eeriness in order to make sure the audience feels uncomfortable when watching. To establish this goal I never revealed to true full face of the kidnapper, I put in manipulated time ( like when the figure walks across the field)- this convention makes the audience capture within the film. To accomplish this effect I  applied the new skills that I learnt whilst editing; Hot to edit the clips using the razor tool, hot to import clips and how to navigate through Adobes timeline. I decided to leave a blank screen for about 8 seconds at the end and added a repeat of the girl screaming 'what do you what'. This expresses how the girl is trapped and to leave the Preliminary Task with a cliffhanger.

After i was happy with the sequence and editing of my clips, I added in music to also help create a nerve-racking atmosphere. I accomplished this by gradually adding the sound tack in at the start of the film and then allowing the track to slowly come to its end after the repeat of the girls voice. i didn't editing out any background noise as i felt the noise helped to make the audiences believe that the kidnapping is real.

Evaluate your finished Preliminary Task. How well does it meet the expectations of your set brief?Which parts of it do you think are particularly strong? Where are there weaknesses? What can you identify as being an area for development when it comes to producing your main task?

Overall I am extremely happy with out Preliminary Task as it meets all the requirements of the set brief. I believe that our use of camera shots as quite strong as we used a diverse range of them, for example: a birds eye vies shot made the clips rather edgy as audiences don't usually view things from his angle- it adds a new aspect to the viewing. I think we also did well regarding the continuity of our Preliminary Task because it runs smoothly and strong. On the other hand, I think that our Match on Action isn't always perfect as sometimes the things within the shot changes, for instance, throughout the filming whilst Leah was in the worn out chair, the ropes became loose and gradually fell down. Music plays a vital point in my version of our Preliminary task as it create a bold tension, which I am please with, as it make my short film more dramatic.