7. Looking back at your 7. Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in the progression you have learnt in the progression

from it to the full product?from it to the full product?

Samridhi Virk

Quality of holding a shot steady?The holding of our shots have more steady than our preliminary task since we were using a monopod before however we had a tripod to film our opening sequence. We did have a problem however since the tripod was quite big and the rooms in which we were filming were quite small; at times we would have to just film hand held which meant that the footage wasn't as steady as it would have been. I learned how to use the tripod properly and how to check that it is straight using the spirit level checker on the tripod itself

Quality of the framing shots?

In our preliminary task we used a number of close ups and some mid shots. This was effective at showing the conversation but it did not show the setting and the mise en scene. For our film we mainly used close ups and mid shots again but we knew that we needed to fill up the entire shot with information. Sir told us once that every single thing in a shot matters and that is exactly what we tried to go. I learned how to frame our shots properly, making them tight and making sure that everything was placed in them intentionally.

Quality of shooting material appropriate to the task set- i.e. the content of your film pre and post editing was consistent with the exam directives?In our preliminary task though we used all of the footage we had shot we did make a few mistakes, for example when we broke the 180 degree rule during the conversation between Carolina and myself. We also had a few shots which could have flown into each other much better. In our full project we had to re shoot some scenes because the lighting didn't come out right, or you could see something in the shot that the audience shouldn’t see, e.g. in one of our mirror shots you could see the tripod leaning against a wall. Because of these things I learned that we should always re-watch our footage in case something is wrong that way we wont have to re film it on a later date when the lighting and setting may have changed. I also learned that you should always film a bit of the action from the previous shot leaving into the next action so that all of the scenes flow together nicely when editing. Another important thing I learned was that changing the focus of the shot too quickly will make the camera blurry, for example when we placed our camera into the wardrobe and then Phoebe opened the doors, it took a little while for the camera to adjust. Although this was a problem we kept the shot in our film anyway because we really liked how it looked and had received a lot of positive feedback on it.

Quality of selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting?When doing our preliminary task we didn't really need to plan the mise-en-scène since we were mainly focusing on developing our camera work and mise-en-scène wasn't as important at the time. For our opening sequence however, the majority of the detail we put in was through the mise-en-scène. We wanted everything to be important and planned because we wanted to set up the genre of the film from the very start as well as give the audience information on our main character. The colours we used were all bright and fun. The lighting was also bright which made the film seem happier. The objects were all very feminine, e.g. Makeup and magazines, and they also gave more insight into the character’s personality, e.g. the pictures on the mirror. Lastly the setting was in “Naomi’s” bedroom which is a classic setting of a romantic comedy since it make the audience feel closer to the main character. After seeing what an effect the mise-en-scène had on our film I learned that it is important to make sure that every small detail in every shot should be representative of something in the film otherwise there is no need for it. I also learned how changing things such as the lighting ever so slightly can change the mood of a film completely, for example if our footage had been dark instead of bright then it would have felt quite tense instead of light hearted.

Quality of editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer?

The editing in our preliminary task quite was smooth but we did make a few mistakes such as the 180 degree rule. We only used cuts and, although it was our first task, I do think that the match cuts were done very well, e.g. When character walk through the doors and we see them going in and coming in on the other side. In our opening sequence we made sure that we checked everything before filming so that we didn't make any mistakes again. We used cuts and fluid edits to ensure that the audience were in a comfortable state and understood that the film was going to be an easy watch like a usual romantic comedy; instead of having jumpy cuts and shaky shots which would make audiences think that our film was quite sinister and like a thriller instead. I think that by taking extra time and paying more attention to the editing was helpful because our cuts were all fluid and the opening sequence looks quite professional. I learned that we should leave a few seconds of extra filming after and action in a shot is completed so that we don't accidentally cut something we need by accident and editing is a lot easier that way. I also learned that the fluid cuts keep audiences engaged and interested in the film.

Quality of using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set?In our preliminary task we only included the dialogue which we were required to use and apart from saying it we didn’t really focus on it anymore. Also since we were not really using the task to develop our creative skills we didn't add any music to it. For our opening sequence however we knew that we wanted to have music for two reasons; firstly since we didn't have any dialogue the opening could have been really boring and dull without it, and secondly after watching other romantic comedy opening sequences in our research we noticed that they all had quite upbeat, lively pop songs as background music to give the film quite a light hearted and happy feel. We were able to create something similar to this by adding our music to our footage. I learned that positive, upbeat music such as the one we used in our opening sequence can really change and set the mood for our entire film; the music make audiences relaxed and eager for the rest of the film however if we had had just silence then the film could have actually looked quite eerie. Apart from our background music we also added extra sound such as the closing of the door and the squeaks on the mirror after we learned that that just adding these sounds could make our film so much more interesting as it adds to the overall ambience of the film and gives it more depth.

Quality of positioning and movements of actors?In our preliminary task we had two characters sat opposite each other since they were having a conversation. However in our opening sequence we only had one character, we made sure that the way the actor moved suited the personality of the character so they always moved with confidence. I learned that how an actor is positioned can represent how much power and importance they have, for example, if since Naomi all took up a lot of the shot we were able to signify her importance to the audience, however if she was small and to the side of the shot then she would either look unimportant or powerless neither of which she is.

Quality of group planning, meeting targets and organization?In our preliminary task the only planning we really did was creating a storyboard, this meant that our clips were not very professional and were not of a high quality. We knew that this was the wrong way to do things so for our opening sequence to decided to set each member of our group different tasks to do so that the work was done more quickly and efficiently. We also set ourselves deadlines for when we needed to finish the tasks so that we didn't fall behind and so everyone in our group put in the same amount of effort. I think our group came together very effectively since we were organised from the very start, we were always on top of our tasks and we all helped each other which meant that we worked very well together. I learned how important it is to plan the tasks you need to do and when you need to do them by so that you have something to aim towards. I also learned that it is important to communicate so that everyone is up to date and everyone is organised.

Group dynamics i.e. how did your group work together?I think that our group work amazingly well together. We kept in contact throughout the entire project which meant that we all knew what was happening and we were all up to date. Since we all had assigned tasks to do we made sure that they were done on time and we were never falling behind. Also we made sure that everyone in the group was putting in the same amount of effort. I think everyone in our group gave their input and opinions on every stage of the process of making the opening sequence and it has come out as well as things because we all managed to work well together. Overall I learned how important it is to have a group of people who are committed to doing their job, who will do it on time, and will do it to a high standard. Also I learned that communication is very important since we always made sure that we discussed all the decision we took, that way no one was left out and everyone's ideas were heard; this also meant that we avoided any arguments in the group and everyone was happy.

Group dynamics i.e. how did your group work together?I think that our group work amazingly well together. We kept in contact throughout the entire project which meant that we all knew what was happening and we were all up to date. Since we all had assigned tasks to do we made sure that they were done on time and we were never falling behind. Also we made sure that everyone in the group was putting in the same amount of effort. I think everyone in our group gave their input and opinions on every stage of the process of making the opening sequence and it has come out as well as things because we all managed to work well together. Overall I learned how important it is to have a group of people who are committed to doing their job, who will do it on time, and will do it to a high standard. Also I learned that communication is very important since we always made sure that we discussed all the decision we took, that way no one was left out and everyone's ideas were heard; this also meant that we avoided any arguments in the group and everyone was happy.