Preliminary Task Evaluation

Overall, I feel that our preliminary task worked very well considering the time frame in which we were given to film it and the predicaments which occurred along the way. As we progressed through our planning we came across a problem which was the fact that Joe could not make the weekend in which we had to film it because he had other pre planned commitments. In order to overcome this we decided to film it in one night so it was ready to hand in on the following day. I feel that we worked extremely well and were able to produce a good first attempt at filming a piece of entertainment.

Location Our original plan was to film at an abandoned area, for example Lister Petter which is a local company which has recently moved. This was because it was a mysterious and frightening place to film. In addition to this, it would have created a tense atmosphere and would have created the right amount of tension for our task which we wanted. Unfortunately, because Joes was unable to make the time frame given, we had to change our plan completely. We were able to change it from filming in an eerie place to being able to film it in the schools T.V. studio. Our task was an interrogation and the studio allowed us to make this possible because we were able to black it out using curtains and by switching off all of the surrounding lights. The studio has LED lights which we were able to use to pin point light on a specific focus area e.g. the table and actors with in the piece of entertainment. The location was able to create a mysterious atmosphere but also a bit of curiosity as well which is what we wanted. To create a slight mystery for the viewers to have their own input on what the interrogation could be about. Using the television studio created the effect we wanted in order for our piece to for fill the maximum potential for our very first piece at as media.

ActorsFor our piece we needed two actors to take on the roles of the interrogator and the victim. However, because of our predicament, we were unable to get two actors in such short notice so we had to take matters into our hands and act in our piece and film it all at the same time. It was okay for me because I have taken drama as an A level, but Joe doesnt like acting and has never done anything like this before. I fell we worked effectively around this problem and came up with a suitable solution in order to solve it. Even though we didnt know what we were initially doing, I feel we worked well to create the characters and they were somewhat believable and fit into the scenario of our piece. Camera Shots In our original planning, we were going to incorporate all three camera shots in which we worked on in class. Again, due to problem about Joes absence we had to change around our plan a little bit. We used a tracking shot when I walked in to the room to follow the actors sense of direction. This allowed the viewers to key into the beginning of the action and creates a bit of tension. This is because its focusing on one thing and the echo of the high heels on the floor could portray a sense of higher status and that something serious is happening. Also because it echoes, it could show that its a place of importance because its quite an empty place and not a lot is surrounding it. Furthermore, we used a fair amount of the shot reverse shot technique. This was because it allowed us to focus on each person who talks at one time, instead of having a person talking behind a camera. It made the scene look more effective because you could visibly see who talking at which point as the scene progressed. In addition to this, I think we may have used the match on action rule at the end of the small film. This is because we were focusing on the one person talking. Also, we used it when the light came on and off nearing the start of the piece. This is because it is an abrupt focus on the piece of acting and action which was occurring and happening at that specific moment.

ImprovementsThere a few improvements which could have been made to our piece as a whole. One of the main improvements was that we both could have been present on that weekend in order for our piece to have been what we had originally planned it out to be. This is because it would have allowed us to have more time to film it and overall it would have looked more effective and professional as well. Furthermore, it meant that we could have stuck to our plan which was though out and would have worked well. We had it fully planned out stage by stage what we were going to do in order to complete it. However, I know that this problem could not really have been prevented. Another improvement is that we could have had a backup plan in case our original one didnt work like it did. This would have allowed us to be able to swiftly move on to it and make it look as professional and as clean as our original one could have been. This then leads in to my next improvement which is to be more prepared so we are not writing line a couple of minutes before we are due to film it. It would mean that we were aware of what to do and could just get stuck in and not waste valuable time on writing six lines. We would have become more time efficient this way.