Question 7

Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Preliminary brief- Film and edit a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character. It had to feature a couple of lines of dialogue then must exchanged between characters and match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule should be demonstrated.

Main task - The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes (all video and audio material must be original, produced by candidates, with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source)

The main task brief we knew that it was going to be a lot more work and effort which meant dedicating more of our own time. Also more team work because it was a bigger task compared to the preliminary task as it needed more planning and thinking.



Pre –production

                                                                          Planning

As you can see above our prelim task consisted of a short film with a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down with a few lines of dialogue. In the pre-production the class we were informed that we had a set timetable to film our prelim task which was going to be after school. This is set by the teacher I think because everyone would be able to film at that time and also incase we needed more time we would be able to complete the filming on time. From the main task our set timetable again told as a class that we were to film for 2 days, in which meant that we were going to be off timetable from our normal lessons. As in the preliminary task we didn’t really use the timetable much as it was seen as a practice rather than assessment, but nevertheless we were still going to be marked. We found out by having a timetable for the day that our shots were more structured and also our filming techniques in the sense that we knew that we didn’t have to rush. Luckily for our group in the main task we completed our filming in a day and then began to edit later that afternoon.





Again similarly to the timetable for the day we used a treatment in both the preliminary task and also the main task. A treatment is used as background information on character of the profile, situation etc. We used a treatment in our preliminary task talking about our made up story in which we had to convert the main objective of the task into. For instance our treatment included about how our character had failed a mathematics test etc, having general background information so the audience know what is going on in our film. In our preliminary task the treatment wasn’t that important as all of us knew what our story was about and also the audience could tell what our story was about throughout the shots used in our film. In the main task we used the treatment more often as it was background information about our characters whole story instead to preliminary task it was just information in what is happening in the film. It was used more in the main task for the reason that it needed to be posted on our blogs to enable the examiners to see what the whole story is about, bearing in mind we had just filmed the opening sequence. We didn’t really learn any lessons apart from that the treatment gives background information to the audience on what your film was about.





In the preliminary task location was very time consuming as our group had booked the maths classroom in which everything was booked and sealed ready for us to use. However we then got a message saying that the room wasn’t available as we needed consent from the teacher in charge. We then found that the room wasn’t available in which hoped to teach us a lesson in the main task. We solved this by picking another room available with consent from the teacher. In the main task our location was the biggest problem in our group as we had 2 locations that were all reserved for us with consent everything and because of the dates we had to film and the availability of the location our location was no longer available. We then solved this by using the media department’s TV studio and turned it into a girl’s bedroom, in which we learnt that location is vital as you can see through these experiences.

Production

                                  Filming




In the preliminary task we found out a valuable lesson which was the issue of time. In this the first couple of days were a shock to us as we found out only 4 days after that we were going to film on a certain date. As a result of this as we were new to the media experience our timing wasn’t used to the best of it’s ability as we found ourselves rushing on the day of our production. We had issues with much of the equipment which wasted valuable time and also the order of our shots in which we had to wait to film them due to the distraction of the school kid’s in our location. We made sure that in the main task this was never ever going to be a repeat of what had happened, so in the main task on the day of production we did things different. We did this by we took our time with our shots whereas in the preliminary task most of the shots were taken quickly due to time being against us. We also made sure that everyone in our group arrived at school on time so we could start filming as soon as possible which contributed to our early finish. We learnt that timing is very valuable when filming on production day otherwise shots may not be to the best of your ability which our group will then loose marks.


We also found out that during production cast was one of our biggest aspects as in the preliminary task and the main task. In our preliminary task we were told that we should use our friends in the school as this would be the easiest method for our cast. As this was our only method the cast was Shazleen’s friend. Due to the equipment problem this was then abandoned and we had to film on the next day causing time wasted for our cast member. We could see that she was getting tired and fed up waiting for our group to film. We were then advised to solve this problem as it was a re-occurring problem in most groups to use cast in our media class. This was a good solution as they got credit for helping us out and also they are in the same position as us in the sense that this will allow them to add ideas to some extent. In the main task a member of our group extracted the cast in which had to have certain characteristics to meet the expectations of a typical ballet dancer. We then had to run through a rehearsal as a group so she knew everything that was going to happen in production. Also in the main task cast were much more important to our film to again represent our character, whereas in the preliminary task it was more about helping out our and other groups.



Our next initial decision made was the variety of shots in which our group selected. In the preliminary task our shots to be honest weren’t of top quality as in contrast to the main task where the preliminary task was more of can you use these shots and make them look effective. Baring in mind the time that when we did this we were just learning the different types of shots such as match on action, rule of thirds, longshots etc. The main shots in which we used in the preliminary were cutterway shots showing the character entering the room having cutterway at the handle and many longshots showing the room and the character leaving etc. We found out now that these shots were just basic and not that interesting. In addition we learnt this lesson .We made sure we wanted to show more creativity in the main task as this was where the marks were at construction based on the creativity of different shots. The first shot we did was a total shot. We didn’t use this shot in the preliminary task as we felt that it wasn’t necessary, however in the main task it allowed us backup as having a whole run through of the film. This is good because if we didn’t like a particular shot that we always had a backup to replace/change etc. Also in the main task we used more techniques of the camera such as rule of thirds when the sister opens the door, match on reaction where the sister comes inside the main characters bedroom and we see the character smiling at her and many more different shots.


Our main lesson in which we learnt in both preliminary and the main task is that total shots are always essential and also when filming that you should take more shots from different positions as you never know they may be the best shots in the whole entire sequence.


Post- production

 

Editing

Initial decision when in post production, this was about saving work. In our preliminary task and main task in editing we found that this was essential in which we knew that the editing program was experiencing problems and that it wasn’t reliable as we were told before editing. At the end of every editing session the save button was used a numerous amount of times. The ‘save as’ then the number 1 next to it as then we would save multiple copies and this then we could easily just go back if any problems would encounter. We used this mainly in the mainly in the main task as it was much easier for us to do it this way as then we could explore different type of shots and play around with different effects in picking the best and more effective shots for our film.


In addition when it came to post production time was another factor which was present in both the preliminary task and also the main task. In the preliminary task our time was against us when it came to the editing process because we were new students to media and most of the class didn’t know how to use the editing software yet alone edit the whole film on time. Also in the preliminary task we were put into pairs which made it even worse for our groups as if we had a big group everyone would be given their assigned roles to complete on the deadline. In the main we made sure we had to use of time wisely as we came back after school, during break and lunch to make sure that our film was perfect. Also in the main task our group was also much bigger which helped as the editing was shared equally and also much quickly. We learnt that time is very important meeting deadlines for our films in both projects.


Furthermore our music choices likewise to time and saving work were also just as important. In the preliminary task when it came to editing music choice wasn’t included as it wasn’t that necessary. Also our sound on our prelim task wasn’t working which muted our whole sequence. So we solved this by playing any old music over our film to attract the attention away from the muted film, in which wasn’t really a loss and the audience still understood what our film was about. In the main task music is really important of setting the theme and mood of a film. Our initial music choice selection by receiving feedback that it was too depressing which isn’t what our film was meant to be perceived to the audience as. We then took this constructive criticism on board and changed it to a more vibrant vibe it gives as at the end of the day feedback is used to help us make our film better. As a result our music choice suited our film which is what we intended to do in the main task.




Overall, I learnt in the main task that making sure that you always have more shots than you need to use that when editing you have a range of shots to choose from. In addition the most important lesson that all of us learnt that planning is the most important aspect of any film, because without planning you will struggle in the film industry as a lot of simple things such as the idea need to be extended through this. As we planned in both sequences overall I think that both of our sequences were very detailed and covered the main objectives