Preliminary Task Evaluation

I feel my piece of film demonstrates continuity well because it does not show the characters in different positions throughout the film. An example of continuity in my film is the moment where the wallet is being passed from one character to the other. It begins with Matt standing up with the wallet, about to pass it. Ending with Matt’s hand in the same position with the wallet, this is then passed to Tom. This cutaway shot flows smoothly from the shot reverse shot and then back again, without any break in the action. Another example is when Tom is leaving and is about to smack Matt on the back. A few seconds later, we’re looking at Matt, with Tom in the same position smacking Matt’s back.

Although we did not demonstrate match on action, we demonstrated shot reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. An example of where we used shot reverse shot is where Matt and Tom begin to talk after Matt has sat down. These editing techniques are helpful because, for example, shot reverse shot shows the reaction of both characters in a scene or moment after something has been said. Also the 180-degree rule is a useful technique because it gives the audience an idea of where the characters are and do not confuse them by changing it every time someone talks.

I feel my group worked well together because each person in the group had an opinion and input into the filming, editing, music choices and everything included. Although we did have troubles filming etc because of differences of how it should be done. They were easily resolved soon after.

If I were to film the piece again, I would improve on the camera angles. Some of the shots were far too close. I would also make sure it is filmed in a quieter environment as there was a lot of sound pollution in the background. Other than those things, I would not change the film.

I feel the planning that went into the film could be improved because we did not choose specifically where to put the cameras, nor did we plan how to film the piece. The planning into where the piece was filmed could also be improved also, as it was quite noisy; there were many distractions and background noise throughout the clip.

The transitions within our piece included Matt moving from the door to the chair at the very beginning. Also the chair moving away and back to the table. The wallet being moved from Matt to Tom was a key transition we used, which we decided to do a close up of. This showed the audience what was being passed, and it gave a hint as to what was to come. Finally, when Tom goes to leave, he gets up and walks away. On the editing software, we used the transitions of ‘fading in’ and ‘fading out’.

From using the editing software, I have learnt that whilst using the particular software, you can change your product completely. I learnt how to cut scenes, so they were shorter, or deleted a piece of clip that you didn’t particularly like. I learnt how to add transitions to make the film seem more interesting; I also learnt how to make sure the continuity of the piece flowed smoothly. I learnt how to add music to a piece, to add suspense, comedy etc. To begin with I did not fully understand the editing software, but soon enough I figured it all out.

From the process of constructing this film, I have learnt about the camera’s I used, and the editing software I used also. Whilst using the camera’s in this project, problems were encountered, such as the camera taking a while to load and record or stop recording. Following this, I had to re-film the piece many times. Also, when trying to load the videos from one camera we used the first time round, I encountered a problem where the camera was not being recognised, nor was Adobe Premiere letting us upload the video when recognised. I have learnt from Adobe Premiere how to use transitions, cropping clips and how to add music. Although, again, problems rose, such as the program freezing when saving, or freezing whilst trying to edit.