Preliminary task evaluation

Location- the location we used to film in was the Hurtwood house film studio.
Did this location work?- this location worked incredibly well, as we had access to large amounts of space, props and lighting. We were able to shoot our clips from different angles and we could make as much sound as possible as it was secluded from other people and sound proofed.
My role- in this preliminary task, I had the chance to take on all the roles including directing the film, this was an easy, simple task which consisted of me speaking out loudly the words ‘stand by’, ‘roll on’, ‘action’ and ‘cut’. This terminology was used as it appropriate to filming and everyone understand it so therefore would be able to follow it. These words are very important to the camera operator, as I’m directing them on when to start and stop filming. Another role I took on was the role of the camera operator, the job of this was to operate the camera and film the actions going on. Another job which wasn’t very big but vital was the job of pressing the light switch on the side of the wall, when this switch was pressed it enabled a red light outside the door to light on, this warns people that filming is going on in this room and they may not enter. The role I enjoyed the most was directing the film, as I felt I had more control and everyone could listen to you, but also you can watch the filming going on at the same time.


Lighting- lighting in film is a very important aspect, we had to have a slight thought of what kind of lighting we wanted to use, appropriate to the scene of action going on. Lighting is used to create an effect and ambiance, which is given off when watched by the audience. We wanted to base the lighting around a dark room, with only a small amount of lighting, white lighting on the characters, this lighting then reflected and made shadows of different points and section of the room itself, creating a dark, tense and scary atmosphere. The lighting that we used were two studio lights, these were easy to move and switch off and on.
Important to this scene?- lighting was very important to this scene as it changes the effect completely, the fact that it was situated in an office and a gun was used, we thought a dark, eerie atmosphere would be more appropriate than a lit up room. It changes the feeling and atmosphere of the scene and gives a much better visual appearance.
Effective- the lighting in our scene was used for a purpose, and that purpose was to give off an effect to the audience. And that effect was created, due to the appropriate lighting we used and the shadowing created due to the actors blocking some of the light or particular props which also created shadows and blocked sections of lights.


Filming
Setting up camera- we were given the camera itself in the case with a tripod, we were given the task to set it up by ourselves, we had no trouble in this and were able to adjust the knobs on the side to adjust the height of the tripod, also we bubbled the tripod to enable it to be levelled out properly and adjusting the camera on the actual tripod just needed steady and careful hands, making sure we did this properly and fitted the camera on correctly.
Checking level- we had to check the tripod level at every shot, as we sometimes moved the tripod around the room, to get the different shots, and this may have adjusted the height of the tripod, un-levelling the tripod. It was important to level the tripod as we needed to make sure the camera shot wasn’t of at an angle or wonky.
Shot framed correctly- once again at each shot, we had to double check that the shot was framed correctly. This consisted of us checking headspace of the characters and making sure the actors were inside the screen, we had to follow the storyboard and make sure that the two actors had an eye line match in each frame. Also another important aspect was making sure we didn’t cross the 180 degree rule. This is a faulty that can be easily made, so checking it in every shot was vital.
Lighting equipment not in the shot- the lighting equipment was portable, so had various wires and plugs streaming from it, we had to make sure these things were not in the shot, as it would give of an unprofessional and messy impression. Also due to us moving them around so much due to the different shots we had to make sure the lights weren’t obstructing the camera itself creating light shadows as this would interfere with continuity of filming and the other shots.
Angles for shots- the storyboard consisted of five shots, we shot these five shots but due to having extra time we shot another few shots, for example a close up on the telephone and the gun that we used, this was taken for extra detail and also to contribute to the ambiance of the shots. Another shot we used was a shot from up high, we adjusted the tripod to make it taller and shot from a greater height, so it gave off the impression we were looking down on the actor, making the actor look like a victim. By variating these shots, it makes the overall film more exciting and interesting.
180 degree rule- we applied this rule to all our shots, making sure we never crossed it, but one of the extra shots we took we were just on the line of crossing it, you have to be extremely careful as it is a rule and if this rule is broke it confuses the audience as the actors would be in different positions.




What I have learnt so far- so far in terms of practical film making I have learnt how to set up a camera and tripod, use them to film. Edit my shots which I have used, I learnt how to white balance, exposure, focus and adjust the camera appropriately to the shot, I was able to follow the storyboard which gave me an idea on how to film in order, I had to take into consideration continuity and the 180 degree rule in all the shots.


These pictures of of my storyboards that we followed, they include the actors lines aswell.