Preliminary task - Miss Miller

Members of group: Cara Jackson, Emma Allen

*Video needed!

The purpose of this task is to get a taster in editing and cinematography, this would prove greatly beneficial to us when it comes to making our films as we found out the basics of how the equipment and the editing tool worked. I filmed a conversation between two people, talking about a certain person. After filming there were various mistakes and outtakes during the sequence. We had to use the editing tool to take scenes out and rearrange them into a clip that worked.

We had to use various camera angles and shots when filming this to demonstrate the different techniques. One of these was a long shot; we did this by moving further away from the two character and zooming out to include the whole of the scene in the shot, it is used as an establishing shot to show the audience what is happening in the clip. Next we included a reaction shot clearly emphasising the distress one of the characters was going through, this was done by zooming in on one of the characters to show her facial features, it is mainly used to build a relationship with the audience and the character as we feel sympathy for the girl. Also we included an over the shoulder shot, much like a reaction shot this shows the facial expressions of the characters, it is often used during a conversation. This was done by placing the camera slightly above a characters shoulder and switching from each side of the conversation as the other person speaks, engaging the viewers and making them feel more involved in the conversation. We performed these shots correctly, making sure they were used throughout the clip. The inclusion of the required shots were the successes seen from the filming of the clip, showing how we did grasp the concept of the filming and the use of the equipment. It demonstrates the learning process of the task.

Although the final product was a success, including every shot needed was included. We also made many mistakes through disorganisation and confusion over the use of equipment. The first obstacle we came across was the focusing on the camera. We found it hard to change the focus as the characters were filmed at different distances from the camera. This meant that various shots were blurry and we were forced to redo them. It resulted in a prolonging to the filming, adding to the lack of efficiency. However this was soon solved and towards the end of filming it ran a lot smoother and quicker. Another problem we came across with the handling of the equipment was the zooming in. We took a long time to find out where the zooming in button was; therefore also prolonging the filming. Also we found it hard to use the zooming in on the button as we kept zooming too fast and not smooth enough. This was shown through the unsuccessful reaction shot which I would have preferred to have been a smooth zooming in, clearly showing Cara's facial features. In addition to this, the most vital obstacle we came across was the stability of the camera. We struggled to secure the camera and the tripod; this result in the camera moving a lot through each shot. It added to the lack of efficiency throughout the filming. More importantly it meant that our filming in the clip was not smooth at all, it was very jagged. This was not suitable to the quiet, calm conversation taking place within the clip and added to the lack of professionalism throughout the clip. There was many ways we could have filmed it better. We could have set up a structure and a plan into how the clip would pan out, this would have made the film run a lot smoother without the various redo's needed. We may have also focused on making the camera more solid so that it did not move as much like it did at the start of the clip. I would make sure to apply these improvements to my opening sequence, keeping the camera more secure and making a more detailed plan.

Overall, this task gave me an insight into the use of the cameras and the tripod, showing me how they work and how to edit the filming into a suitable sequence. This will prove to be greatly beneficial to the development of my opening sequence as the mistakes and successes of the video will provide me with more experience when handling the cameras, the tripod and using the editing tools. The main thing I will take from this task is the preparation before filming, things must be correctly planned and prepared correctly, including the shots, the storyline and the camera itself.