Prelim Evaluation (BLK)

This is our short continuity sequence entitled Faceless.

EVALUATION
PLANNING       SHOOTING      EDITING

1.       Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

·         Group members- Emily and Raagavi

·         Planning- we worked together on the planning processes (brainstorming, scripting and storyboarding) so that everybody could pitch ideas about our short storyline and how we should shoot it

·         Shooting- We all wanted to shoot at least two shots so we tried to arrange it so that the people who weren’t acting in certain shots could shoot. Raagavi shot all the shots with both me and Emily in them, Emily shot the ones featuring me and vice versa

·         Editing- we alternated who was working on the editing at regular intervals so that everybody had a chance to work with and get used to the software.

 

2.       How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?

·         The main purpose of this task was to create a sequence using continuity principles. We worked so that an establishing/master shot, shot-reverse-shot, match on action, and the 180 degree rule were all included in our sequence.

·         We started off by brainstorming ideas- we initially had two ideas, one featuring somebody being followed and another about a conversation with a mysterious person whose face is never revealed. Unable to choose between the two, we ended up combining both ideas into our current idea of Faceless.

·         We then made a shot list, script and storyboard to identify continuity principles that we had to use and how we would add them in seamlessly, and how we would tell our story

·         The shot list was then translated into a shoot schedule to make the shooting process more efficient, as we could shoot according to the various set-ups we needed

·         We thought it would be convenient to rehearse the sequence in our desired location (long brick wall) prior to the shoot, in order to check that the timing would be correct. During the rehearsal, we also took into account the position of the camera in each shot, and character placing in the frame

 

3.       What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?

·         Shooting- A Canon DV30 video camera was used on the day of the shoot, along with a tripod, which we made us of on all of the shots but one- this was the shot where the protagonist/victim starts running away from the follower, and the use of the handheld shot accentuates the disorientation, confusion and terror going through the character’s mind.

·         Editing- Adobe Premier Pro was used to edit our sequence. We started off making a rough cut by sequencing, cutting and pasting clips in a desirable order. We then cut each shot down further so that it lasted for a reasonable amount of time and also followed continuity principles such as match on action.

 

4.       What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

·         Planning- we had to take into account everything that we had learnt about cinematography, and therefore had to make decisions about point of view/perspective an also about where we could use camera movement and where the camera would remain static in order to put across a certain mise-en-scene. We also had to take into account continuity principles (establishing shot, shot reverse shot, 180 degree rule, and match on action) and how we would shoot and edit these. One other factor was how we would distinguish our characters from one another and how we would communicate their relationship through framing and camera work- we decided that character positioning, such as that in the first shot, was extremely significant to show them in relation to the space and each other.

·         Shooting- We needed one final rehearsal along the brick wall to confirm the spacing between shots. Furthermore, we needed to shoot shots where there was a match on action multiple times and from various angles so that when editing (such as when the protagonist turns around), it would be easier to create a seamlessly continuous sequence.

   ·   Editing- Our main focus when editing was continuity; we made frequent references to the master shot, cut together a shot-reverse-shot of the moment the protagonist acknowledges the follower and also edited various matches on action (turns and coming through the door) so that they looked continuous.

 

5.       How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well and in hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?

·         I was really happy with our idea as I thought it was both intriguing to watch and challenging to edit, due to the various matches on action. Furthermore, we took audience involvement into account by using over the shoulder shots and an appropriate shot order to bring them into the action. I also feel we worked very well as a team on the day of the shoot as we had to change our shoot schedule to increase practicality. In terms of the final cut, we were pleased with how we edited the matches on action as they looked fairly seamless. Also, the genre of mystery/thriller was established well through the pace and rhythm of the sequence.

·         One thing we had to amend when editing was the running sequence. We originally had three shots of the protagonist running from different angles before she reached the door. However, we had to delete the last of the three, which was a static camera shot of her running towards the door, as it was not continuous and was slightly disorientating.

 

6.       What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation course?

·         We learnt about the process of taking an idea for a sequence and processing it into an actual film, through the stages of planning, shooting and editing.

·         We finally got to put the continuity principles we were learning about into action, as we were given a chance to plan, shoot and edit a sequence in which we always had to consider how to establish continuity. I think this will be relevant in all future film-making, and in the short-term, our film opening sequences.