Vlog: How We Overcame Any Issues

Quick vlog on what we struggled with and how we learnt from our preliminary exercise:

Preliminary Task: Class and Personal Evaluation

Here is my group's preliminary task finished film:

We showed it to the class to get some feedback and ideas for improvement to take into account when making our final project.

We had a lot of compliments, but obviously some constructed negative feedback as well.

Positive input:
* We had a lot of compliments on our use of shots and camera angles, as we tried to incorporate as many as we could to help distinguish the genre, and gain more filming experience.

* The use of makeup on Amy was noticed, many of my peers mentioned that it looked very realistic and believable, which was reassuring.

* We were told that the use of the transitions at the end of the preliminary were really effective in zooming in then out of the screen, as it drew the audience in more.

* The script was said to be simple but engaging in that it left the audience on a cliff hanger, wondering what was going to happen next.

* We had compliments on the name Captive, as the audience thought it was appropriate for the thriller genre and that it suited our film well.

Negative input:

* We didn't receive a large amount of negative input, although we were told that occassionally the camera jolted in the shot. However, this can easily be rectified for our final film without difficulty.

* Also, another thing mentioned was that there was a slight continuity issue in the first 2 shots, but Matt and I ammended that problem before uploading the preliminary footage to our blogs.

Preliminary Task: Editing Process

Matt, Emma and I used iMovie and GarageBand to create the perfectly edited preliminary task together, but I realised very quickly that we were running out of time and that there was not enough motivation, as there were things missing from our preliminary that I would've liked to have been more enhanced. Despite this, we did manage to finish to the standard we were aiming for eventually. We used a few short transitions between the shots to add to the suspense of the film, and also added fades to black, but we did find some problems in that some of the shots were shaky, so we had to refilm a small section to ensure that the preliminary was up to standard. Other than this, there were no issues with the editing process.

Script

Here is a copy of our script, featuring Calum and Felix's brief exchange of dialogue:

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Felix is sat at a table, concentrating on his homework

CALUM: You all right mate? What you doing?

FELIX: Bit of maths...

CALUM: All right cool, you going to come help me with this?

FELIX: Yeah, I'll be 5 minutes.

CALUM: Ok, don't be long.

*Cue Calum leaving the classroom in a hurried manner*

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We thought it was very important to have very little dialogue, incase someone was 'overhearing their conversation'. The hushed tones in Calum's voice will make it clear that they are planning something unpleasant.

http://www.filmscriptwriting.com/

Preliminary Task: Vlog and Written Evaluation of the Filming Process

Here is an evaluation of our filming expedition for our preliminary film. I also made a Vlog to give an extra insight into how our afternoon went and the problems we came across:

Plot and Narrative

The idea for our preliminary was to have Calum introduced as a mysterious character, he crossed the room and sat opposite Felix. We constructed a script which consisted of a few lines of dialogue, and then we moved Calum making his way downstairs to an unknown location, later showing the viewer to be Amy tied up and hidden in a cupboard. We liked this as an idea and agreed immediately as a group, as it meant we had the ability to incorporate a large number of shots. Not only that, the plot allowed suspense to be created and when edited, the sequence of shots would flow excellently.

Mise - en - scene

Make-up was very important in our preliminary task, as we had to ensure that that Amy made a believable victim. I applied white face powder and smudged her black eye-makeup, to make it look as though she had been crying. I then applied fake blood to her forehead and tied her up to she that she was a vunerable character. Calum and Felix had no need for a wardrobe as much, so we just required them to wear suitable attire to add to the 'school environment gone wrong' idea.

Equipment

All Matt and I needed was a fully charged camera and a suitable tripod, and despite the lack of necessity for equipment, we still managed to charge the camera wrongly, which meant we only had 15 minutes of filming time. It took about half an hour for the camera to be fully charged again, so there was not too much time wasted and we still finished on time. Also, another group had accidently borrowed the tripod we had intended to use, but we soon found another one that fitted the base of our video camera just as well so there were no issues in the end.

Script

I briefly drew up a script on the day of our filming, and as it was unrehearsed we were worried that it would sound really disjointed as Felix and Calum hadn't had practise time. However, after 4 or 5 takes, we had take the perfect shot which was a positive sign.

Roles within the group

Matt and I took it in turns to film, and we each came up with great ideas and got to film what we came up with. For example, Matt had the idea of lying on the floor and taking shot of Calum's feet as he walked through the corridor, and I had the idea of leaning over the stairwell and getting a well aimed aerial shot of Calum walking downstairs. Also, I found that if I got into the cupboard where Amy had been hidden, I could get a brilliant point of view shot from Amy's perspective of Calum's face, looking up at him, and giving him a domineering disposition and making him look all the more intimidating.

Representation in our Preliminary Task

It was very important for us to portray our characters in the right way, otherwise we risked depriving the audience of a proper storyline as they would misunderstand the characters. We made sure that Amy had a vunerable appearance, in order to make her come across as a realistic vitcim. We had to ensure that Calum came across as a very dominant male stereotype, as he was the one causing Amy harm. Before we began filming, Calum and I practised his walk to the cupboard a few times, with me giving him directions as to how to act to help him get the gist of what Matt, Emma and I were aiming for in our Preliminary.

http://www.medialit.org/focus/ster_home.html

Preliminary Timeline

Preliminary Filming Timeline on Prezi