Preliminary Task

The brief of out Preliminary Task was 'A continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. The task should demonstrate match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.'

Planning: Before we storyboarded we had a short discussion on what the dialogue would be about. We settled quickly on someone not doing their homework. Doing the storyboard was simple enough as we already knew they had to walk in a door and sit down. We decided what shots to take, then the dialogue we came up with was simple enough. The entire planning stage was relatively easy, and it seems like you have to agree on things quickly with your team to not use up time and decide on a shot that appeases all members.

Production: We found our location. The door and table were already set up like we imagined in our storyboard, so we got straight into it. We assigned the roles of directors/cameramen and actors, however we all had ideas for directing. We filmed shots for a while so we had enough content to edit with. We would film the same scene from different angles to achieve match on action. After doing the dialogue scene, we realised it would be better if everyone was happy with the dialogue written, and the actors knew well what they were going to say. Also, when setting up the camera we debated what looks best and what would work. Next time every member of the group should know the storyboard

Post Production: One member of our group took charge of the editing, and he was good and quick at it. The rest of us suggested what shots to put where or what to use and not to use. We seemed to get through the editing with speed, without compromising the quality of the clip. Finishing the editing of shots early left us some time to add in score and sound effects, and titles. This helped us to see how to find these things and how to fit it to a shot best. Seeing our group member edit helped me to learn things I didn't already know you could, and tips and tricks to becoming a quicker editor.