Evaluation of Preliminary Task

Evaluation of Preliminary Task

What planning did you do for your filming task, and how did this planning aid the filming?

Before filming our main task, we underwent a certain amount of planning. This planning helped us to get a clearer understanding of what we were going to be doing and made our layout easier to follow. We planned by creating a story board of each of the separate scenes, each different scene contained what camera angle and shot was applicable for that scene and a description of what happened so that we could get our filming accurately correct to what we had planned for. The conflict topic we chose for our end conversation was a missing piece of homework which needed to be resolved, planning this scene before hand helped us to get a rough idea of how long this conversation should be and the context of the conversation. There were a couple of key features we took into consideration when filming our conversation, the first was match on action. When filming and editing we wanted to show a smooth flow therefore we took this into consideration as we wanted to create the impression of a sense of continuity, this action creates a 'visual bridge' which draws the viewer's attention away from slight cutting or continuity issues. Another issue we had with continuity was costume, we had to ensure that we had the same clothes on each time we filmed as otherwise it would have showed a change in time almost. Another aspect that was assessed when planning was shot reverse shot. We chose to use this camera effect when doing the conversation as it puts the viewer in the actors seat and makes the audience more engaged into the filming. 

What is the 180 degree rule, and how is this rule important to the filming task?

The 180 degree rule is a filming guideline that participants in a scene should have the same left-right relationship to each other, with filming only ever taking place within the 180 degree angle in which is maintained in a conversation. Shot reserve shot technique often links in with this rule to retain continuity by not distorting the audience's sense of location of the characters in the shots. It is important that the 180 degree wasn't broken when doing this particular bit of filming because a sense of continuity needed to be shown and if it was broken it would have shown disorientation for the audience. It shouldn't be broken as it has a disruptive effect of confusing the viewer, making them stop and think, this means that they may break away from the film temporarily as they try to readjust. These factors are especially important to take into fact when filming the conversation scene of our filming. 

What shot types and camera angles did you use in your filming task, and to what effect? 

Throughout our filming we used a number of different camera angles and shot types. In our first scene we used a long shot from a high camera angle to establish the characters location and actions to let the audience get a clear sense straight away of where the filming is set and the overall plot to the film. We then moved onto a close up of a hand opening the door in order to emphasise the importance of the shot and to add visual interest to the scene. Following that we used a tilt shot because we wanted to create confusion and disorientation for the audience as the film was soon approaching the big conflict. We then used a over the shoulder shot of me walking down the corridor to give the sense that i was being followed and also to place the audience in the posistion of the character, this was then straight away followed by a high angle birds eye view shot, we did this to add to audience appeal giving them a different view of the action, the high angle also showed a certain amount of insignificance and vulnerability. The final cut of me walking down the corridor was filmed as a worms eye view therefore at a low angle which gave the character power and status. This shot focused mainly on my feet as i was walking so created tension leading up to the conversation. The final shot was another close up of my hand on the door handle which yet again created tension. 

What editing skills have you developed? How confident are you with using the editing programme? 

Since making our film i have developed various different editing skills such as how to crop certain bits of the film in order to make it shorter and ensure that only the wanted parts stay, which adds continuity to the film. I have also learnt how to perform a fade from one scene to another, with several different available options including a 'wash' 'fade' 'tint' and others. Another thing i have aquired is instead of letting the scene cut straight into the next you can make it more fluent by inserting a black out which gives the scene time to move on from another. I would say the areas in which i lack confidence are editing the sound in certain scenes to either make it higher pitched or lower pitched, this is because i am yet to try this technique. 

Analysed Shot types

Worm's eye view - A worm's eye view is a view of an object/character from below as though the observer were a worm.This shot is often used to indicate fear and makes the audience view events from a character's vulnerable perspective.

Over the shoulder shot - This shot is framed from behind a person who is looking at the subject. The person facing the subject should usually occupy about 1/3 of the frame. This shot helps to establish the position of each person, and get the feel of looking at one person from the the other's point of view (POV). Somebody following person/placing audience in the position of the character.

Tilt Shot  - The Tilt shot creates confusion/disorientation and this shot therefore would be used in such a situation like a nightmare or horror scenario.

Close up - This shot allows audience to identify with the character's emotions. A certain feature or part of the subject takes up most of the frame.

Medium Close up - The medium close up is half way between a midshot and a close up. This shot shows the face more clearly, without getting uncomfortabley close. This shot also brings an overall focus to the character.

Media Studies Summer Task Part 2

Media Studies Summer Task Part 1

Year 12 Media Studies student questionnaire

Year 12 Media Studies student questionnaire

Name: Fred Snell

GCSE Results: English Language – B

English Lit – B

ICT – B

Science – D

PE – C

History – C

Philosophy & Ethics – B

Philosophy & Ethics (short course) – C

Maths – D 

French – D

Hobbies: My hobbies come in a ranged variety. Some of my hobbies include cinema, watching big blockbusters and new releases and exploring a variety of films that suit my taste. Another one of my big hobbies is based around football, not just playing the sport (which I have a passion for) but also watching it being played on a global scale in the Premier league and foreign leagues but mainly supporting my home club Norwich City FC at every home game that is played. More of my hobbies include photography, capturing various different moments. I also enjoy social networking via Twitter and Instagram keeping in touch with friends and gaming on the PS3, including games such as FIFA and GTA. A big hobby of mine is music. I enjoy going to live gigs and festivals which include the music from some of my favourite bands such as Major Lazer, Green day, Tom waits, Blur, Kanye west and Oasis. 

Print Media: I occasionally read a variety of Newspapers which include the EDP (Eastern Daily Press) mainly to catch up on the news from Norwich City Fc but also to find out what is going on within the community that I live in and to read about the local news. The other newspaper that I read is the Sunday Times because I feel that it gives a more intelligent and accurate overview on the news, by reading this I like to catch up on the sport, politics, celebrity gossip and media reviews.

Radio Media: There are a variety of different radio stations that I tend to listen to, these include such as Kiss and Radio 1 for music entertainment and genres of music that I like to listen to for example to keep me entertained on a car journey. In contrast when I am working I prefer to listen to Radio 1Xtra as it supplies me with music but also news at the same time to keep my mind focused and on task.

Music Industry: My favourite genres of music include electronic dancehall DJ Project including the likes of Major Lazer and others, I also like Britpop and Indie Rock amongst a few. I don’t belong to a band but one day I would like to learn to play an instrument of some form, most probably guitar or piano. A very large majority of the music I listen to is done through the internet and when downloading music onto a portable device (Iphone) I download it from the internet as it is easily accessible. My opinion on Illegal music downloading off internet sites is that if it is easily available to be used then i see no reason why it shouldn’t be. I think if people have a bigger enough passion for music then they will go to these lengths to listen to it and I am not against it as I do it myself to download most of my music.

Video Games: The favourite video game would have to differ between two which would be FIFA and GTA (Grand Theft auto). GTA is a video game based around a certain individuals past and the violence and stories that follow their life. In the game you can do many things such as complete missions or just drive around doing as you please such as shooting and killing innocent civillians or raiding a drug den and taking on police officers. GTA arguably offers the widest range of things to do on a video game ever made, this ranges from driving any vehicle you could think of and allows you to live in a real life scenario minus the over exaggerated scenarios you are put in. Video games have had a negative effect on attitudes to gender as in some video games females have been made out to be a less superior race to male by listing them as prostitutes in some games and under meaning them in many ways. They have had a negative effect on the solution to conflict also as most video games promote violence within their story and the situations are not dealt with in a sensible manner.

New Technology: I think new technologies have increased my ability to communicate with others by making it much more easier and accessible for me to speak to others. Just by the click of the one button I can contact whoever I want no matter where they are in the world. It also gives people who aren’t that confident the chance to introduce themselves to others. I think new technologies have influenced access to finding out about films, television programmes and the music industry because with the access of the internet you can find pretty much whatever of the above you wanted to. You can now watch trailers for films that aren’t even out yet to see if it appeals to you, you can also see reviews about the above and judge whether or not you think you’d like them. With the advance in new technologies it is now easier for someone to create their own form of media text for example a film or a tv programme. Thanks to new technology this is possible because you are able to get the correct high tech equipment to do so and with the aid of the internet you can teach yourself how to. It has helped to increase my understanding of the world as I can clearly see how much the world has progressed from many years ago until now.

Television: My favourite television channels are channel 4, BBC Three, BBC 1 and Sky one because they show the programmes that I like the most and are most interested in. The favourite TV genres are comedy and sport. This is because I am a very passionate football fan and comedy can cheer me up no matter what mood I am in.

Feature Film: I’d argue that my favourite genre of film falls into the category of action adventure. There are a vast majority of films that I find outstanding, the three I have narrowed it down to would be the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this would be because the storyline over the three films is so gripping and keeps you glued to the screen and I find the storyline interesting. The soundtrack and cinematography has won several awards which emphasises how powerful both of these are, the graphics are really realistic and the performcanes by the actors are top class. Another film that I find outstanding is The Dark knight mainly because of its intreieging story line and clever filming throughout. Another aspect of this film which is so good is the charcaters of the 'Dark Knight' and the villain 'Bane'. Finally another film i find outstanding in the world of film is the film 127 hours, i am a big fan of some of Danny Boyle's work and this film is no exception of his briliant film making. This film is based on a true story which makes it ever more interesting and intreiging. My preferred destination to vue films is at the cinema because i feel you get the full experience with the surround sound, obvious wide, big screen and the general feel that you are souly there to watch a film. My favourite cinema is Odeon, the reason for this is because they offer the widest range of films, provide the best all round service with refreshments and standard of seating and comfort. The cinema located in Riverside is also easily accessible for me and they offer a price that is acceptable. I would say that i prefer to watch films in a group of my friends in contrast as to on my own because we can all enjoy the film and get the laughter/excitement out of together not just individually. It is also good to communicate with a group during/after the film if there are any parts you didnt understand and to discuss the films qualitites and negatives. I am not a media producer.

Fred Snell.