Preliminary Task: 180 Degree Rule, Match on Action, Shot/Reverse Shot, Evaluation

PRELIMINARY TASK: STORY BOARD

STORY BOARD EVALUATION

Although accurate, this was because the story boards were drawn after the filming, as my first attempts at storyboarding were not able to be filmed. However, the story boards are not completely identical to the final film, as film and sound errors meant that the cut between shot 3B and shot 4 did not have a smooth audio bridge as first planned. This preliminary task and attempt at storyboarding has taught me how to storyboard and the importance of doing it before any filming.

PRELIMINARY TASK EVALUATION

MATCH ON ACTION

To accomplish match on action editing, I filmed Rae walking down the stairs and around the corner from one position [00:00 - 00:11]until she disappeared around the corner, and then filmed from a new position around the corner from the front of her, following her as she walks up the stairs [00:11- 00:15]. We then used iMovie to edit the two clips together, cutting from her walking around the corner in the first video to her walking towards the stairs in the second video, cropping the clips until they matched. We used the same technique as she walked through the door, filming from one side of the door and then the other [00:14-00:16]. However, if we were to redo the preliminary task, I would reshoot the section where she sits down and has the conversation with Lewis [00:19], as the clips would not match due to mistakes I made while filming.

180 DEGREE RULE
To avoid breaking the 180 degree rule, we avoided filming from the opposite side of the sightline - for example, during their conversation, we kept Rae on the left, and Lewis on the right. If we were to move the camera to the other side of the camera meaning Lewis would appear to be on the left and Rae would appear to be on the right, that would be breaking the 180 degree rule, and would be confusing to watch if we did not show the action line changing.

SHOT/REVERSE SHOT
For our shot/reverse shot, we filmed the conversation from different positions - the one seen when Rae first enters the room, one shot over Rae's shoulder showing Lewis's face, and the one from over Lewis's shoulder showing Rae's face. Once we had the footage from all these angles, we uploaded all of it onto iMovie and clipped/rearranged the footage so that it was switching between their faces. Again, if we were going to reshoot this task, we would have to find away to make the sound more clearer, as it is not consistent or clear throughout the video.

Although I am quite pleased with how the match on action came out as she came around the corner and into the room, I am not happy with how the continuity from her sitting down to the conversation starting turned out, or with the inconsistent sound. From this I have learned how to use the basics of iMovie which will really help with the final opening, as well as the importance of sound and making sure to use microphones to keep it clear and consistent.

Introduction

Welcome to my blog - my name is Deana Kent, I am a 17 year old AS Media student, and we have been tasked to create a two minute opening and titles for a new fiction film from a genre of our choice, posting our research, planning, and evaluation on our Blogger.com blog.
Conventions of film openings include the establishment of the genre using genre codes (such as dim lighting and disturbing images for thrillers and horrors [such as Seven], explosions and rock music for action films [such as Iron Man], or bright lighting and vibrant colours for comedies, romances, or teen films [such as Napoleon Dynamite].

The credits in film openings also go in a set order - 

• The Studio [Columbia, Marvel, Lionsgate]
• The production company ['in association with...]
• The possessory credits [A film by...]
• The starring actors, such as Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in Seven
• The title
• Other featuring actors
• The casting director
• The composers
• The costume designer
• The editors
• The production designer
• The director of photography
• Producers/ co producers/ executive producers
• {Here you can give credit if the film is based off of a book/screenplay/characters}
• Written by...
• Finally the director

The genre I have decided to do is a crime thriller as the style and composition of these types of films can change between films, but still keep some similarities. Some of the films that fit this genre that I like include the Dark Knight, Seven, and xXx. My favourite is Dark Knight as the film is exciting and the characters are interesting.

From this experience I hope to gain more understanding about the work that goes into creating a film, as well as a greater knowledge about how to edit and the effect it can have in the atmosphere in a film.