Evaluation - 14th October 2014

 

Our preliminary task required our group to create a clip where a "character opens a door, walks across a room and sits down in a chair opposite another character, and exchanges two sentences of conversation." As well as completing this, we had to demonstrate three camera angles which included: Match on action, Shot reverse shot and 180-degree-rule. To meet the brief we had to complete all of this as well as adding some drama and trying to use some other camera angles. 

 

The first shot we used in our video was an establishing shot. We used this to try and tell the audience where our video is being set and what our clip may be about. After this shot, it was mostly cross-cut editing and we used a close up of my feet which then developed into a medium close up. We did this to build suspense because it isn't showing my facial expression which hides the emotion the character is feeling. After this shot, it cuts to a close up of my face and it then reveals the emotion which the character is feeling. Because all of these cuts are cross-cuts, it all adds tension and makes the clip seem dramatic. Then when the setting changes to the Doctors office, there is a close up of my hand opening the door which alerts the reader that the character is entering a new setting. The Match on action shot now starts as I open the door and enter the Doctors office, we executed this shot as it was part of the brief and worked well with the script we designed. As I enter the Doctors office we used a Two-Shot so the audience can establish who the new characters are and the relationship between the two characters. The handshake indicates a formality meaning they are nothing but acquaintances. As Tommy and I have our two sentence conversation, a shot reverse shot is used to show the reaction of both characters. Because our clip is meant to be quite light hearted and a joke, the emotion on my face is meant to be genuinely worried and concerned. The mid-shot shows my emotion (worry) and also the setting behind me. Tommy's response is quite blunt and the mid shot indicates he really doesn't care and the close up of my response highlights the disgust the character is feeling. The three camera shots we needed to use to meet the brief were:

-180-degree-rule

-Match on action shot

-Shot reverse shot

We used all three of these shots to obviously meet the brief as well as using shots we thought would benefit the clip. We used the 180 degree rule from 25 seconds in until the end of the clip. We used the 180 degree rule to prevent the audience from feeling disorientated because if the camera had moved to the other side of the room, it may have looked as though Tommy and I had moved seats when we hadn't. This ensures that the shot looks realistic and doesn't jump around which wouldn't look continual. The match on action shot was used once I entered the door; showing me opening the door and then entering through the door. We did this as it was part of the brief and worked well because it enabled Rhianna to quickly move from back to front to film both parts of the match on action shot. Finally, the shot-reverse-shot was used whilst Tommy and I had our two sentence conversation to allow the audience to see our reactions which in Tommys case was boredom and in my case anger and disgust. 

 

Once we had finished all of the filming we went back into the class room and uploaded our individual clips. Once we were looking through them, we discovered a few faults concerning background noise. The first mistake I discovered was the sound of the chair rolling whilst filming me walking. Whilst we were recording, Rhianna was struggling with a way to figure out how to record me walking without her carrying the camera. We discovered that when she was walking with the camera, it was quite shaky and disorientating. Therefore, we decided to put the camera on a chair and wheel it backwards. This did work because it wasn't shaky however we didn't expect any background noise from this. When we decided to try and cut the sound out, we couldn't find a way to do so and so for our real video, we will find a way to delete background noise from an individual clip or try and borrow a tripod from somewhere. The second sound malfunction we discovered was when I open the door to enter the Doctors office, there is background chat which we didn't pay attention to. Again, we didn't discover how to delete the sound and so we left it. If the sound had continued all the way through the shot, developing to when I actually walk through the door it would have been fine because you normally have people talking in a Doctors. However, it magically disappears when I walk through the door and so it is more obvious however it isn't a major problem. So for our real video, we will definitely find a way to delete background noise as well as watching out for noises we do not want in our video. Perhaps using a less central location would be better to use in the future. Overall, our editing process was not too bad because once we joined all of the individual clips together it looked quite professional. We experimented with different effects such as a black and white however we didn't think it looked effective and made the clip look slightly tacky. So we discarded this change and kept it how it was although we did cut some of the shots to make them look concise and fit within the time limit. 

 

I also believe the treatment was all correct; the setting, the characters and the props & outfits. The settings were quite realistic seeing as we were filming in a school environment. It would have been impossible to film in a proper Doctors surgery and so we made the best of what we had. The reception area had cupboards and stationary which is what receptionists are normally equipped with and our extras who were acting as patients looked realistic as they weren't wearing anything over the top. The shots where I was walking looked like any other hallway and so this didn't look out of place or unrealistic. The Doctors office was the best room we could find because it was equipped with a computer, desk and two chairs as well as being full of papers which could be portrayed as files. Therefore I think our setting and extras were as good as they could possibly have been. I think my outfit was suitable because if I had worn anything over the top, it would've looked unrealistic because you don't normally go to the Doctors in your best clothes. However, I think if we had found a white lab coat as opposed to a blue one, it would've looked better. Also, if we had found a stethoscope, this may have looked good however, we didn't have enough time to find one as it isn't a necessity that many people own. So an improvement we could make or a point to remember is to make sure all props are realistic and suit the clip you are trying to create. To ensure there were no continuity mistakes, I wore the same outfit for three days as well as wearing the same make up and doing my hair in the same way. This ensured that I didn't look different in various shots because If I had done the first shot with wavy hair and the second shot with straight hair, it would'nt have looked continual. This was how we figured we had made no continuity mistakes with the mise en scene. 

 

As a group we stuck to the brief and executed all of the shots we were permitted to. We all worked well as a team to get the filming and editing done efficiently and on time and this was good because we stuck to our schedule. We also stuck to our storyboard which was good because we had a clear plan of what we had to do and so we could plan our time accordingly. The only couple of differences we made were quite minor and included not having a table seperating the Doctor and pateint and also Tommy not having a stethoscope around his neck. Whilst we were planning, we were also thinking about different effects we could have to pass on one shot to the next. We thought about using a dissolve effect however we decided it didn't suit our clip and didn't look right. 

 

Overall, as a group we worked well as a team and stuck to the brief we were given which was to create a short clip including three camera shots; Shot reverse shot, 180 degree rule and match on action along with a two sentence conversation. We did make a few mistakes however by doing them in the premliminary task, we have reduced the risk of making the same mistakes in our real film. We have discovered that we need to be extra careful with background noise as well as making sure all of the costumes and props are suitable and match the genre of the clip we are making. Our main strengths would have to be our time management skills because we stuck to our schedule and were ready to film and edit on designated days. We also worked well as a team which was effective because it meant that we could suggest ways of improvement throught out without offending each other. Our main weakness would have to be ensuring the background noise was eliminated which we will be looking out for in our real video.