Evaluation (sam rodway)

Samuel James Rodway       Page 1    08/11/2013

Evaluation

Brief: Film a short conversation between 2 people that demonstrates the 180 degree line, shot/reverse shot and match on action.

shot reverse shot is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.

When you move across the line of action you’re effectively reversing the positioning of characters. This causes a very confusing look from the perspective of the audience. The camera angles don’t stay true to the actual positioning of the characters. This 180 degree line rule.

Match on action is a very simple but essential technique, where the perspective of the camera changes during a scene and the scene continues to flow.

We each individually wrote a script and had to decide on which of the scripts to use. To write up the script we used celtx, which we used because it automatically formats our work.

After we made our scripts we made our storyboard, which was about 6 frames long. The storyboard helped us visualise the scene before we filmed it.

When we did this we had to go and find a location for us to shoot our scene.

Long shot walking down corridor establishes the scene and creates the motion.             

Close up on door handle

Medium long shot walking in room shows that the characters have changed location.

Medium 2 shot of 2 characters shows where the characters are positioned in the scene.

Medium close up over shoulder A and then over shoulder B to show what its like to see

We did a risk assessment to make sure all risks are avoided for example:

Dropping the camera on your foot, falling on terrain etc. To avoid these risks hold the camera tightly and watch where you going

We used a tripod and faced it own the corridor to shoot the walking down the corridor. The camera was placed on a tripod to keep a steady picture. we then moved the tripod to be level with the door handle to film him opening the door and the we placed the tripod on the desk to film the medium 2 shot. Then we used the extension on the tripod and placed it behind person a/b depending on who is listening/talking.

We used final cut express to edit the film we had produced so we cut the film down and puts it together to make it move smoothly and then for the shot/reverse shot we had to cut down the clip and put them in the correct order.

The film demonstrated the 180 degree rule because we didn’t cross the line when filming. It also demonstrated shot/reverse shot when we did the conversation scene. It also demonstrated the match on action when one of the characters entered the door switching between the corridor and in the room.

Evaluation

Evaluation of short clip

Brief:

Film a short conversation between two people that demonstrates

-       180degree line

-       Shot-reverse-shot

-       Match on action

180-degree line is a line you do not cross when filming i.e. when doing over the shoulder shot you film over the left shoulder of one person then when you switch you move to the right shoulder of the other person.

Shot reverse shot is where you switch the angle of your camera without crossing the 180-degree line this could be an over the shoulder shot.

Match on action matches the action from one shot to the next this can be used to mask the cut so it is not seen as easily and is done with movement.

Planning

We wrote out a script using Celtx this consisted of a conversation between two people. From our script, we wrote out a storyboard to get an idea of what camera angles we would need to use for the filming. We researched on locations for filming to fin the best place and we found a classroom; this was suitable because we had the space to film comfortably. The shots that we used in production were long shot, close up, medium long shot, medium two shot and medium over the shoulder shot. The risk assessment we did was the checking of the planned room to make sure it was safe to film in.

Filming

To film our shots steadily and consistently we used a tripod to get the correct height and angle for the camera but we had to consider the focus of the camera as sometimes the camera lost focus and we had to edit that out when editing. Another difficulty we had was knowing the script because when it came to filming we forgot lines so when we kept repeating it the would alter slightly. When filming we used a long shot to show the walking down the corridor; this is establishing the location. We then used a close up shot on the door handle for the opening of the door this then shows clearly what is happening. The next shot we used was a medium long shot of the character walking in this establishes the character clearly walking into the room. We then used a medium two shot of the characters establishing position of them and the location. To show who is talking we used medium shot over shoulder for both character A and B

Editing

When editing we used final cut pro to cut the recordings to fit accordingly so that the video as a whole was consistent and flowed smoothly. The shots were put together so that there were no jumps in the film or the audio. Once all of the cuts were put together and they were consistent we added in text to establish our names and fades in both the beginning and the end to create a transition in and out.

How does the film demonstrate the brief?

The film shows that we have used all of the shots that are needed and is edited together correctly. The film follows the rule of the 180-degree line because it stays on one side of the characters, which is the 180-degree line. We used shot reverse shot when editing the films together to switch between the over shoulder shots of the characters. Finally we used match on action when cutting between shot for opening the door and sitting down these shots do not jump and create a smooth transition.