My Prelim Evaluation

My preliminary continuity sequence

1. Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

I worked with Hugh, Ayisha and Meera. In the majority we shared the responsibility of each task equally, such as story boarding and shoot boarding. Me and Hugh acted in the video while Ayisha was on camera duty and Meera directed. Due to me and Hugh acting we did little directing, however Hugh did help direct and shoot the first few shots as we was not required to act. In contrast, I acted in every shot was therefore unable to direct, because of this I took up a more major role in making the script, designing the floor plan and creating the shoot board. Hugh and Ayisha also took major roles in making the storyboard. Overall, even though we all contributed to each step of making the video, members of our group did step up and take more control in areas they felt more comfortable in.

Our Group

2. How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?

During the planning stage we used many different techniques to help make the filming and editing stage as simple and easy as possible. One of the techniques we used was story boarding and this was extremely useful for not only making the shoot board but also for capturing our footage as we color coded each shot for different shot types. This allowed us to efficiently film due to our knowledge of exactly what we needed to film. The storyboard also helped us to plan the general outline of our video and then allow us to make changes depending on how it looked as a whole. Overall, the storyboard was very useful was we could constantly refer back to it throughout the entire process in order for us to achieve the best continuity video possible

Our Storyboard

With the help of our storyboard we chose to produce another resource which was very useful whilst filming; this was the shoot board. The shoot board was a condensed version of the storyboard and the shots were in order of set-ups rather than the number order. This made the process of filming much easier as we could capture all the footage at one set-up at one time, with knowledge we would not have to return there at a later date. This was key as we did not have much time to film; efficient use of time was extremely essential.

Our shoot board

Whilst planning our video we had to take into account many theories that would help us achieve a clear narrative flow and continuity, hence helping to stick to the brief. These include the:

• 180 degree rule
• match on action
• shot-reverse-shot

Other theories we took into account to make our sequence even better were, master shot and 30 degree rule. Overall, all the techniques we chose to create during the planning stage were extremely useful in helping make our filming and editing processes as smooth as possible.

3. What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?

To help us complete the brief we used many different pieces of equipment, such as:

• Canon Legria HFG30
• Canon DM-100 Directional Microphone
• Libec TH-650 HD Tripod

The tripod was very useful due to it being height adjustable, easy to use and maneuverable. This enabled us to film our shots with relative ease due to the versatility we were provided; also, the camera was lightweight as well as very easy to use, therefore making our options during the filming stage vast. We also connected headphones to them in order to monitor the sound we captured and make sure it was of a high quality and that there was no background sound which interfered with our footage. For editing, we used PCs running on Windows 7, we also used the Adobe Premiere software to edit all our clips together (which were uploaded by the media technician). Before we actually began editing, we renamed all of our shots by there shot number and take number; this enabled us to quickly search through the footage in order to find the best.

Adobe Premier - editing software

4. What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

We had to take into account many factors when planning, shooting and editing in order for us to finish with highest quality video which also matched the brief. One such factor is that we had to shoot in a school which also had lessons taking place; also a bell would ring every 40 minutes. This meant that we had to plan our shoot board around the plan as it would have ruined the audio of any shot being filmed during the bell. To avoid this issue we just made sure that we weren't filming at 15:05 as this was the only time during our scheduled shoot that the bell does go off at. We also had to deal with strict time limitations. For example, we only had 1 hour to plan, edit and film. This meant that we had to take fewer takes for each shot during the filming stage. However, since I had quite good experience with Adobe Premiere the editing time limitations we not as severe for me and Hugh, who I partnered up with for the editing stage. Whilst filming we created a top down plan as this enabled us to restructure the room we were using to film in very quickly. This ensured we had the maximum time possible for filming and therefore provide us with enough time and the best chance to capture high quality footage.

Our top down plan

5. How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?

Overall, I think my group's sequence was relatively successful as we met the majority of the demands of the brief; with the 30 degree rule being the only demand we did not meet, this therefore lead the the creation of a jump cut. I believe this could have been avoided by capturing the entire scenes footage from each angle. As you can see in the GIF below Hugh, the teacher, reaches for the paper with his right hand but is immediately seen in the next shot holding it in both hands:

Furthermore, during the first few shots it is noticeable that the actor (me) reached for the door with his left head but in the subsequent shot, pushed the door with his right hand. This breaks rules of logic and therefore disrupts the continuity and narrative flow of the video. I believe this could have been avoided by not only paying closer attention whilst filming, but also capturing this footage in a Master shot of this set-up, as this error could then have been removed during editing and replaced by back-up footage. This continuity error can be seen below:

However, apart from these two small errors I believe that our sequence was successful. Examples of some of the demands of the brief that we met, such as shot-reverse-shot and master shot, can be seen below:

Master Shot

Shot-reverse-shot

Overall, I believe that by include theories such as master shot and shot-reverse-shot we were not just meeting the demands of the brief we were making a professional continuity sequence that I can be proud of.

6. What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?

From completing this task I have learnt that planning is the most essential process in the task as it is the building block to capturing good footage and editing it together. By making a storyboard you give yourself and your group a great outline from which you can refer back to throughout the entire process; it has everything you will need during the editing and filming stages on it and also allows for changes to be made relatively easily due to the simplicity of its design. I have also learnt that spending more time to capture more footage from different angles is completely worth it as it helps to avoid jump cuts in your final edit (which is against the brief as it breaks the 30 degree rule).

Looking ahead, I believe that all the skills and techniques I learnt from this preliminary task will be very significant and helpful in completing my next project which is to create a 2 minute long opening sequence for a new fiction film. For example, the various cinematic techniques and theories that I learnt, such as the 180 degree rule and shot-reverse-shot, will be extremely relevant as they are the essentials to creating a high quality and professional film sequence.

HW 3b - Existing continuity sequence analysis

The continuity sequence I have chosen is from the 2015 blockbuster film, Jurassic World. This scene consists of a worker in the raptor habitat falling into the cage and then the male protagonist rushes into save him by risking his life.

The sequence begins with a birds eye view shot of the worker attempting to catch a pig with a net. His attempt ends with failure as we are then taken to a mid-shot of one of the raptors catching the pig and in turn bringing the man of his bridge. His fall from the bridge is captured in three shots and in perfect continuity; it starts with an extreme low angle shot, but then transitions into long shot which is face on to the falling man and then a high angle long shot of the man lying on the floor. This transition portrays the diminished power that the man experienced in his fall as a high angle shot implies vulnerability.

For the next 10 seconds the sequence cross-cuts between the action of the man being surrounded by deadly raptors and the protagonist rushing from safety into danger in an attempt to save him. The majority of these shots are long shots however one of the first shot in this 10 second area is a close up of the protagonist face in order to capture his emotion. Following this we witness many shot/reverse/shots which follow the dialogue between Owen, the protagonist, and the raptors' screeching.

In order not to break the 180 degree rule the camera always stays on the right side of Owen as this keeps the logic of the sequence in check. Furthermore, this is done by the camera facing the front of Owen to capture his dialogue and emotion, in close-ups and mid-shots or behind him to capture his movement into new areas of the raptor enclosure, in long shots and mid-shots.

The 30 degree rule is also not broken as this would create jump cuts which would cause the narrative flow of the sequence to be interrupted. In order not to break this rule the camera constantly cross-cuts to other charsets instead of solely focusing on Owen for the entirety of the sequence.

In addition to all this, the camera also keeps a constant eye line with Owen or if necessary a low angle shots as this ensures the audience is always confident he is not in a vulnerable situation while also making the audience feel as if they are apart of the sequence by following part of Owen's POV.

HW 3a - Continuity task evaluation (BLK)

1. The story of this video is of a teenage character in school, wearing headphones, who whilst walking down a corridor is closely followed by a female student. The male student then has his headphones unplugged whilst walking though doors and this causes him to be unaware of his surroundings. Then the female student who is also distracted opens the doors and hits the other student with the door unintentionally. She instantly feels regret and helps him up.

2. To create 'narrative flow'/continuity we used similar shot types throughout all our 6 shots; we primarily chose long shots and medium shots. We also attempted to ensure our characters started each shot in the same position they ended the previous one as well as ensuring all props stayed in the same place in every shot in order to avoid the audience becoming confused, i.e. we were trying to make sure the logic of our video was sound.

3. I do not think we achieved full continuity because in some shots the character would have standing starts even though they were clearly moving in the previous one, furthermore, sometimes the characters would start a shot in a different position to the one they ended the previous one in. In addition to this most of our shots shared very similar framing which in turn created jump cuts; I believe this occurred due to us breaking the 30 degree rule.

4. In hindsight, I would have preferably made a storyboard prior to filming the scene as this would have enabled us to have had a better idea of what we wanted to achieve with our shots whilst filming. Hence, I think that our narrative flow would have been vastly improved and therefore have helped us achieve full continuity. The final change I would have made is making the male character not fall to the floor after being hit by the door as this reaction was unrealistic and therefore goes against logic.

HW 2c - Sound in Film Openings (DYM)

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-widowmaker/

Dialogue

This opening sequence has no dialogue and I think the purpose of this was to create an eerie tone as the audience would not be able to find any or familiar voice/sound from which they can draw a sense of security. In addition to this, I think the eerie tone which is created helps to convey a horror genre which is the true representation of this film. On the other hand of this though is that by removing all dialogue you reduce the audiences chances of picking up on any story lines.

Sound Effects

The majority of the sound effects in this film opening are electronically produced and seem to resemble the zooming in and out of a camera. The sound of the camera is seemingly enhanced to a level you would not hear in real time when using a camera. This contributes to the eerie tone and also creates an illusion that the killer in the story pays close attention to detail and in turn also makes the audience feel that the protagonists in the film may have a hard time catching the killer as he could be able to cover his tracks well.

Music Track

There is no music track in this sequence, however I do think that this is done for a very good purpose. The lack of a music track reduces any distractions from the unsettling sound effects and keeps the audience focused on the screen imagery.

HW 2b - Analysis of Titles in Film Openings

Creed (2015) 

The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016)

The title sequences that I will compare are 'Creed' (2016) and 'The Huntsman: Winter's War' (2016). Both films are similar in the fact that they are apart/based of a popular franchise; Creed is linked to the 'Rocky' franchise while The Huntsman: Winter's War is linked to the 'snow white' franchise. However, the genre's are widely different with Creed being a sport drama, in contrast to The Huntsman being a fantasy adventure film.


Running Order
'The Huntsman' consistently places its titles in the corners of the screen as this ensures they do not take away too much attention from the action on screen. However, it all depends on what is actually happening on the screen, for example if action is happening on the right of the screen then the title will appear on one of the left corners and if something is falling towards the bottom of the screen then the title will appear in one of the bottom, corners. The only exception to this is some of the star billing, such as 'Emily Blunt, where the title appears central to the screen


'The Huntsman: Winter's War' begins with the director and then moves on to the writers, character inspiration, producer, executive producers, director of photography, production designer and editor. After this, the star billing follows with 'Chris Hemsworth', the male lead, first and then the villain, love-interest and remaining of the main cast. Then, music, costume designer, casting, visual effects supervisor and 'A Roth Films Production'.

Similarly, 'Creed' begins with the producers and distributers and then the film title, i.e. details and crew of the film. Then you see the director, screenplay, story writer, producers, executive producers, director of photography, production designer, music, editors, costume designer, visual effects supervisor and casting. In contrast, 'Creed' finishes its opening sequence mostly with the star billing instead of the crew, like in 'The Huntsman'.

Placement of Titles


'Creed' places the majority of its titles central to the screen, no matter whether action is occurring on screen or not. Since the majority of the shots include the male lead, Adonis, either by himself or accompanied by another one of the other main characters, the titles would be next to or in between the characters on screen. This not only draws the audiences attention to the titles it ensures the characters on screen are still the main attention-grabber.

Timings

In 'The Huntsman' the titles consistently appear every couple of shots and seem to have little correlation with the music. In contrast, in 'Creed' the titles seemingly appear to the beat of the music, as well as this multiple titles in 'Creed' appear in every shot due to the still of the shot being what fades out consistently.

Style

'Creed' has a very dark color scheme in comparison to 'The Huntsman' This is peculiar due to the fact that even though 'The Huntsman' is the relatively darker film in relation to genre and story line yet its color scheme is relatively brighter to that of 'Creed'. On the other hand though, even with a some what brighter color scheme 'The Huntsman' still portrays a much darker genre; this could be due to the lack of characters appearing and therefore a low amount of emotion which the audience can feel through a human connection. In contrast to this 'Creed' has a much more slow-paced opening sequence with the majority of its shots including main characters from the film; therefore giving the audience someone to connect with and inform them that this film will be based around human interaction.

HW 2a - Existing Opening Sequence analysis (DYM)

This opening sequence is from Toy Story (1995) and it is an computer-animated buddy comedy adventure film. The film takes place over a couple of weeks and it is not made clear where the story actually takes place; we only know it is based in an American town. We can tell it is a suburban town due to the nature of the housing; if  the film was based in an urban town the characters may have been based in a smaller house or flat rather than a large seen as seen in the opening sequence.

At the beginning of the sequence we see and hear the iconic Walt Disney and Pixar themes; these are the production companies. After this we see the child, called Andy, playing with his toys. He is using them in the stereotypical way you would expect a kid to play with toys, the purpose of this is to demonstrate the love between a child and his toys. It also sets up the main story line of the film which is the huge contradiction between how toys act when in human company and when they are on their own, however what this sequence does well is provide an extremely strong representation of toys as lifeless and therefore implies to the audience that the toys may be very active when on their own. Continuing on from this the main toy character, woody, is introduced as is clearly shown as a main character due to his primary involvement with the kid throughout the remainder of the sequence. And finally at the end of the sequence we are informed that the family are moving house, this suggests to the audience that this may be a main part of the films plot.

All the events in the sequence link to each other as connected events as we are clearly taken on a journey in the child's perspective as he moves from his bedroom to his living room on the bottom floor of the house. We also see a toy's, Woody's, perspective from roughly half way through the sequence as he is carried by the kid.

Woody and Andy are the only main characters introduced in the opening sequence, however quite a few of the supporting characters are also introduced. For example, the majority of Andy's toy set who are good friends of Woody are introduced when Andy is playing with them at the beginning while the family of Andy are introduced towards the end as he interacts with them in conversation. We also find out that the toys are completely inferior to the family as they are 'taken along for the ride' by Andy as he plays with them. i.e. they have no choice in what happens to them and this is clearly displayed when Mr. Potato head is pulled apart by Andy and none of the toys do anything about it to help him.

Not much story information is actually revealed, for example we are not yet introduced to Buzz who is a key part of the plot. I believe the director has purposely withheld the reveal of buzz as they dont want to reveal too much of the films plot this early on. However, they have revealed that the family are moving house and that therefore this may be a major stumbling block for Woody and his toy friends in the story.

At the start of this film, Toy Story, I think it is essential that the audience are introduced to at least one of the main toy characters and that the overlying plot is revealed. By revealing the overlying plot you ensure that you as the director can continue into different story lines immediately as the audience will know why they are occurring and how they contribute to the plot. Furthermore, by introducing at least one main toy character you signify to the audence that toys will have a major part to play within the film's story line. Overall, I believe this opening sequence as accomplished all these goals.

HW 1b - Reflections on your film still (BLK)

My Film Still

1. My film still signifies the horror genre, due to the very dark lighting and the character hiding beneath a table. The dark lighting portrays an eerie feeling which is a very common portrayal within horror films. Furthermore, the audience is unaware of the reasoning behind the characters actions to hide under the tables; this makes them anxious and fearful for her. These emotions are very commonly felt for a victim within a horror film.
2. I directed the shop to create suspense and an eerie feeling by turning of all the lights in the hallway and then slightly opening the door in order to allow a few beams of light enter the shot. The beams of light could be viewed as the entering of the villain or to show how far away the victim is from the light (which is usually associated with safety); these suggestions both help signify the horror genre. In addition to this, the High Angle shot makes the victim seem very vulnerable and therefore an easy target for a villain.
3. I intended for the audience to feel worried and fearful for the life of the victim by understanding that she is isolated in a very dark hallway with nowhere to go/escape. I also hoped the audience would feel helplessness as the victim is seemingly trapped at the edge of the room with the villain also seemingly entering from the open space. I also hoped the despairing look on the female victim would make the audience feel emotionally connected to her but in all feeling as if they have no control in stopping her inevitable fate.
4. I think the main success of my short was the lighting as I believe it helped accomplish every purpose and intention I wanted within the still. For example, I think the very dark lighting helped signify the horror genre, while the beams of light seen on the left of the shot help tell the audience how far away from safety the victim is and therefore makes them feel worried for her. Moreover, I think the framing was extremely successful in making the victim seem vulnerable and disconnecting her from the audience while still ensuring they sympathize with her.
5. In hindsight, I would have the leg of the villain coming into shot from the beams of light as I think this would help to make the victim seem as even more of a target and in turn make the audience feel even more worried and scared for her life.

HW 1a - Existing film still analysis (DYM)

This Is The End (2013) film still

I have chosen to analyse a film still from the comedy 'This is The End'.

Narrative

You can instantly tell form this hot that the characters are extremely surprised and unprepared for what they have just seen. The facial expressions on the characters signify the shock they are experiencing which also implies they are not use to this situation happening. Furthermore, the blood on the floor and barricades on the windows suggest that something traumatic has just occurred and that therefore they have reason to be scared/worried. In addition to this, the majority of the characters can be seen in underwear and a shirt, i.e. minimal clothing/bed wear; this could be pointing out to the audience that these characters are genuinely in fear as they may have just been interrupted sleeping. Their clothing also makes them seem much more vulnerable and henceforth makes the audience know that they could be an easy target for whatever caused the blood and house damage.

Genre

The extreme contrast between the blood, which you would usually associate with death, the cereal, which you would usually associate with a happy/family film and the ridiculous clothing choices which accompany them can lead the audience to believe that this a comedy film. When this many extremes are played against each other comedy is created as there reasoning for being near each other is somewhat unknown/ridiculous. Furthermore, all the actors in the film still are extremely well known within the comedy film world so their presence in the shot automatically makes the audience think comedy. Also, all these comedic features within the still work together to ensure the audience is deterred from thinking the film is of any other genre.

Audience

In this still the audience are probably unsure as whether to laugh or not as the facial expressions and clothing are humorous however the uncertainty as to what is to happen next may cause the audience to feel anxiety rather than humor, In spite of this I do think that the audience will in the majority laugh at the characters as their confusion and vulnerability in itself creates humor.