Main Task Planning

Preliminary task - how it was put together

Preliminary Task- how it was put together

Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue.

Once analysing what the exam board wanted us to feature in our preliminary task, we had to come up with a story line that would involve all of these points. Choosing a theme (soft horror) we started to plan how many people would be involved and the camera angles that we'd use when filming the shots/scenes. We created a mind map which visually explained what we wanted to do. Our preliminary task consists of:

• camera moving from facing school on persons 1 (p1) back who is walking towards the school
• the camera shot changes from an establishing shot to a facing body shot of p1 (showing his identity indirectly shows his innocence, because the audience know what he looks like) with person 2 (p2) standing behind p1 while leaning against a wall 
• Camera changes to a POV shot of a third person (p3) walking out of the school, facing p1 who has just walked into the school (this is showing p1 from a different angle. P3 'nods head' towards p1 and carries on walking but decides to look back and sees p2 standing in a room watching p1 through the window (this allows the audience to know something that p1 doesn't)
• camera is stationary showing p1 is walking towards a classroom but along the way sees p2 shadow walking behind them. turn around and there is no-one there. camera shows p1 reaching classroom door and walking in.
• camera is positioned inside the room (simple establishing shot) showing p1 walking into a class room and doesn't see p2 sitting there.
• camera changes to the POV of p2 who is watching p1 just walking into the room (p2 is stain the corner of a table)
• p2 then converses to p1 and asks p1 to sit down (p1 chooses a chair at a table and sits down)
• camera shows a close up of p2 hand on a chair they choose to move towards p1 to sit with them. Camera then shows p2 leaning in towards p1 to start a convocation (this is showing the 180 rule, shot reverse shot).

Preliminary task evaluation

Preliminary task evaluation 

What is the purpose of the preliminary task?
We did this to aid our knowledge in continuity editing between short clips. It has helped us evolve our understanding of how the camera rules are important (ones such as match on match, 180 degree rule and POV) and how they work.
Doing this has also helped us understand how a film and editing works to help with future projects.

What difficulties did you face?
We had difficulty with editing the continuity between the different clips, as some of them didn't work well together, or needed to be hugely cut or slowed/sped up. We also didn't have the best lighting, so it differentiated when we were recording in different rooms, another thing would be sound. We didn't use a microphone or tripod, so in some of the recordings you can't hear Sabil talking and the camera wasn't straight.

How did you plan out shots?
As a class we came up with a story board, and drew out every key shot (key shots that changed) which allowed us too easily plan out all the shots/scenes for the film and how the film would run in order. We then took the shots multiple times with different lighting and audibility to achieve the best result.

What did we learn about continuity editing?
We learnt that all of the shots have to run smoothly for the sequence to flow and work properly, and that without the audience thinking that it wasn't being thought through when being edited.

What did you learn about the demands of filming a sequence?
You have to plan the shots on a story board or write down the ideas to make sure you don't make any mistakes or confusion when you begin to film. By getting the scenes right and shot the first or second time will give you more time to edit  which is also a priority.

Production Planner

Production Planner

In class we were put into groups to organise how long it would take us to make our films, by creating these different mind maps it has helped us to create a 'time table' and structure our time to create our films.

Having structure and a rough idea of how the planning of the film will run out

Post Production

                                                                     Production

                                                               Pre production

Preliminary Schedule

Planning:choosing an idea

Justification of Genre

Justification of Genre-Romance

For my two minute opening I am basing the story line on a typical romance story line. This includes the 'boy meets girl' scenario and a voice over at the start of the film which is also another aspect of romance. he conventions of romance are stereotypically aimed at a female audience because females are more emotional, usually involves heart, dates and relationship which all symbolise love.  My opening will include the following; heart break, pain, car crush, flashbacks and relationship. There are strong feelings between the main characters (Cara and Daniel).

The symbolic codes of romantic movie would be having flash backs of the best moments they have experienced. They also use technical codes such as using extreme close up when characters are kissing to denote the significance of that passionate moment. My 2 minutes opening includes flashbacks to denote all the moments that the two main characters have experienced together.

The two minute opening I am making will have a hybrid-genre. It is because if we were to make the actual movie, then there would be a dramatic turn over such as a car crush happening which would lead to the main character Cara get into hospital which goes back to right beginning of the 2 minute opening which starts with Cara laying on a hospital bed and thinking about what has happened.

A romance film consists of specific things that make it an obvious genre to understand, some points of this would be:

• Normally contains emotional feelings- connects to the audience
• The director will hint the audience that the two characters are meant to actually be together
• The characters break up and go separate ways after an argument but re unite after
• Aimed towards a female audience
• Hero's tend to be men
• Props such as: flowers/hearts/wedding bells very commonly seen

One of my sources is this website:

http://www.slideshare.net/suji94/typical-conventions-of-romance

Our film is going to be non linear, showing flashback to the past and the future, playing with the idea of time and how if effects the characters.

After researching about romantic films and the usual points that feature in the films narrative, it has allowed me to shape my ideas of what makes up a romance film and what I'll need to use in the film I'm going to produce.
It has also helped me realise what is used in a real film and these are things that ill feature in mine to make it look as realistic as possible, this will make my film more appealing and therefor will attract a bigger audience.

Mood Board

Mood Board Pictures

Romance

Chosen genre and what you would need to include to make it look 'real' or recognizable.

The genre for my film is Romance, i chose this one because I think that any producer can have their own interpretation of what a romance film can be. I know that having a romance film will only appeal to a particular audience (age and gender will affect this chosen genre) along with the narrative of my storyline. 

By studying other romance films like If I Stay and the Notebook I followed the general plot they both had (beginning, find love, drama/tragedy, make up, gets worse, then better etc). This structural planning helped me to shape my own story and I will use this to make my film look realistic and desirable to watch.
Another thing that I would add to make my film more recognisable would be to use an Ident and Title name to show at the beggining of the film. This realistic touch will make the film more appealing and a recognisable piece that would be linked to me as a producer and company. This is would be relevant to use for future cases, because it copywrites each of the films I'd produce under my name and also link every film back to the producer (me).
One thing that is also characteristically in the beginning of films is the use of titles. These are giving credit to the people involved in making the film and it makes their names recognisable. It is a trait that is in every movie/film because it allows the audience to research the people and see what other work they have done. Using titles will make my film more real because it is a technique used in every film produced.
At the beginning of my film I will start with the Ident with non diegetic music playing underneath, this will create an atmosphere just a she film is about to start.  It is usually used in Thrillers and Dramas to build tension and foretelling what might happen within the rest of the film or at the beginning. I would want to use this in my film because I believe it will create a personality for the film, creating a more emotional response from the audience.

Overall after studying some other films to see what features in them, I will use all of the points mentioned abouve in my film as I believe they are what will make my film look more personalised, dramatic and realistic.

Class Prelim Task Film

film ideas/plots

horror

story line:

' It happens every year, always on the same day and time. We call it the darkday. It’s when all the power stops and the monsters come out. It’s when we pray for our lives that we won’t be taken, killed or worse… we try not to think about the dreaded day; we are told that the monsters choose who they want to take, they’re called the chosen ones; these people aren’t special, like books describe them to be, they are the damned ones. The ones that will never make, choose or create another happy moment or memory, the ones that never come back.
Nobody knows what happens with the chosen ones, one moment they are next to you, then suddenly they’re gone, only an eerie silence left to fill the space of where they once stood. You know you’re chosen by these creatures when noise, voices and scraping sounds fill your mind… well that’s what those people cried out, describing what it was like moments before they were taken. What happens then is a mystery. A scary mystery. And the thing is it’s not a story, a fictional printed script, it’s reality, the real world. A world that is not safe, a world full of hidden secrets… a world full of the living dead. '

The idea of a horror movie is to allow the audience to  feel  mixed feelings through the film (film opening) such as: fear of the unknown, draw you into the film (interesting), jump scares etc. 
For a horror film I would involve lots of short and sudden clips which would create tension and a unnerving atmosphere for the audience. 

"Horror is a film genre seeking to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's primal fears" Wikipedia 

Romance

Story line:

'A young couple fall in love which would have been classed as a 'perfect relationship' in the eyes of modern society,  but it all goes down hill when hearts are broken.

After a horrific car accident Cara forgets her long lost lover Daniel.

Can she remember him? or learn to love him again?'

The idea of a romance is to show positive emotions and to connect with the audience on an emotional level. For a romance film i would involve a twist (the car crash/lack of memory) to make the story more enjoyable and more complicated instead of the cliche romance storyline.

"Romance films (or romance movies) are romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres and on cinema that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters and the journey that their genuinely strong, true and pure romantic love takes them through dating ..." Wikipedia

Preliminary task overview

Preliminary task overview 

For our preliminary we organised to meet up at lunchtimes because the actors in our group (who weren't media students) had clashing lessons with our media class, therefor we met up at lunchtimes to film the clips.

This was convenient because there were less students around in the corridors, outside and in other lessons which helped with continuity and was easier for us to avoids them for filming purposes. 

Overall as a group we worked really well, our organisational skills helped us to film the film within two lunchtimes, with multiple bloopers involved. I decided to put myself forwards for the editing because I wanted to learn how the system worked as I had no experience previously, and I knew that I'll need to build up on my editing skills for my actual film in the future. 

In conclusion the group I was involved with were great as we work led along side each other very well which benefitted our group so we could meet the due date time.

Small Group Prelim Video

Small Group Prelim Video

Corey's Big Surprise