Prelim - Amira Duale

My role in the Prelim task was to mainly to work behind the scene such as the directing role with other team members. I found this role particularly rewarding and seeing the outcome would benefit us in filming the actual sequal of the opening scene and it meant that we would have a great deal of knowlege in creating our sequence in having our first hand experience in already filming and directing and for the actors acting.

My put in for the prelim was mainly behind the camera and this helped me a lot becuase i was also the camera person for the final product and i learnt mostly form the prelim and it helped me me to figure out how to use the camera and the tripods and all the equipements.

All my other team mates were also doing the same roles as me such as doing the camera work and directing and this was a pleasure for the outcome of the product as we exceeded our expectation and came out with an excellent Prelim task which everyone like and the audience enjoyed

By Amira Duale

Simona & Amira Prelim task

Preparations

Use of settings

In order to set the right atmosphere, the setting needs to match the narrative of the script. The location we filmed in was the school property (CLC), which wasn't exactly the setting we were hoping for, but we had to make it work somehow. We used props such as the black curtains in order to get the right feel for what was going on, as bright colours wouldn't be suitable for the genre we were hoping to create. Other props we used were tables, chairs, lighting, as well as the piece of paper, which was a very important prop in order to create the sense of mystery we wanted to create, such as not seeing the characters face until the end of the video. The reason behind this was to draw people in and make them question the mysterious feel behind our filming. The shots were filmed in a way that showed the superiority of the opposite character of Simona which indicated her status as well as her power and how she had an affect on Simona. We used a large variety of shots in order to interest the audience and keep them on their toes and get a fresh, new feel of the different characters, narrative and the mise-en-scene.

180 degree rule, Angles

In order to give the right idea of the conversation and to make it clear and understandable for the viewers, we had to use the right angles and methods which were suitable for our sequence. which in this case was the 180 degree rule, camera angles and camera placing. If this is all done the correct way, it creates the right atmosphere and creates the right story, which made it flow. The rule of 180 degree involves placing the camera in the right position, which is in our case only placing the camera only on one side of the table. This makes it easier to edit and put together the shots that are needed and are useful.

Lights

The lighting that was used in our sequence, was mostly natural lightning from the windows. We found it much easier, as it was sunny outside. It would take more time to set up the lights, as we had experience with it before, we just decided that it would be much easier to use natural lighting. Mainly the corridor lights were used in the first shot. Once the main character entered the room, natural lighting for the windows were used. whilst the interrogation was occurring we used the lights from the windows as well, so we had no problems with the process of filming involving lighting.

Sound

Not only is the visual side of the video very important to express the narrative, but the sound and verbal side could be even more affective at moments. This is why we used a script to direct the audience onto the right path in understanding what is going on in the scene. This however was a success as the script was mysterious enough to draw in different types of audiences into wanting to find out what will be happening next which will in turn, make them interested into watching the rest of the sequence.


***

We were five people who took part in creating the short sequence. We all had very important roles to play in order to make the sequence a success. This is how we divided our roles in order to complete it on time:

Amira: Cameraperson, directing
Simona: Actress, taking care of the props needed.
Aneta: Actress, helped with planning
Loren: Camera, director
Chandni: Camera, helping with storyboard

Everybody did a very good job, as we were very happy with the outcome of the product we produced, as a group. We did use the 180 degree rule, which made it very understandable and easy to watched. The verbal side of the clip also helped to direct the viewers in to the right path in understanding the clip.

By Simona and Amira

Hazards Health and safety checks

Hazard	Who/what could be harmed?	What are you doing to stop it?	Checked by whom and completed by when?
Food and drinks near the equipment.	Eating and drinking while filming could harm the equipment as well as the quality of focusing on filming.	We had few breaks to have some time to eat or drink. Also we let the crew know that they are not allowed to eat or drink while filming, as it could distract others, and get spilled all over the equipment.	This was done by the producer and right before filming.
Cold weather	If the weather is very bad on the day of filming, the crew could get cold. If it starts to rain and if there is no extra equipment to protect the cameras, they could be damaged.	Umbrellas should always be taken with, as you can never be too sure about the unpredictable weather. Also the crew should be given hot coffee or tea, if they are cold. Also the crew should be dressed comfortably and so they are warm.	There should be information sheet sent to every crew member, with warnings like this, so they are prepared.

By: Simona Larka 9575

My Group and I.. (ASH'S GROUP)

My Preliminary task group consisted of Kyle, Amanda, Latasha and myself.

How did I contribute?

My particular contribution was firstly to create the story board for the script. I did this by using Paint tool on a computer. This allowed the group to visualise what we will be filming.

Secondly, i contributed to the filming of the task. I placed the camera in the appropriate positions.

And lastly, i contributed by being vocal and organising the characters and shots.

What did I find from doing the preliminary task?

Firstly i found that even a very simple scene takes up many seconds. Prior to filming I believed the film would be less than 30 seconds long but in fact it turned out to be just under a minute. I found this surprising as the there is not much to the narrative of the film.

Secondly, I found that when filming different shots you really have to think about if it would make sense to the viewer. We had to focus hard on creating a flow to the film. We strung shots together and cut them precisely to make it as clear as possible.

Lastly, the preliminary tasks allowed me to practice overall filming skills. It allowed me to further my knowledge of the 360 degree rule. Also, it allowed me to futrther familiarise my self with the camera and its functions.

By Ash Khan

ANALYSIS OF EACH SHOT (ASH'S GROUP)

The first shot. Latash walks into the shot from the bottom left. and she walks towards the door. This is a wide shot which captures the setting first and then we are introduced to the character.

We cut to Amanda inside the classroom doing her work. The audience should be able to make the link and realise this is the classroom Latasha is about to walk into. It is from behind Amanda and is a wide shot. This is to capture the setting and also show where the character lies amongst it.

An over the shoulder shot looking down at Amanda and her work. This gives the feeling that we are a third party within the room, almost like a teacher.

Close up of Latasha opening the door. We wanted to emphasise the fact that she's entering a new room. The close up builds up tension.

A pan from Amanda to the door as Latasha enters and the camera continues to follow as she walks in. The effect of the panning is again to make the viewer feel like he or she is an invisible 3rd party in the room who is watching the events.

A wide, profile, two shot as Latasha sits down opposite Amanda. The height of the camera is now level with the two seated characters which makes the viewer feel he or she has sat down with them.

Over the shoulder shot looking at Latasha as she speaks. The shot is quite high again. The viewer again feels like the teacher who is looking down at them.

A close up of Amanda's face as she replies. The close up allows the audience to see her mood and emotions. Her facial expressions shows that she is clearly bored and not particularly exited. This tells the viewer that the work is hard and she does not really want to do it. However she must do it, so she continues working as soon as she finishes replying to Latasha.

Over the shoulder two shot of both character reading. Latasha asks Amanda a question. This shot is high up and looking down to once again show that the viewer is a 3rd party and perhaps a teacher. 

The final shot is a medium shot of Amanda replying to Latasha question. She gestures to were the work is. Again the shot further supports the feeling that the viewer is a teacher overlooking the events. 

By Ash Khan

ASH'S PRELIMINARY PRODUCTION EXERCISE

By Ash Khan

Planning Preliminary Task

SCRIPT FOR PRELIMINARY TASK (ASH'S GROUP)

(INT) The end of a school corridor. There is a door to a classroom.

-Latasha walks through the hallway. She stops at the door.
-Camera cuts to the character inside the classroom (Amanda). She is doing her work as a desk.
-Over the shoulder high shot over Amanda's left shoulder. The camera shows Amanda reading her work.
-Camera cuts back to Latasha opening the door. (close up) of door handle being pushed down.
-Camera cuts back to the classroom. Pan from Amander to the door, where Latasha walks in. Camera follows her as she walks towards Amanda.
-Profile two shot of the two character as Latashas sits down opposite Amanda.
-Close up on Latahsa face.
     LATASHA:                     You Al-right? What you been up to?
-Close up of Amanda face.
     AMANDA:                     Nothing Much. Just doing my work.

-Over the shoulder high shot from Amanda shoulders looking down at Latasha and the table.
    LATASHA:                   Do you know where i could get the sheets for the work from?

-High medium shot looking down at Amanda
    AMANDA:                    Oh it's over there

        --END--

Ash Khan

Preliminary Task Story Board (ASH'S GROUP)

 Latasha Walks Towards Door

 Amanda doing work in class

  

Over the shoulder of Amanda's work

Close up of Latasha opening door

Camera pans as Latasha enters and heads for seat

Two shot of both characters sitting down

Behind shoulder shot. Latasha speaks to Amanda

Close up of Amanda face as she replies

High shot, looking down. Latasha asks where the sheets for the class work is.

Amanda Replies

By Ash Khan

In our groups we were asked to create a short video for our preliminary task. The video had to include a character entering a room and talking to someone. The objective behind the preliminary task was to experiment with camera, lighting and to familiarise our selves with basic filming elements.

One important technique we were practising was the 180 degree rule.This allows the viewer to understand the scene more by making them feel like there present in the scene

The 180 degree rule is when two characters are in a room, facing each other and the camera or cameras only film from one side of the characters. 

So, if the two characters are facing each other, we should see Character A's right cheek and Character B's left cheek.

The line of vision is the imaginary line which the two characters are looking at each other through. If using the 180 degree rule then cameras will only be on one side of this imaginary line.

Going over the line is called Crossing the Line. 

By Ash Khan