Evaluation question 7

Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Preliminary brief
Film and edit a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character. It had to feature a couple of lines of dialogue then must exchanged between characters and match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule should be demonstrated.

Main task
The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes (all video and audio material must be original, produced by candidates, with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source)
The main task brief was then going to be much more detailed to me and everyone in whom we knew that it was going to be a lot more work and effort which meant dedicating more of my own time. Also more team work because it was a bigger task compared to the preliminary task as it needed more planning and thinking.

Pre-production
Pre-production is where the initial ideas where drafted as a group in both the main and the preliminary task.

Prelim task
On the prelim task we had to plan thoroughly on a short story that we can create in ;less than 2 minutes We also planned drafting our storyboards, treatment, location, cast, etc so therefore for our storyboard we have produced an idea where someone is running late for school and sits then he realises that school had finished, This story that w had to produce for the prelim task had to be simple and easy to understand this was temporal a first draft to understand the concept of taking shots, organising the location Reece which we booked a history room in the media block, we didn’t come across any situation while booking the room since it was free after that school that day. However the main problem for this prelim task was to get the cast for our group because many students didn’t want to be in the film and also was very shy to act or perform in our short clip however throughout the whole persuasion from the people I knew I manage t get the casts ready and start recording our shots. We had to follow our story board properly and also follow the concept of our script making sure opur cast will understand what to do and perform in the short clip, Therefore it did took a lot of time consuming since we didn’t have a dress rehearsal for this prelim task.

Overall I have learnt that they main key to be successful of pre-production for the prelim task is to plan thoroughly and also try and persuade people to volunteer and help us to perform for our short story since our main weakness for this aspect of prelim task was to gather the cast in the future I have to try and persuade as many people I can around the school just to make sure I am fully prepare to start and also make sure they understand what to perform since there wasn’t any dress rehearsal at that time being.

Main task

In our main task the location was vital to us as without it we wouldn’t have a location to film on. As you know in the prelim task it was very simple to gather the location however for our main task it was one of the biggest problem I had to encounter. we had 2 locations that were all reserved for us with consent everything and because of the dates we had to film and the availability of the location our location was no longer available. We then solved this by using the media department’s production room and turned it into a girl’s bedroom, we had to bring props such as posters, mattresses,teddy bears you name it everything that includes into a girls bedroom and this was a lot of hard work to produce but at the end we manage to accomplish what we encountered and made it look exactly like a girls bedroom. The idea of our story was fairly straight forward. As compared to the main task we drafted it 3 times in total as our group had to keep changing the idea of our opening sequence due to the availability of our location. The shooting schedule for our preliminary task we didn’t pay enough attention to as this could of cost us , as on the day of filming it was used as extra back up for the order of the shots. When it came to the main task we made sure that the shooting schedule was photocopied alongside the storyboard as it was more quicker than having to go back and forth and what the shot had to be consisted of as the storyboard was photocopied we couldn’t really see the words properly the shooting schedule helped since we learnt this aspect in the prelim task. Also the cast for our main task wasn’t a big problem as you know in our prelim getting the cast was a major problem because in that time we didn’t quite now everyone in our school so as time went by it was very easy for so to organise the cast and give them the information and the deadlines they have to come and start the shooting schedule. The props usually had to cost us such as posters,magazines,make-up tools ect but the rest was usually brought at home or used from the school props room such as the matresses,bed sheets, mirror ,wardrobes ect.when it came to the preliminary task our initial decision was to get our friends to help us in filming. As we found that would be much easier for us to work with people that bring out the best in us when it came to filming.

Production

The production stage is the day of filming in both the preliminary task and the main task.

Prelim task

For our prelim task is was very crucial to check if everything was ready to start recording without any distruption.The equipment was a main problem for the production processing as we had to replace our tripod three times which caused a lot of time consuming and frustration but we managed to get a tripod that actually worked and didn’t have any errors at all. While filming our prelim task we had to take various of reshoots over and over again according to our story board so therefore we had to move the camera around and it was very difficult to accomplish that because there were many table and chairs in the way so therefore we solved this problem by moving these objects and made space for the camera because we was warned that if the camera was damaged then we had to pay a fine. Also the main techniques we learnt according to our prelim task was to produce cut away shots and this was very easy to understand due to the practise we had from before using the camera but it did took a lot of time due to the various shots that was used for example the panning shot as our cast tom was running up the stairs and also cut always shot when tom opens the door, we had to be very accurate and make sure it doesn’t look very weird the way the shot has cut out. The timing was very crucial as we had to finish at a certain time after school but we managed to complete our filming in the matter of 2-3 hours which was very long and difficult to finish but still manage to accomplish our prelim task.
Overall the main key that have learnt while producing the production for my prelim task is to make sure that before filming that the equipment is not damaged for example the tripod had to replace several times so therefore before filming I have to check if all the equipments was working properly just in case of any replacement. Also I have to make sure that time wasn’t wasted at all for example where I had to take different shots that was needed so therefore I have to follow the shots according to my story board.

Main task

In the main task it was easier for us to prepare our self and make sure there aren’t any errors that may occur while recording. The weather wasn’t a problem because it was dry and windy however if it was rainy then it would be a big problem since it would damage the camera and also the tripod which then again would be a risk of us paying the fine, but luckily the weather was fine to take the shot. With the equipment there was no problem at all since for the main task we had to be ready in 7:30 in the morning just to prepare all the equipment and make sure that the equipment works properly and nothing is broken such as the tri[pod since it was one equipment that was a big problem in that time being. Because we learnt this lesson in the preliminary task we made sure that when it came to the day of filming that we would go the Stuart (our supervisor) that equipment such as tripod and camera where all ready to be used. we filmed in the morning for the whole day in a room where there was no sound projected. For extra back up we put a sign on the door saying that we were filming and that they should not disturb us. By doing this there were no interruptions because we had this experience from the preliminary tasked which had helped us an awful lot. Also gave us time to show our cast what to perform but this was a disadvantage because we never had the time to do a dress rehearsal due to the problem we had with the location Reece so therefore it was time consuming at first but still manage to finish the production on time without any rushes at all.
Overall the main key feature that I have learnt is to always prepare yourself before recording meaning that all the equipments are ready to be set and all the equipment are efficient to be used for filming.

Post Production and feedback

After when the filming was complete we then had to edit which is called the post production using adobe premiere. Receiving feedback throughout the whole project is really important to keep improving it and finding out if it attracts the audience particularly in the main task .

Prelim task

For the preliminary task, we didn't have to consider the target audience or any character profiles as it was constructed for media students’ learning experience to see how we handle our first media production. Therefore it taught me the technical side of how to structure the filming prospect of an opening sequence. We only got feedbacks from our teachers and also our fellow class mates that gave us their opinion of the prelim task to be honest this was a great sample that taught us of how we could improve next time, they said that the film was very accurate due to the cut off shot s and also they did say that shots was kind of blurry but still according to the other shots it was very creative and well structured in its format. For the editing process we had to keep as many shots we took and choose the best one we learnt the concept of how to use adobe premier and edit our filming including the title credits and also music this helped us to prepare our self for the main task. So therefore as we produced our prelim task we uploaded them onto YouTube so it will allows us to embed them into our blogs and also gain more feedback from different viewers around the world.

Overall the main key feature that I have learnt for the post production and feedback is to always gain feedback from everyone to get a clear vision of how to improve your filming making it more creative and interesting for the viewers and also learnt the editing process with the tools that can make my film look magnificent.

Main task

The feedbacks that our group had for the main task were that we should change the music as our previous music was too depressing. We then took this constructive criticism on board and changed it to a more vibrant vibe it gives as at the end of the day feedback is used to help us make our film better. We also gathered positive feedback from our class mate which they were very impressed with our work but the main problem was the music that it didn’t fit the prospects of our opening sequence so therefore with all the feedback and opinions we had to decide what music will be suitable for our film. In our preliminary task also in editing we found that saving our work was vital in which we knew that adobe premiere wasn’t reliable as we were told before editing. At the end of every editing session the save button was used a numerous amount of times as when it came to the main task we used the same method. What we did was we would click ‘save as’ then the number 1 next to it as then we would save multiple copies and this then we could easily just go back if any problems would encounter. It was much easier for us to do it this way as then we could explore different type of shots and play around with different effects in picking the best and more effective shots for our film. The time corporation was very crucial and was very simplistic to organise all our best shots in the editing process so therefore we would include interesting shots that the audience would admire of watching.

Conclusion

Overall, I learnt over the two projects that working with different people is always a good thing as you get the chance to work with people who have another perspective and differences can bring together a wonderful product in which will highlight hopefully in both our projects. I also learnt in the main task that making sure that you always have more shots than you need to use that when editing you have a range of shots to choose from. In addition the most important lesson that all of us learnt that planning is the most important aspect of any film, because without planning you will struggle in the film industry for example for our prelim task we didn’t plan the performance so therefore it was time consuming and did lea to a lot of frustration for our crew member. As we planned in both sequences overall I think that both of our sequences were very detailed and exceeded the main objectives.