1) Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?
Group 1E consists of Frank (me), James, Narishma and Olivia. Me and James were the actors in the sequence, while Narishma was the director and Olivia was on camera and sound. Prior to shooting, much of the preparation work was done by Narishma and me. Narishma organised everything and took notes, whilst I was the one who drew the storyboard. James and Olivia pitched in with ideas. During editing, we all did approximately a quarter of editing each, with the others chipping in during the process. In preparation for this evaluation, James created the shot list, Narishma typed up the shooting schedule, Olivia typed up the script and I scanned in the storyboards and checklist.
From left to right: James, the baby, Olivia, Narishma, Me (Frank)
2) How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you take into account?
We planned our sequence initially by discussing and brainstorming ideas for the plot we wanted in our group, while I drew our planned shots into our storyboard, which consisted of pink post-its on paper. We used the post-its so that we could move around our storyboard in case we changed our minds about the shot order. Then when we finalised our storyboard, I redrew the post its onto a proper storyboard.
During shooting, we also used a shooting schedule to organise our time accordingly, so that we did all related shots together, for example, all the indoor shots in the same area together so as to save time. Doing this ensured that we finished within the hour we had to shoot the sequence.
We also applied Todorov's theory of equilibrium to our sequence.
Initial Equilibrium -> Disruption -> Disequilibrium -> Final Equilibrium Man inside alone with baby toy -> Arrival of second guy -> Second guy arrives too late -> First man upset.
Shot reverse shot and 180 rule
However, the theory we focused on the most was the theory of continuity editing, since that was the basis of our sequence, to create a short sequence that complied with the rules of continuity. The main facets of continuity we followed were the 180 degree rule, where we made sure that we didn't go over the invisible line between actors, so as to ensure that the audience wouldn't get confused by a sudden jump in perspective.
Match on action
Additionally, we also employed quite a lot of match-on-action to create a seamless feel, to make it smooth and flow properly. Match-on-action is where action from the previous shot matches what happens in the next shot, so the sequence appears to be in real time. For example, opening a door, you would cut from someone starting to push the door, to a close up of the hand on the door handle and then cut to the door opening from the other side. We also tried to stick to the 30 degree rule, where every cut has to move the camera more than 30 degrees, otherwise the audiences experiences a slight jump in angle, which feels strange and can often confuse the audience. Finally, we applied a shot-reverse shot in our sequence, to exaggerate the awkward silence and also make sure that it flowed well. The consistent cuts ensured that the audience understood what was happening, that the silence was in the same time period and that we hadn't progressed in the narrative yet.
3) What technology did you use to complete the task and how did you use it?
Shooting the outdoor scene
with camera and shotgun mic
We used a standard video camera on a tripod to film the sequence, but for this task, we also were given a shotgun microphone attachment to use as well. With the shotgun mic, we had 3 settings, but only used two of them, the shotgun setting and the ambient 1 setting. The shotgun setting is supposed to be used for interviews or things directly in front of the camera whereas the ambient 1 setting turns on the mic on the back of the attachment to pick up more of the background sounds. We used this function to create the ambience of a school, using the ambient setting when shooting outside to pick up the background noise. This background noise was cut out by the doors so there wasn't any noise when shooting indoors. Unfortunately, the shotgun mic also recorded the quietest sounds there, so it picked up another group speaking next door and a lot of static as well, so our sequence is riddled with static.
Our editing station
In addition to the camera equipment, we also worked with Adobe Premiere Pro CS3, the editing software of choice. With this, we used several tools, mainly the razor tool. Razor cuts up a film clip into two seperate clips where you click. This is used when you want to remove unneeded bits of video, for example, removing all other takes of a sequence except the one you want. Using the razor tool, we were able to precisely cut our sequence so it matched up exactly as we wanted it to, which required liberal use of the zoom tool and a lot of discussion between the group about what looked best. As we were able to match each shot to each other, we were able to create match-on-action, which was crucial for the continuity of our sequence.
4) What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
All in all, we had 3 hours to do this task. 1 to plan, one to shoot and one to edit. In that time, we had to create an entire sequence and edit it to make it flow properly and correctly. So time was one of our biggest problems. Before shooting we had to use our shooting schedule to make sure that we saved as much time as possible so that if anything went wrong, we could redo the shot. We also had to plan ahead for human memory. Originally we were going to use a stuffed bear as the prop instead of the doll, but the person who was meant to bring it in forgot. We had planned beforehand to use the doll instead, so we didn't hit too big a roadblock. In addition, we had planned to have the room in darkness, and then James would turn the light on, but we eventually decided that this would complicate matters and make the editing process much more complicated. It would also mean that we would have to play with the lighting, since the room would have been too dark otherwise, so in the end, we decided to forgo this.
The offending Media block. From our establishing shot.
During shooting, we had to take into consideration several things. Firstly, since we were filming in a school, we had to make sure that we didn't get any random students in the background. As it happened, we started filming just as the bell went, so there was a large influx of students walking to their classes. Luckily, there were relatively few around the Media block so the problem passed fairly quickly. However, a more significant problem was the sound. As mentioned earlier, the shotgun mic was quite possibly too effective. We picked up a lot of static and another group speaking in the room behind us. We decided to let it go, seeing as "it's a school, there's supposed to be noise". With regards to the shooting, we had to ensure that continuity was kept in mind. When doing each take, I had to make sure that I turned around at the same speed, that I said my lines at the right time. James had to keep his walking consistent and his facial expressions as bemused as the last. That way we ensured that the continuity remained as it should be.
The only factors during editing were time and continuity, which we didn't have much of a problem with, we just got on with it. There was a slight discrepancy when I was turning around, as we had cut between two shots where the 30 degree rule was broken, leading to a slight jump in perspective. We all thought it looked a bit peculiar, but no one could put their finger on it. That was quickly solved by intervention from our teacher. We removed a clip and re-edited it and the end result flowed much better than it did initially.
5) How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?
I believe that our sequence fulfilled the terms of the brief successfully, as we had several techniques of continuity and completed all the actions to do. We have a match-on-action, a character opening a door, sitting down and having a conversation with another character. We have also followed the 180 and 30 degree rules, ensuring that the audience never loses track of the narrative flow.
Whoops. We broke the fourth wall
In addition, we have also successfully applied our genre, which was comedy, to the sequence. This is made as such by the stroking of the doll, the awkward silence, which is amplified by the sudden cut to the doll's face and the abruptness of the crying. The silence builds up the tension, as well as the expression on the scarfed character's face implying that he's getting more and more irritated. You expect an explosion of anger, as opposed to bursting out crying. To top it off, at the end of the sequence, we break the fourth wall when James looks at the camera with a bemused expression.
However, our sequence isn't good either. Given the time to go back and revisit it, we would have done several things differently. Sound is a significant issue. As mentioned before, the sequence was absolutely full of static. If we had time to remove the soundtracks of each clip and record our voices on a professional microphone to remove the static. If a microphone was out of the question, I could have run the sound clip through a filter on Audacity (a music editing program) to remove the static.
Whoops.
We dun goofed
We also have a slight jump cut at about 0:41 in the sequence, which is caused by an audio jump and a breaking of the 30 degree rule. This disorientates the audience and it breaks them out of the narrative. Since we were running short on time, what might have been okay isn't, since the audio jumps and the shots jump as well. We matched the action, but the audience is still disorientated. This is where we messed up during filming. We didn't get enough shots of me swivelling around in the chair and the ones we did have had me doing different things. In one of them, I just leaned down and cried, but on the other I was rocking back and forth. So if we could redo this, we would have made sure that all our shots had enough takes and also made sure they matched action properly so that our sequence flowed perfectly.
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?
By doing this task and successfully completing it, I have learned several new things. I have learned that during the planning, shooting and editing processes, it is always important to plan ahead to prevent potential disasters and also consider continuity, because the loss of continuity means the loss of audience comprehension and understanding and quite possibly interest. We must always apply these continuity rules, lest our sequence be a failure.
Also, I have learned the specific manner in which we must progress prior to filming. We must check sound and camera, only filming when there are no problems with either. In case of a problem, we cannot continue filming, since we would damage either the equipment or the quality of the final sequence.
During this exercise, I have also learned that the key to a sequence is simplicity. Many students will, on their first attempts, try to create the flashiest sequence possible, to show off their talents and skills. Doing so could very well result in a very high quality, entertaining sequence, but most of the time just means more work and more complications. Time is precious during a shoot. It can't be wasted messing around trying to get the perfect shot angle, or getting that one object to fall exactly right. By keeping it simple, we reduce the time needed for each shot, we reduce the strain on resources and we make our jobs much much easier. Simplicity also helps in the planning stages, as the simpler the ideas, the more you can brainstorm during the initial phase, meaning you have more options to try out, so if one idea turns out to be a dead end, you can try another.
Thus, what I have learned will be important to future tasks as it will have helped me with my organisational and planning skills, so that come a significant project, I'll have no problem brainstorming and planning time. All these skills will result in a high quality, entertaining sequence that never breaks continuity.
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