Preliminary Task - Miss Miller

Preliminary Task 

The members in my group were; Myself, Sasha Walledge, Luca Khan and Ciara Ratican. The whole point of the preliminary task was for us all to get  used to using the equipment that we will be using to film our opening sequence and understand how they work by trying out different camera movements and different camera angles and shot. We had to film a short clip to show that we knew how to video different shots including; mid shot, over the shoulder shot, long shot, close up and panning. The clip did not have a certain time limit or duration it had to be but we just had to include all the different shots above to try and get used to them. We had to use a software called . With this software we uploaded the clip then edited it by adding sound affects, tense music and cutting clips to make sure it all flows and there are no bits that look like it was recorded in different takes. 

While we were recording for most shots we used a tri-pod to hold the camera as this maintained a steady image and also could be adjusted up and down to change the view of the camera shot and adjust it depending on the characters position and setting. We had to use different camera techniques such as; over the shoulder shot, mid shot, long shot, close up and panning. The mid shot framed waist level and up of the actors to show the surroundings and the setting of which the narrative is happening around. The over the shoulder shot is above the shoulder of a certain character so the audience can focus on the other character and feel as they are in the characters shoes as they are seeing things from their view. The long shot shows a larger object and shows more of the background which shows the audience the setting of the event taking place and can show certain actions clearer from a further away perspective. The close up shot shows a smaller part of the scene to emphasise on something and in this case it was the characters face to show her reaction so the audience has a clearer understanding of how they are feeling. Panning moves from side to side following a moving object so that the audience can see what is happening from a bigger perspective as they see it from different angles and follow the action through, such as; someone throwing a punch, from one side to the other. 

Me and my group improvised good narratives together as a team on the spot to match the different camera techniques taking place to make the audiences experience of watching the clip better and help them understand what is going on more. We achieved these results by deciding the correct camera technique for the correct action taking place and we also used the tripod for a steady image and adjusted the height so that the audience can see things from a clearer perspective for them. We as a team did not struggle with anything majorly seeming as it was our first time and we did not have long however if we could improve and had more time we would set a better narrative and think it through to make it more interesting. 

However, at first we struggled with getting to know the equipment properly and did not know how to perfectly adjust the camera height according to the shot we was taking to make sure it suits it very well. The hardest thing we done was the filming of the panning shots. We struggled a little with this shot as it was difficult to film it as it included movement of the camera where the camera was on the tripod for alternate shots. 
The fact that it was not on the tripod for the panning shot made it seem unsteady and unprofessional compared to our other shots. You can see this from the slight change in the height of the character in the frames. 
I think that if we had a better setting to record our preliminary task it would of made it better as it would be more interesting to the audience instead of a boring school hall. Furthermore, I think we could of made it better by having more characters as it would of created more of a story line and engaged the audience more as they would of seen more drama on stage instead of a narrative between two people. Moreover, next time for the different camera shots we can adjust the size of the tripod and lift the camera holder up or down a bit more to make the shot look better as this time we did not know how to adjust it properly to match the shot. I will also make sure next time i use the tripod for every shot to make sure it looks clean, professional and steady even if it is hard to set up for a certain shot.Watching my footage back with my group helped us realise and understand the mistakes we made which were not using the tripod in more of the scenes to make it a steady image at the correct height so that the positioning of the characters were better to make it more of a thrilling shot. 
The over the shoulder shot was also a little difficult as it was hard try and get both the people fitted and focused into one shot rather than two people in a shot. The person who the focus shouldn't of been on took up most of the shot which also made the frame look unprofessional and not planned properly.

There were many strengths of the equipment and also a few weaknesses. A positive about the equipment was the fact that it was extremely easy to set up and the camera was very easy to use. This meant that if our camera guy was not able to do a certain filming day, another group member could of easily took their places as the camera was very easy to work and easy to understand. Another strength of the equipment was the tripod. The tripod was very helpful as it helped keep the camera steady and had a huge affect as it made the scenes look so much neater and professional which would help our thriller become more successful. On the other hand, weaknesses of the equipment varied from the fact that the tripod was very big so heavy to carry round to the fact that it was hard to film certain shots such as panning shots. The panning shot was difficult with this equipment because it required movement of the camera and the tripod was very stiff and hard to move around which made the filming come out staggery and not smooth. The fact that the tripod was big and heavy also made it a weakness as it was harder to carry round from filming session to filming session. However, we had to take it round no matter the size of it as it took a vital part in our filming of the scenes and each frame.

During the editing stage we were aware of some mistakes we made. The main mistake was in some shots we did not check the framing properly because of the low key lighting, which meant there were some objects and things in the background we was not aware of that shouldn't of been there. The thing we would do differently next time would be to turn on the lights even if low key lighting is needed and make sure all background objects are out the way and out of the frame that will be filmed as it would waste time if we later on found some in the scenes when editing. You can see the mistake we made in the framing on the right as there is school chairs in the background of the over-the-shoulder shot.

This task helped me and my group prepare for filming our opening sequence as it helped us get used to the equipment and the different shots and angles we will need to film. From this task i learnt that the camera has to be on the tripod to keep the shot steady unless using an unsteady shot for effect. The camera needs to be kept still so that when filming, the camera isn't shaking around which would make the shot look messy and unprofessional. I also learnt that the shots have to be from a certain angle and a certain distance to create more of a thrilling affect which would entice the audience more into watching the sequence and give the film more conventions of a thriller. When filming our opening sequence for our own thriller we need to make sure to use the correct method of filming such as; handheld to create a jerky image or a tripod to create a steady image for the different shots depending on which one would make the experience of watching the film more thrilling for the audience and engage them more. However, we need to keep our team work and communication skills the same as it helped us in our filming because everybody got a say and no arguments or disagreements happened which helped us all work together well and come out with a well filmed and performed opening sequence for practice.