Prelim activity

The Brief: 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. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180° rule.


 1) Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

 My group included Matt, Ellie, Georgie and myself. When deciding the roles, we considered previous experience as well as strengths and weaknesses. Despite our seemingly limiting roles, all four group members contributed to the sequence. I personally believe that I was responsible for the majority of the narrative and also had a large part in camera positioning as well as continuity techniques.
Georgie and I took equal responsibility while editing the sequence.

Matt Romo- Director and Cameraman
Matt has had much experience as an actor and wanted to take this opportunity to better his directing and camera-work skills.

Ellie Brackpool- Assistant director, sound and lighting technician
Ellie is experienced in both the acting and production sides of Media. Despite being given the role as 'Assistant' Director, she was highly influential with regards to shot types and framing.

Georgie Thoupos- Actress
As Georgie did not take GCSE Media, she has little experience with cameras and we therefore decided to ease her into the subject by acting. Nevertheless, she did take a few shots when not if frame, including the Tarentino-esque finale, in order to gain some more experience behind the camera.

Me- Actor
In previous projects, I have directed and therefore wanted to give others the chance. Therefore, I took the role of the Interrogator.

2) How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?

Planning was quite possible the weakest aspect of our shoot. We mapped out the beginning of our sequence using a storyboard, but were unable to finish due to poor organisation. I personally wrote a script which was altered on set. Location was also a problem as our first-choice setting was unable for use as permissions were not granted. Instead, we shot our sequence in the Media block which was far from ideal as around 20 chairs had to be moved. Props were the only part of planning that was done effectively. I brought in my costume and we got a gun from the arsenal owned by Media.

The overriding theory throughout our sequence was continuity. We adhered to continuity conventions by including and following:

• Match on action (shots 2 & 3, 10-13, 17 & 18)
• Shot reverse Shot (shots )
• The 180 and 30 degree rules (throughout)
• Eyeline Match (shot 27)
• Cross cutting (shots 1-10)
• Diegetic Sound (shot 11)

By using continuity techniques, we encourage the audience to suspend their disbelief. The diegetic sound and match-on-action in shots 17 & 18 were particularly effective. The diegetic sound gave the audience the opportunity to see the girl's reaction without breaking continuity. I also feel that shots 17 & 18 display seamless match-on-action, contributing greatly to continuity.

3) What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?

On set, we used a Canon HV30 camera, a shotgun microphone, Mini DV Tape and Sennheiser HD 201 headphones. 

• Canon HV30- Used to record the film.
• A shotgun microphone- Used to record sound in line with the mic.
• Sennheiser HD 2013 headphones- Used by the Sound technician to check the quality of sound,
• Mini DV Tape- The tap on which the sequence was stored.

Adobe Premiere Pro was used to edit the sequence. We used tools and techniques such as:
In and Out points, the razor tool, two track editing and unlinking sound and video.

4) What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

Planning-
We took into account location, permissions, the script, a storyboard, permissions and exterior sound.
Shooting-
We took into account sound quality, narrative flow, character development, continuity techniques (especially the 180 and 30 degree rules), back-up shots, varied shot types.
Editing-
We took into account effective cross-cutting, match on action and diegetic sound.

5) How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and in hindsight, what
would you improve/ do differently?

Our sequence followed the brief successfully, as one character walked through a door, sat down and exchanged dialogue. The only problem was that our script and dialogue included more than 'a couple of lines'.
From a continuity standpoint, our sequence is excellent:

• We included several match-on actions which flowed seamlessly.
• The cross-cut opening helps develop characters, displaying a more vulnerable side to both characters.
• The diegetic sound used in the cutaway shot when opening the door prevented discontinuity.
• The shot reverse shot effectively displayed character reaction.

In hindsight, I would have organised location earlier and ensured a first-choice setting was booked. In addition, I would create both a storyboard and shot list to increase efficiency on set and minimise improvisation. The storyboard would have allowed us to spot a mistake in our sequence (a shot had to be cut from the sequence), which would have improved the narrative. A master shot may also have improved continuity.

6) What have you learnt from completing the task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?

This task has taught me to appreciate the lengths filmmakers go to in order to create continuity. The 180 degree rule especially has interested me due to it's subtle yet vital effect on scenes. I am now aware of the importance of pre-production, specifically organisation and a storyboard. When completing the rest of my coursework, I will implement all of the continuity techniques I have learnt as well as focusing more on pre-production and planning.