QUESTION 7:

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

What I've Learnt:

I learnt lots about the evaluation process such as the importance of teacher feedback and how to organise a film screening for audience members. 

I also learnt more since the preliminary task about working as part of a team, having meetings to discuss ideas and sharing work about the group, and I am very proud of how our group worked together!

The Main Task:

The preliminary task taught me how to create continuity in a film sequence, and make a simple narrative make sense to the audience. When the main task came along we had to think about much more than just making the film make sense.

The main task taught me about identifying and planning to appeal to a specific audience, as well as making the much more complex narrative sequence flow and make sense. 

As the preliminary task just took place in the foyer and one room of our schools media department, the planning surrounding the shoot was not overly complicated. However, when doing the main task we focused a lot on the planning of the location and the storyboard in detail as we aimed to have the sequence use every floor of the house and much of the surrounding area!

I also learnt more during the main shoots about the workings on a shoot and how important it is to get shots not from just any angle, but angles that will make sense in a continuous sequence.

Using the knowledge gained from the preliminary task we always had a master-shot for each area, and during the main shoots I learnt about the importance of master shots to establish the setting and context for the action in the scene. 

On top of this I realised the importance of keeping a shot log, and keeping any actors involved (especially if not part of the group) happy - something that was not really an issue during the preliminary task as the actors were both part of the group.

Even though we had encountered continuity errors in our preliminary sequence, I think the main thing I learnt in terms of the production during our main task is how important it is that the actors do EXACTLY the same thing in each angle or take of the same shot – one wrong placement of a hand and it can all go wrong!

To see what I mean watch our 'Behind the Scenes' exclusive video which I edited:

To see where we went wrong watch this Exclusive 'Errors' video - highlighting all the hidden mistakes...

The Preliminary Task:

Preliminary Brief: To create a continuity sequence of a conversation between 2 people, including within it the use of shot-reverse-shot, and all the rules of continuity, (e.g. 180 degree rule.)

The preliminary task focused us on creating a continuous real-time sequence that made sense to someone watching it.