Group: Preliminary task

Preliminary task brief:
Our task was to create a section of film which demonstrated our abilities and skills in certain areas of filming and editing. The four required aspects were:

• Include the opening a door 
• Include at least 2 lines of dialogue 
• Editing with continuity 
• Adhering to the 180 degree rule 

What did you learn about filming? What are your best shots? What difficulties did you encounter?

• We learnt that it is always best to do multiple takes of one shot, so that you have more leeway when editing in terms of continuity and other factors.
• We experienced first hand how long it can take to film a simple sequence, which will be a useful aspect to understand when filming our final opening.
• I feel the handicam shots, particularly from below the bridge and behind the fence, were really successful, as they create the feeling that our protagonist is being watched.
• Another one of our best shots in this task is the final shot, a low angle shot of mysterious feet walking into view behind our protagonist. This was successful as it creates enigma, as this is the first other person we have seen in this sequence.
• We encountered many difficulties with sound when filming this sequence. We filmed the corridor scene while classes were taking place, which meant that there was some background noise of talking when ideally the scene would have been silent other than the protagonists dialogue. The noise of traffic was also very loud during some of the outside shots, which did not fit with the atmosphere we were attempting to create with this task.

What did you learn about editing? What did you do in post-production that was successful?

• Neither of us had used Adobe Premiere before, so this exercise helped us to gain experience and understanding of the software.
• We learnt about the important of precision in continuity editing. In some cases, trimming a clip by a fraction of a second could be the difference between a transition looking smooth, and it looking out of sync.
• I feel that we achieved this very well, particularly in the opening, where we have six different shots within the first 13 seconds, edited together with a reasonably fast cutting rate.
• We also slightly slowed the speed of the footage in the corridor scene when the light is turning on. This is because the actual light turned on very fast, which didn't compliment the slow, tense atmosphere we were aiming to create.

Evaluate your production. What are the strengths and weaknesses? What tips would you therefore give yourself for the opening sequence production?

• I feel that our main strengths in the opening were our use of a diverse range of inventive shots and angles, which not only demonstrated our camera skills but created a professional-looking piece.
• I also feel that the continuity within our piece is of a good standard, meaning that both our filming and editing was efficient and thought-out.
• The main weakness within our preliminary task was definitely the issues with sound and background noise.
• Therefore we can improve in our next project by filming in secluded locations and away from roads.
• We may also consider using a boom mic for our final piece, so that our dialogue is clear and background noise is reduced.