Evaluation of Preliminary task

When planning our preliminary task we used open office to write a script so that our actors would know what they need to say and so that the stage directions would aid them in how we wanted them to act out the scene. We created a storyboard template on open office to fill out by hand, I chose to draw my storyboard by hand because I knew that this would make it easier to make any changes if we decided to as a group. We emailed a teacher within school to check if we were able to use the drama room to film or preliminary task as we thought that this would be a good setting for our scene. To learn about different filming types which were 180 degree rule, shot reverse shot and match on action, I made a Prezi which contained examples and explanations of the different filming types.

We filmed our preliminary task on my iPod as it is a 5^th gen and has a good quality camera which I found very easy to film on. I used the imovie app on my ipod touch for the first draft of the video as this meant that I could have a go at seeing how the final product would look without having to export all of the videos. This draft took a few hours to edit and when I showed my group they were all happy with the overall quality. We then exported the video as a high definition video and put it onto the mac ready to add finishing touches to the video. When editing the video for the second time round we added in our logo which we had created on photoshop to the beginning of the video and made adjustments to some cuts between shots as the time between Bobbie talking and then switching to Kayleigh was too long. We felt as a group that the Film required music to make it more intense, I found a song on my ipod which is called 'Can't Complain' by Shere Khan. We liked how this song fitted in with the mood of the scene and decided to make our own song on GarageBand which had a similar feel to it. After exporting our project we used iDVD to burn our preliminary task onto a disc. To put the task onto blogger we had to upload it to YouTube.

As a group we were very pleased with our overall product, the quality of the filming and editing was a high standard and we used the three different shots well. I think that the scene effectively communicates the storyline and is easy for the viewer to watch and take in. One change which I would like to make if we had the chance to do it again would be to include another shot of Bonnie entering the room ans some people felt that we did not establish who she was as a character.

We made a script and made sure that all of our actors were very familiar with their lines so that when it came to filming we would be able to concentrate on small details rather than showing the actors what they were doing. The stage directions which we used were helpful because it gave the actors an idea of what the scene would be like before even entering the space where we were filming the action. Kayleigh and Bobbie, who were the main characters, are both A level drama students who are passionate about acting and we knew that as a group using them would mean that we would have a dedicated group of people who would be able to execute the scene with professionalism and really get into character.

The shots which we used were planned very carefully and we always made sure that whilst we were filming we were considering how the end product would look. As well as following the planned shots on our storyboard we filmed a couple of the shots from different angles so that when it came to editing the project we would be able to see which angle looked better and would help the scene flow.

For the initial edit of our video it took me a couple of hours on my iPod however this was certainly not the final product. When we went back as a group editing it together on iMovie and creating the music on GarageBand we spent about three lessons which works out as about three hours on top, we probably could have edited it within less time but we wanted to take our time and end up with a product which we were all happy with.

When we chose our filming space we initially went to the room at a lunch time to see how much space we would have and whether we would be able to use the angles and shots which we were planning. When it came to filming Emily and I went up to the room earlier to tidy up a bit and clear up the room. There were cables lying around and unnecessary chairs which we cleared from the room before we started filming to make sure that nobody would trip and hurt themselves. We chose to use a lamp within our project to make the lighting seem more moody and as a result of this we had a wire going from the lamp on the table to a plug socket in the wall. We plugged it in behind the table so that it was not in an area which anyone would need to walk in and we made sure that everyone who was helping was warned about this cable to avoid any disasters. This solution was adequate for our needs at the time, a solution would have been to use an extension cable which could have been taped to the floor however, with the time that we had and the precautions that we took our solution was enough.

We showed our film to our classmates and received feedback from them. The main points which came across and very good were the music and the content of our task. Our audience were able to clearly tell what was happening within our story and the dialogue was at a good volume in comparison to the background music. The only improvement which we were told was to perhaps include an establishing shot before the close-up of Bonnie's eyes as this would have given the audience a better idea of where she was in the room.