Question 7 – Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you think you

have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Shots used in the preliminary task

PAN

OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT

ACTION MATCH

How good were the skills displayed in the shots?⦿ Action match – This skill was used to great effect within the

preliminary task, the transition is not awkward and correctly frames the door on both sides and also establishes continuity. Overall it was well performed.

⦿ Pan – this skill is used in order to change the attention of the viewer to the conversation about to take place, without a necessity for a new shot. It helps to continue the flow of the clip successfully.

⦿ Over the shoulder shot – this is used twice, and perfectly simulates a real interview for the audience, changing their attention rapidly and also presenting them with the point of view of one of the characters.

Comparison of shot and camera skill ⦿ Within our production, we used different skills which we thought matched

our production greater; such as the tilt rather than extensive use of the panning skill. The tilting skill was used to great effect in a slow reveal of the main character’s body as he walks down a corridor.

⦿ Rather than use the action match, we thought it better to instead show only one side of a room entry, in order to create a sense of distance from a protagonist who the audience are supposed to struggle to associate with due to his troubled life.

⦿ The over the shoulder shot was utilised in an unconventional way, combined with a high angle shot that keeps distance from the protagonist – as his face is not showing – used in a wholly different way to in the preliminary task, but to just as good, if not better, effect. This also differs from the use in the preliminary task, whereby it connotes the concern of the two proactive teachers. Instead within our production, the over the shoulder shot into the fridge connotes the minutiae which forms a large part of the protagonist’s life. This is then mirrored in the over the shoulder shot of him washing his hands.The high angle may also connote the distance he feels from his responsibilities.

Cont.

⦿ The track forward and tilt up was used to good effect also, with a multitude of connotations - such as a rising of hope when the protagonist has contact with the outside world; achieving a small sense of freedom outdoors. This differs from the pan in the preliminary, which connotes seriousness due to the slow camera movement, and also a sense of apprehension as the staff discuss the serious topic of child welfare.

⦿ It could perhaps be argued that our limited use of camera movement within our preliminary task meant that we did not fully explore our camera skills; and this in turn might have lead to a general lack of camera movement in our final production. However it is also important to note that this style of filming can be considered part of our auteur signature, allowing the audience to focus on the more serious content within the shots. Therefore it may not have had a negative impact, but we should have looked to expand our skills regarding camera movement.

Lighting

Within our production we adapted the use of lighting from the preliminary task. Within the preliminary, we attempted to use high key lighting to denote the severity of the situation and the formal setting between two colleagues; yet we may have failed somewhat and instead the clip has a ‘yellowish’ tone to it. This is a point of improvement, and therefore we have re-fimed our preliminary task. However, the low key lighting approach we took to our production was very effective in displaying the sombre nature of the narrative and the bleak outlook on life the man has. This also relates to the income bracket the audience view the man to be in, as the images display also a dilapidated house to match. Therefore, we learnt from the effect appropriate use of lighting can have from the preliminary task, and have applied this very well to the production. Overall, the choice of lighting within the film is a particular strength.

Sound⦿ Although the dialogue heard in the preliminary task was acceptable, it is noticeably

improved within the main production. This may stem from the use of a ‘rhode’ microphone within the final production to pick up a crisper sound, as well as removal of background noises. Moreover, within the preliminary task there was very limited use of sound effects, and in the main production this is also improved. Sound effects such as the wood hitting the fire or the ‘chink’ of a bottle have a great affect on the final production, making it seem more professional due to a greater attention to detail and improved realism.

⦿ Our choice to go without dialogue actually benefitted the use of sound whilst filming, as although there were no voices to pick up this allowed us to explore the greater connotations of sound, in order to display his loneliness and isolation.

⦿ Within the production, the diegetic sound of the fire burning was used to good effect, providing connotations such as the destruction of the protagonist’s life or past. Furthermore the diegetic sound of the wood hitting the fire strikes a resonant tone, that connotes raw emotion - perhaps anger or a wish for vengeance.

Angles - a specific example

The low angle of this shot connotes that the man is ironically king only in his own house, and mocks the character - this is a representation that the sophisticated audience will wish to challenge.

We failed to utilise angles within the preliminary task, something that we greatly improved on in our use of the low and high angle shots within our production. We could have however used this to great effect in order to connote pressure on one individual teacher of both, which matches the context of the situation.

This improved greatly from preliminary to our main task, as we learned to use props more extensively. This can be seen with the beer can, cards, as well as the enigma regarding the spade and digging scene. This added extra dimensions to our character that was lacking in the preliminary task.

Also, we gave our actor a much larger length of time to learn the intricacies of character -despite the lack of dialogue - and we were able to hold detailed discussions on how we wanted his overall performance to look. Our communication skills with our actor developed greatly in the transition from preliminary to main task.

Final cut was the chosen editing programme for both tasks, and the preliminary gave us an opportunity to explore the use of the blade tool. However we did not take an extensive look at the programme, and this is something that progressed as we edited our movie, learning to lessen opacity or colour correct for example.

We also learned about framing of shots - we failed to ensure that the staff were in center if shot in the preliminary. This detracted from the viewers understanding f the scene, and is also something that we learnt to improve on, focussing the attention of the audience on important props and the performance of the character rather than background.

Organisational skills did also improve, as we learnt from the preliminary that actors must be kept to strict schedules and also expected to perform professionally - we struggle with professionalism at times during the filming of our preliminary. However this was also made easier by having a sole actor in the main production.

Use of Resources and lessons