Preliminary Assessment (Hollie's evaluation)

Use of the Camera


Our finished work shows that we can hold a shot steady, however, there were a few occasions where the filming was slightly unsteady. We managed to overcome this problem in the editing process, where we could cut unprofessional looking bits of filming, out of the scene. We were also able to frame a shot appropriately. This was done by making the grid visible on the camera when filming so that we could  make sure that we had a suitable amount of head and lead room.
We used a large variety of shot types, including medium shot, long shot, over the shoulder shot, point of view shots and close-ups. Long shots are used to show the setting, it is also known as an establishing shot. We used close-ups to show detail. We also used various angles such as a canted angle, this suggests to the audience that something is wrong and unusual.
Our preliminary exercise shows that we used composition techniques effectively. These techniques are things such as the rule of thirds so that the character is always in the golden mean. We also made sure that when filming we did not cross the 180 degree line so as not to confuse the audience into wondering where they are.

Use of Editing

Our finished work shows that we can apply the rules of continuity editing well so that the shots flow together. We also used the filming process to help us with this, by always filming a little extra than we needed so that it would be easier to cut. We also made sure that the character's clothing, location and the props were the same in every shot so that there were no continuity errors. There was one continuity error in our finished film, this being when the character is walking back towards the wall and the next shot is of the character leaning against the wall. You never see the character actually approach the wall so the clip looks like it has jumped.

Selection of Content

In our film, the costumer was appropriate as we wanted the character to look like they were in normal, everyday clothing. We only used one prop which was the mysterious neckalace, it played a big part in the scene.

The location we chose was suitable for our opening sequence, mainly due to the fact it was the exact same location used in the previous film that we were re-shooting. The location was also good as it was quiet so we didn't have many disturbances and it also made it seem quite eirey.

We planned a specific actor who we thought would be suitable for the sequence we was re-shooting, however they did not turn up so we made a last minute group decision for Lewis to act instead. I believe that it turned out well in the end.

Self-assessment

I played an equal part in every aspect of making the film, particularly filming on the day. I also helped with the planning process in things such as the story board and the editing process in things such as choosing suitable sounds and helping to decide when clips should be cut.

If we were to improve our film, I would suggest that we made our shots even longer than needed so that they could be cut better and we wouldn't have continuity errors such as the one where the actor was walking towards the wall. I would also take more than one of the same shot, in case one was not suitable. Finally, I would use a wider variety of shots to make the sequence more interesting and to give more tension.

I am still happy with the genre I originally chose, however I would consider changing it so that I got the experience of more than one and could experiment with make-up, costume and different editing effects.

Smithy :)