Preliminary Task

Evaluation
Isabel Hurren

For our Preliminary Task we had to create a shot video that used a range of shot
types, such a mid shots and close ups, and used interesting composition that would
increase the quality of the shots. It also gave us the opportunity to experiment with
editing and taught us how to plan for a film shoot.
One of our main characters is a criminal who is played by a teenage girl, this
creates a negative image of this social groups as the character connotes violence
and dishonesty. However, the regret the character shows through their body
language and the use of close ups could show that the character is ashamed of
their actions showing that they are conscious of their mistakes and need for
change. This, therefore, casts a more positive light on the age group as it shows
that they are good at heart and understand how their actions can negatively affect
others. Our other main character is a young man who is a detective, this character
is a positive representation of their age group as they construct connotations of
honesty and morality. Although, as the film continues the character becomes cold
and unsympathetic towards the other character. This shows that not all people are
what they originally seem and creates a negative view of this social group as it
could lead people to believe all young men are like this.
Character 1 showing their regret
through their body language.

In our film we have created a story that follows the interrogation of a teenage
girl, she refuses to answer the questions which leads to her interrogator walking
out, leaving her to sit there. To attract and interest our audience we have
included an element of mystery in our film, we did this by having the film be an
interrogation. We never find out what Character 2 has done or what Character 1
wants to know, this makes the audience intrigued because they want to know
the details. We also ended our film on a cliff hanger which leaves the audience
wanting to know more. The film ends with Character 2 shouting Wait!, this
suggests that she has information she needs to share in order to protect herself
from whatever Character 1 will do to her if hes not given what he wants.

During the production of our film we discovered that our tripod

wasnt tall enough to film a conversation at a table. This was an
issue as a main part of our film is an interrogation were the
characters are sitting at a table. To fix this problem we placed the
tripod on a chair, this made it the correct height to film our actors.
We also learnt that the inbuilt camera microphone picks up on all
of the surrounding noise. This meant that as we were trying to film
the camera was picking up on noise far away from where we were
filming. In order to fix this we moved into an enclosed area where
it was a lot quieter. This meant that the camera recorded the
dialogue properly. Also in editing we increased the volume of
things we wanted our audience to hear, such as the door opening,
and decreased the volume of the background noise. This allows
the viewer to focus on the characters
and their dialogue.
Our two characters
having a conversation.

By doing this task, I have learnt that planning is essential and that lighting and sound are incredibly important. A
strength of our film is the use of match on action. For example in the film you see Character 1 walk towards the
door, open it and then you see him walk through it.

This is a strength as it creates a sense of continuity and links the two different scenes together. A weakness of our
film is the lack of interesting camera angles, for example we didnt use a low angle shot. We could have used this
to show that Character 1 is dominant as low angle shots connote strength and power. We could have also used a
high angle shot to emphasise Character 2s vulnerability. This would have reinforced the characters positions and
shown the power unbalance between them.
Next time I would use better lighting as the lighting in our film isnt very good which decreases the quality of the
footage and distracts the audience from focusing on the characters. To improve the lighting we could use a three
point lighting system, this would fully illuminate our actors and separate them from the background. We could also
improve our sound quality by using a separate microphone to the camera. This would allow us to put the
microphone closer to our actors which would mean that we would be able to pick up more of the dialogue and less
of the surrounding noise. Again, this would allow the audience to focus more on the actors and not whats
happening around them. We could also use a better location that would increase the believability of our film and
make it seem more professional. It would also help the audience follow the story if the setting and story matched.
Next time we could also shoot more so we had more footage to use and a wider range of shots. This would make
our film longer and allow us to tell our audience a better story as it would have more time to develop and we
would be able to include more details.
The script helped with our filming as it meant that our actors knew what they were doing and how to present

The storyboard was a useful part of our planning, this was because it meant that we
knew where we wanted to put our actors and what kind of shot to use. This was helpful
because it meant that we didnt have to waste time deciding on blocking and on what
shot would best show our characters emotions. This also meant that we knew how to
achieve things, such as match on action as we knew what we wanted our actors to do. It
also meant that we knew we needed to use shot reverse to show the conversation
between our characters and the rising tension between them.
We used a mid shot at the end of our film, this was effective as it allows you to see
Character 1 walking away as well as Character 2s desperation when she calls for
them to Wait! This allows our audience to see the darker side of Character 1 as he
leaves Character 2 and also tells them that she does have information that she needs to
share. We also used over the shoulder shots, this was effective as it places the audience
in the position of the character and allows them to empathise with them.

Mid shot of Character 1

leaving.

Over the shoulder

shot.

The 180 degree rule is the rule that the cameras and actors stay on opposite sides of an imaginary
line. This means that we always see the actors from the same side, if this rule is broken it can
confuse the audience and break the continuity. We have obeyed this rule and have only shown our
actors from one side during their conversation.

Other examples of this rule being obeyed are:

During the process of editing our Preliminary Task I have learnt how to
cut shots by using the different tools. This helped with the continuity of
our film as we only used the parts of the different shots that made
sense with the storyline. I am know confident on how to do this and I
will be able to use these skills whilst editing our Thriller.
However, I am less confident on how to edit sound, this was something
we had to do as part of the editing process as the background noise
was too loud compared to what we wanted the audience to hear, such
as the dialogue. The sound quality still isnt perfect so next time we
could spend more time developing our sound editing skills so the end
result is a lot better. We also didnt know how to input an underscore,
this would have helped our film by indicating the increasing tension and
making the film seem more complete as without it it feels as though
something is missing. Next time we can learn to do this so that our
Thriller doesnt have the same problem.

For our preliminary task we used a wide shot of Character 1 walking towards the interrogation room door.
This establishes the location and helps to build the tension as we dont know what is going to happen in the
interrogation room.

We also used an over the shoulder shot on Character 1. This places the audience in Character 2s position
and allows us to sympathise with them as we see how cruel and harsh Character 1 is being. This shot also
helps to add to the suspense as we dont know what Character 2 will do next or how they will react.

We used another over the shoulder shot but this time of Character 2, this shot allows the audience to see
how exhausted and troubled she is. This shot also creates a sense of mystery as we cant see her face so
we dont know who she is or what shes hiding.

In conclusion, our Preliminary Task was successful due to our use

of match on action and a range of shots types. Our film is also
successful because we obeyed the 180 degree rule. However, to
improve so that our Thriller is better we need to include a range of
camera angles and work on editing sound. We could also improve
our setting so that our film is more believable.
During the production and editing stages I have learnt essential
skills that I will be able to use to produce a successful Thriller.