Preliminary Task

My group includes me, Jessica Day and Charlie Stewart. The purpose of this preliminary task was to get us some experience using the filming equipment and making sure we understood how to use it before we started filming our opening scene. It was also an opportunity to experiment with different angles and shots. We had to film a simple conversation that started with a character entering the scene and ended with them leaving. We were told to include a long shot, a closeup, tracking shot and a shot reverse shot. The clip didn't have to be too long it just needed to include all the necessary shots. In class we added everything we had filmed into Final Cut Pro and watched them all back. The majority of the clips were unsuitable as some included unwanted background noise and a couple times we said a line incorrectly.  Once we had chosen the best shots we used the software to connect the shots and create our sequence, we then published it to YouTube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nK1KqlPBhE)

The first shot we used was a long shot, we did this to show Charlie entering the scene from the sixth form area, we then had a tracking shot following charlie on his way to the bench. To film the longshot we used the tripod to set the camera up a good distance away from the door. For the tracking shot we had Jess slowly rotate the camera on the tripod. We had a closeup shot of me using my phone and shot reverse shots during the conversation. For the close up we used the camera to slowly zoom in and the shot reverse shot was created afterwards in Final Cut Pro. We also learned how to set up and use a tripod properly to help keep the camera steady. We filmed our clip quickly and efficiently and managed to finish within the allotted time unlike other groups which worked slowly and spent too much time planning the conversation even though it was supposed to be simple. We worked efficiently as we didn't waste time planning the conversation and we were able to set up the equipment quickly. What we struggled with was finding the right moment to film as we kept getting interrupted by loud noises coming from near our area. We struggled with this due to our choice to film outside instead of inside as there was more free space outside. While filming indoors would eliminate this problem we would have had less room to work with and would probably have had to rush as classrooms and hallways are usually busy. At first we struggled with getting the cameras on the right settings but we soon figured it out.Watching the footage back helped us understand the mistakes we made as it highlighted how noticeable and distracting background noise can be and also how if random people end up in the background during one of the shots it can create continuity errors if that person disappears in the next shot.

As you can see in the screenshot we ended up with stranger in the background of the shot. We  struggled with finding the right time to start the shot without any disruptions. Next time we will make sure we have the area to ourselves before we start filming.

This task helped prepare us for filming our opening sequence as we now know how to use the filming equipment properly and will have no problems setting it up in the future. We are also more aware of the potential problems we may face when filming and know to find a secluded area where we are less likely to be interrupted. When filming our opening sequence we need to work as efficiently as we did for this while making sure there are no continuity errors or unwanted sounds. We should check the footage on the camera to make sure it's all good before we start editing.