Preliminary Task - Reflection

Planning - 

• Initially, we did research on what we needed to make a successful short film. For example, we learnt about match-on-action, 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot. We also learnt how these techniques improve the fluidity of the film and make it look more professional.

• During the planning process we created a storyboard, prop list and script for our piece. This helped us to have a clear structure when filming and allowed our actors to know what they are saying and when. 

• When planning we also created a Film Treatment. A Film Treatment is a piece of prose used to help a producer sell his or her ideas for a film. We created a brief version so that we were able to get an understanding for how they work. This was beneficial as we will be able to transfer these skills to the main task.

Production -

• When going through the production process our filming went fairly smoothly. Our actors were prepared and fast to pick things up. This was good because it  meant that our filming was quick, giving us more time to edit and export. 

• However, we could not stick to our original filming date which put us back by a day. This was because on the originally scheduled day it was raining. We chose not to film on this day because the rain would have interfered with the quality of the camera shots and made the overall film look lower in quality.

• We also were unable to film all of the planned shots. This was because we had planned to film the car driving off and at the time of filming there were no adults around to help. This meant we had to add in other extra shots to make up the time. 

Technology - 

• During this process, the only new technology i encountered was Adobe Premiere Pro. We needed to learn how to use this software to edit our films.

• To learn how to use the software we watched clips in class and made notes on the different settings and how to use them

• Being able to use this software will be beneficial as we will need to use it for our main task is AS and A2. It will also be beneficial if I decided to go into the film industry as the software is of industry standard. 

Problem Solving - 

• During the process we struggled to set a date for filming which suited everyone. This was quickly overcome by setting a date a few weeks ahead so that we could make sure that we were all available. 

• We also struggled when editing our piece. We couldn't work out how to mute some sound and keep others. To solve this we typed it in to Google and followed the instructions given. We also had an issue where we had our music saved to a memory stick but forgot to transfer it onto the computer. This meant that when the memory stick was removed the sound didn't work. 

Team Work - 

• Our group worked well together and contributed evenly. We shared out roles and took it in turns to film and direct. This meant that we were prepared for the main task as we had practiced the skills we will need.

• I feel that I contributed well to this production as both an actor, director and producer. I helped with the planning by drawing out the story board, and creating a prop list. During the filming, whilst i was not acting my partner and I took it in turns to film the scenes. Finally during the editing process I applied my new knowledge of editing and trimmed clips to the correct length, added a title and end credits and added music to the piece. 

Preliminary Task - Storyboard

In this blog post I will insert our Preliminary Task storyboard. 

Preliminary Task - Screen play

Screen play for Car Journey -

Actor 1

Where are we going?

Actor 2

To the airport

Actor 1

Why?

Actor 2

We're leaving for New York City

Preliminary task - Film treatment

Working title -

• Car Journey

Genre -

• Action

Duration -

• 1-2 minutes

Target audience -

• All ages

Outline -

• Two people get into a car and set off for the airport in order to leave for New York City.

Introduction to DSLR

In this blog post I will be listing some of the main features of a basic DSLR camera. I will be using a DSLR to film my preliminary task.

DSLR = Digital single lens reflux.

• It basically means a camera with one lens and a mirror which reflects the light, where pictures are recorded on a digital card instead of film.

Start with auto settings:

• Set the dial to the green automatic mode.
• Make sure the lens is set to AF (autofocus) and not MF (manual focus).
• Push shutter button halfway - camera will focus on the subject.
• Push the rest of the way down to take the picture.

3 primary camera settings:

ISO -

• The ISO is how sensitive your image sensor is to light. 
•  With the ISO setting a camera's image sensor can be adjusted to detect more, or less light needed for a good exposure.
• The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor will be, and the brighter the image will   be.
• The lower the ISO, the darker and less light there will be.
• Shooting in low light means you need to boost your ISO.
• Shooting in bright light means you need to lower your ISO.

Shutter speed -

• The shutter speed setting controls how long the shutter opens to expose the image sensor to the light.
• Open it for just a millisecond and you can freeze a fast moving object.
• Alternatively, you can show the movement of a fast moving object by keeping the shutter open longer with a slow shutter speed.

Aperture -

• The aperture setting controls the size of the lens opening that allows light into your camera.
• You can blur the foreground and background that bracket your subject (this is known as a shallow depth of field) by closing the aperture down with a high f-stop number.
• Alternatively, you can keep your photo sharp from the foreground through to the background (this is known as a wide depth of field) by closing the aperture down with a high f-stop number.

Exposure:

• Exposure is the amount of light a digital camera's sensor captures when a photo is taken.
• Too much light and the picture will be washed out, also known as overexposed.
• Too little light and the picture will be too dark, also known as underexposed.
• Exposure is affected by aperture, shutter speed and ISO.