Preliminary Task:Preliminary Task-Mr Smith

 Preliminary Task 

What is the purpose of the preliminary task?

The purpose of the preliminary task is to be introduced to filming and editing gaining new skills and becoming familiar with the process. It also allows the group to prepare and have an insight of what the final filming task will consist of. By completing the preliminary task the group will be able to understand how to make improvements based on the weaknesses we experience. When it comes to filming our final production each group member will be more confident and we will perform to the best of our abilities ensuring that we do not make mistakes that we made in our preliminary task. Therefore, the preliminary task is extremely beneficial as it will give the group a feel of what is expected of us and will allow us to understand our roles. It will also help us to gain experience of working together as a group.

This is an example of our preliminary task:

 

The scenario

As a group we made suggestions about a scenario which would last 30 second, we decided to create a scene between Mohydin and Suweda who act as students who like each other and have a conversation about going on a date together:
 

 

 

The scene starts off with Mohydin asking Suweda what she will be doing later that evening and asks if she wants to go out to the cinema with him. During this shot an over the shoulder shot was used in order to see the characters facial expressions clearly. When taking this shot the camera was handheld in order to see everything that was needed to be seen.

 

 

 

Suweda accepts Mohydin's offer to take her to the cinema. During this shot an over the shoulder shot was also used in order for the audience to see the characters response clearly.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 After confirming their date, Mohydin offers to walks Suweda her to lesson and they are seen to be walking down the stairs. First a medium shot is used with the camera on a tripod allowing the audience to see both the characters and their body language clearly. Then a panning shot is used to show the characters walking towards the staircase making the shot look effective.

 

 

 

 

When Suweda opens the door to go to her lesson Mohydin confirms the time by saying he will pick her up at 7.00pm. Here, a medium two shot is used allowing the audience to see the female characters facial expressions and the male characters body language as he is at a distance in comparison to the female character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, after dropping Suweda off to her lesson, Mohydin is then seen to walk down the stairs. A high angle is used to show the male character walking down the stairs allowing the audience to perceive his actions clearly and ending the scene with a clear narrative.

 

Group Roles

Within the group we allocated our roles according to the final production roles. We decided that I should be the camera operator as I will be taking on this role when creating the final production, therefore this allows me to have a clear understanding of how to use the camera effectively and learn how to overcome issues that I may have when completing my preliminary task. Furthermore, we decided that Mohydin and Suweda should be the actors as they will have the following roles in the final production, Mohydin has the role of location manager and story boarder which is not appropriate during the preliminary task and Suweda has the role of hair, makeup and costume and lighting which is also unnecessary during the preliminary task. Finally, Lara took on the role of editing the preliminary task as she is will be the editor in the final production therefore it will help her to gain experience and learn to use new software to edit effectively, when it comes to the final production she will not be new to the process and will be able to complete the editing to an expected standard.

Difficulties you encountered whilst filming

 

Whilst filming we encountered the following difficulties:

 

• We experienced other pupils and teachers walking past which caused the camera operator, director and the cast to keep stopping and having to restart filming the same scene. In the background of the evident shot there is a student while the cast are being filmed which makes the scene look unprofessional, therefore this was a difficulty and we must ensure that we do not experience the same problem when it comes to filming the final production.                                                                     
• Furthermore, we experienced the difficulty of sound echoing as the location we filmed created lots of echoes when others opened of shut the door or walked up the stairs, and trying to avoid this was extremely difficult as the location is a very busy area.             

• Moreover, another difficulty the camera operator experienced was positioning the camera in the correct place and moving it in the correct direction according to each shot. When the camera operator made the mistakes the shots had to be repeated.                
• When filming the actors found it difficult to act professionally without laughing which resulted in the shots having to be filmed multiple times in order to make the scenes look realistic and professional.
• Finally, another difficulty we experienced was being unaware of whether we filmed enough footage in order to make the film last 30 seconds. Therefore, we had to film more footage to ensure that we had enough.

 

Difficulties you encountered whilst editing

When editing we encountered the following difficulties : 

• We was unable to edit the lighting making the scene brighter and clearer, which resulted in the male actor not being seen clearly making the scene look unprofessional and hard to see.

• Furthermore, we found it difficult to edit the shots with the shots emerging into one another smoothly, and instead the editing looked choppy and unrealistic. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Another difficulty we encountered when editing was removing the sound of the echoes from the background which was caused when we were filming. This made the scene lack professionalism and made the scenes sound unrealistic as the sounds interfere speech.

 

What have you learned?

After completing the preliminary task I have learnt about the actions I must take in order to make improvements and complete the final production to a high standard. After taking the role of camera operator and filming the preliminary task, I have learnt how to use the camera properly and how to use the tripod effectively to make the movements look professional and smooth. Without completing the preliminary task I would be unaware of how to use the camera and tripod properly and effectively making the final production look unprofessional and of a low standard. Furthermore, the preliminary task has helped me to learn to work with my group members and understand their abilities which will be useful when it comes to producing the final production as we can work together each taking on the roles that we are confident with and can complete effectively. Therefore, the preliminary task has taught me to work with others in my group understanding their abilities and weaknesses which will prevent disagreements and people experiencing difficulties. Moreover, after completing the preliminary task I have learnt about what is expected of me when it comes to making the final production which is dedication and patience as the process can be difficult and take long to complete. Overall, I learned about what I must do in order to be successful in completing my final production and I have learnt to use and move the camera and tripod appropriately.

Conclusion: How has the task been beneficial?

 

The preliminary task has been beneficial for me as I now have a clearer understanding regarding the final production and how to make it successful and professional. Furthermore, it has been beneficial as it has taught me important skills such as team work, and working effectively together, being confident and motivated in order to make my production look enjoyable and professional sending the right message across to the audience and making them respond and react accordingly. Overall, the preliminary task has been beneficial for me as I have gained experience preparing me for the final production, and I now have a clear understanding about what I must do better in order to avoid making the same mistakes I made when creating the preliminary task.