Preliminary task evaluation

TASK EVALUATION

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?

I have learnt a number of things during this task in regards to filming and editing that I had never done before. Before the prelim I had little idea how to perform a focus pull or handle the camera in such a way to create a professional looking product.

But after some practise I feel that my camera work did improve but in the final production I would feel more comfortable returning to a more familiar role as I still do not feel that my focus pull was as effective as I would have liked. Therefore, this shows that one thing I learnt was how to use the equipment provided to a greater level and extent.

For example in our video I, for the first time was in control of the camera and edited solo (in previous projects I undertook the role of director and actor).

So I learned, first and fore most how to use the camera and its auxiliary equipment and also developed my skills in the editing phase as, in previous projects I had worked as part of a team editing certain parts based on which effects we felt most comfortable with.

Before the prelim I had little idea how to perform a focus pull or handle the camera in such a way to create a professional looking product. But after some practise I feel that my camera work did improve but in the final production I would feel more comfortable returning to a more familiar role as I still do not feel that my focus pull was as effective as I would have liked. Therefore, this shows that one thing I learnt was how to use the equipment provided to a greater level and extent.

WHAT SKILLS HAVE I DEVELOPED?

The skill I have developed in this preliminary task is using different camera techniques. For example, in order to show character movement I was able to use a panning shot as I had access to a tripod rather than merely using a wider framed shot.

I also developed my skills in the editing phase e.g. more accuracy when performing a match on action shot. This enabled me to create a better flow to the piece rather than a broken and continuity flawed scene if the shots overlapped or had a visible gap between them.

This helped me adapt and build on my previous skills in these areas to give a more professional look to the audience as well as being able to progress the narrative without the need for dialogue or captions.

The feedback I have received is a mixture of positive and room for improvement.

For example, one peer that I showed it to said that the use of continuity editing was very well done as the match on action that was used to show a character opening the door to the office was smooth well filmed and edited.

However, the main area for improvement was the repetition of the film. The reason for this is some footage is repeated to show the tediousness and mediocrity of Hectors life however it is understandable that this device, used for character development, when the main focal point of the piece could become banal .

This showed that although it worked as intended is not suitable for a short film, and that the devices we use should be thought about not only in terms of will it be effective but also is it suitable for this product.

Overall, this feedback showed me that I have managed to create an effective production but have areas of improvement that I can work on in my final AS production.

I would improve the video by changing or adding scenes to engage the audience to avoid it becoming tedious and dull. For example, rather than re-using footage and making changes to the cut away, film a completely different set of footage for each day. This was an area for improvement outlined in my feedback so it was an area in which would need to be addresses.

Our original location for the "Hectors desk" scenes was not available at the time of filming so we had to relocate to another setting. Although the secondary location was adequate for what we needed it for, because it was less private and more spacious framing and excess noise became more of a prominent issue which I think forced us to make changes to the film rather than make changes because it would improve the piece.

The editing techniques used were also ok, but I think we should have shortened the length of each clip so to shorten the repeated elements of the film. This would have also linked to developing my editing skills further by being able to show an action in a short space of time without losing any significant actions.