Prelim task Part 1

We decided that we would all take turns directing the prelim. We set up our wide shot first, and filmed the whole thing. We did this as it would give us the freedom of being able to cut to a wide angle whenever we wanted. Next we set our over the shoulder shot from the point of view of the ‘red’ character. After doing this twice, we then did the close up of the ‘black’ character. We then moved to the left, ensuring that we did not cross the 180º line and did the over the shoulder shots and closeups from the point of view of the ‘black’ character.

Once we had shot all the necessary shots, we did some more ‘interesting’ shots such as: tracking, high angle, low angle and an establishing shot. We used an office chair as a dolly to get a tracking shot, and walked with the camera to get a tracking close up of the black character’s feet as he was walking to the room. 

I learnt how to appropriately use the calls on set, and realised how useful they were. It is an efficient way to notify the actors that you are ready to film, saving time and therefore money. 

We ran into a problem when we were going to film our first over the shoulder shot, from the point of view of the ‘red’ character. We had crossed the 180º line, and could not work out how to get a good shot from behind it. After repositioning the actors, and moving some furniture that was in the way, we were able to get a good over-the-shoulder shot, from behind the 180º line.

I would have done mine in a different place, or pulled the blinds in our studio (classroom). I would have done this because I am sure that the changing background light, due to the setting sun, would affect the continuity of the sequence, as some angles could appear to have significantly more natural light than others, giving the illusion that a lot of time has passed instead of the intended few seconds. 

The filming prelim task has taught me that we need to be more aware of where we film, e.g. somewhere with no natural lighting, to ensure the continuity of the piece. This has also taught me that filming the whole sequence from five different angles allows the editor to have total freedom to cut and place better, and more appropriate, angles that give the scene more impact, such as a close up when the black character says “I wont wait for you.”

Also, the storyboard was incredibly useful, as it saved time during the actual shoot, so I am certain that I will make a storyboard for my upcoming thriller, and use a lot of thought when planning it - as it will effectively save time, and give the scene a larger dramatic impact.