What I Learnt Last Lesson ...

Last lesson i learnt many new things.
The first of these things was the Brief,
'The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of 2 minutes'
This is what we have to do in order to full marks in our project.

We all were given a mark scheme showing us what criteria we need to meet in order to get certain marks - i am aiming to get level 4's as this will ensure my target grade is met. It is a group project but we will all be marked individually.

I learnt many conventions of thriller films during the lesson and the opening of the film 'Memento'(Nolan, 2000, U.S.). Some examples of these are:
- Shock Tactics - Sophisticated
- Tension - Ask Questions
- Suspense - Jumpy
- Night Time - Fog
- Mist - Cliff Hangers
- Complex Crime - Eerie Music

We were also taught the differences between a horror and a thriller - as many people were getting the 2 mixed up. In a horror film you tend to see lots of violence and this is what attracts the viewers, but in a thriller you have to imagine what happens yourself and things are left to your imagination.
Thrillers are typically for a more sophisticated and adult audience due to their complex story lines and twists.

Shot Reverse Shot ...

An over the shoulder shot is where the camera is positioned over the shoulder of one character, and in full view is the other character. This gives the feel of a conversation and it lets you know who is speaking.

Www and EBI ...

WWW. I think that the best bit of our film was the wide variety of shots and angles we used. We wanted to experiment with lots of different types to show different emotions and make the viewers feel different about the scene etc.

EBI. I think that we could have made the film make more sense to the viewer and maybe improve the story with more dialogue and clearer shots.

Reflection on Editing ...

The editing process was fairly simple, our shots all seemed to go together well and the continuity was effective in most cases. We did have to re-film a short part after finding out it looked strange and may confuse viewers. To edit the clips we imported the video onto a Mac Computer and used Imovie to edit the clips. The programme is easy to use and does not take long to pick up for newcomers.

Reflections on Filming ...

The actual filming of the sequence was fairly challenging, as we had to implement all our previously planned continuity editing and overcome problems that arose. For example - after we had to change our filming location, one of the doors in a shot did not fit in with its surroundings and may have confused the viewers watching it. The equipment we used to film were a camera and a tripod. The tripod helped keep the filming neat and tidy and assisted us with certain shots.

Reflection on the Planning Sequence ...

To plan our sequence everyone in the group made their own storyboards and put all their ideas down, and then we shared them with each other. I was placed into a group with Jemma and Tyler, we started planning the film by brainstorming story ideas on a piece of paper. After we decided a story line and characters we storyboarded them showing which shot types and angles we would use. The planning was fairly simple to do and was easy to film.

The Preliminary Task ...

The our preliminary task we were given time to film and edit a short sequence of someone walking through a door, walking into a room, sitting on a chair with another person and then having some kind of conversation. This task was to show that we understood and can use continuity editing in a piece of film. The things we had to make sure to include were - the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot, Master shot and an eyeline match.

Continuity Editing ...

Continuity Editing is a term used for edits between shots which make them seem smooth and make sense to the audience viewing it. These edits are not usually noticed by viewers, but without them the difference would be clearly visible and would have a very negative impact on the film.
Some examples of continuity editing that are used in many different ways are these basic edits:
-Master Shot
-180 degree rule

-Match on action
-Shot reverse shot
-Eyeline match

Continuity editing is a big part in every film made, it is important to keep the film believable and smooth to the audience