Preliminary Task Location Ideas
For the preliminary task, we were given this:Show A entering a room from a corridor and opening the door. Inside the room, B is sitting down. Without saying anything, A gives a piece of paper to B. B reads it and reacts. A displays some kind of emotion and leaves.
I got in a group with Catherine, Georgia and Akshay as we were well together before and we started thinking of ideas. The first thing we thought of was where we could film it at school and have a good effect.
We looked at the store cupboard because it had bars across the window which we thought would add a good effect to make A look trapped. However, the lighting in the room made it too bright and didn't add the horror effect we wanted.
We looked at this entrance to the K Block mobile because it is rumoured to be haunted and so would naturally make the film seem more scary. However there was limited room in the hallway and we decided that it wouldn't look very realistic and have a scary effect.
We looked at the stairs as we felt it would be the ideal place to have effective high angle shots and a dramatic entrance. However, it was too easy for A to escape and hide and we wanted a chase. Also the lighting was very bright and it didn't give the right effect.
We chose this corridor because at the end of it were eyes that were drawn and on the wall and we thought that it would be a good thing to have in the background to add effect. It was also a long corridor which would give us the chase scene. The light switch was also available so we could have flickering lights to add effect and suspense.
We chose this door and the room inside because it was a pitch black room and the light for inside the room is a small red one which has lots of horror connotations. Outside the room is a keep out light which also lights up red/orange, which gives the place an unwelcome and foreboding feel which we wanted in our film to add to the effect. We picked this place as our main location for the film.Preliminary Task Experimental Videos
We discussed what was the best way to film the canted angle we wanted in our film in this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qZOWNfGjVk&feature=related
We then practised filming the canted angle but also having it as a low angle shot to add this impression she is a scary character - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Gn7nMsEh0&feature=related
When then practiced the cutting of one corridor to the next to see how smoothly we could do that effect because we didn't want one bit of the corridor in our film - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJonAoGXFwI&NR=1
We then filmed it again but I turned a different way because we realised that where I wanted to end up we in the oposite direction and then the film had continuity - http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=iFv9OtOrCwA
We then had a practice of doing a 180 degree turn around me to practice getting the camera to do that for the film - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNhOwlTNBFY&feature=related
After doing these videos we had a clear idea of what to do for our film.
We then practised filming the canted angle but also having it as a low angle shot to add this impression she is a scary character - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Gn7nMsEh0&feature=related
When then practiced the cutting of one corridor to the next to see how smoothly we could do that effect because we didn't want one bit of the corridor in our film - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJonAoGXFwI&NR=1
We then filmed it again but I turned a different way because we realised that where I wanted to end up we in the oposite direction and then the film had continuity - http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=iFv9OtOrCwA
We then had a practice of doing a 180 degree turn around me to practice getting the camera to do that for the film - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNhOwlTNBFY&feature=related
After doing these videos we had a clear idea of what to do for our film.
Preliminary Task
We then devised story boards which are in my blue book and we filmed the different sections of the film. We then edited it together and put a red effected over the top of the chase scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tAmGIWC3tM
We then cut out most the sound to get rid of all the background sound and put creepy music over the top that fitted with the story. This is our final preliminary task piece: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBXlIuMTvOk
We then cut out most the sound to get rid of all the background sound and put creepy music over the top that fitted with the story. This is our final preliminary task piece: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBXlIuMTvOk
Evaluating Preliminary Tasks - Ben, George, Ellie and Amber
We watched Ben, George, Ellie and Amber's preliminary task and analysed it. We said that it used good sound effects, what makes you beautiful by one direction, and that the cutting between diegetic and non-diegetic sounds was really good. The song was also cut when the camera was showing different people's perspectives which I thought was really effective and added to the story. I thought the use of black and white was also really effective as it highlighted the light and dark in the scene and they later explained that they were trying to create the 'old romantic' style. The lighting was bright and showed that the characters were good.
The pan and tilt at the starts sets the scene of the school and later on with the connotation of the locker and the boys toilet sign it shows it's a 'high school crush' which is the effect they were trying to achieve. The poster in the background that they didn't mean to include had on 'Living your dream' which went well with the their film and the meaning in it. The point of views of the characters were also highlighted by the use of high and low angles which added to the effect and made the audience sympathise with the character, George. The dissolve shots were used really well and the film ran smoothly. In one of the dissolve shots, it dissolves with a heart which shows how George feels and the meaning of the film.
The only 2 things we could say to improve the piece was the continuity issue of having people in the background and then after a close up, the people disappear. The other problem is that the locker bounced back open after she closed it at the end which detracted from the film and would have been better if it didn't.
The pan and tilt at the starts sets the scene of the school and later on with the connotation of the locker and the boys toilet sign it shows it's a 'high school crush' which is the effect they were trying to achieve. The poster in the background that they didn't mean to include had on 'Living your dream' which went well with the their film and the meaning in it. The point of views of the characters were also highlighted by the use of high and low angles which added to the effect and made the audience sympathise with the character, George. The dissolve shots were used really well and the film ran smoothly. In one of the dissolve shots, it dissolves with a heart which shows how George feels and the meaning of the film.
The only 2 things we could say to improve the piece was the continuity issue of having people in the background and then after a close up, the people disappear. The other problem is that the locker bounced back open after she closed it at the end which detracted from the film and would have been better if it didn't.
Evaluating Preliminary Tasks - Abbie, Hannah, Luke and Daryl
We watched Hannah, Abbie, Luke and Daryl's preliminary task and I decided that my favourite thing I liked in their film was the slow motion that they edited in. I thought it looked really effective and got me thinking about how we could possible use that in our own main task. I also noticed that the use of money was used as a form of power because when Luke had the money, he stood up and then he sat down when Abbie had the money and she stood up. This was also in the film Psycho that we analysed together as a class and I think they may have been influenced by that film when coming up with their story.
We also said that his shirt matched his eyes, both being blue, which shows he is calm and innocent looking. The extreme close up at the end of his eyes shows his pure blue eyes and his forehead is centered. This gives the impression that Abbie is going to shoot him in the middle of his forehead, thus killing him. I liked that the door opened from the inside and it was sort of the opposite of a point of view shot of him opening it. The camera was a bit shaky where they were holding it but it added to the effect of making the audience nervous as it felt like we were watching it from Luke's perspective.
The only things I think could have been improved is that the diegetic sounds very loud so they made the non-diegetic sound loud as well so you could hear both and I don't think it worked very well having them both there at the same time for the whole of the film. The other thing we picked up of was the mise-en-scene of the classroom and the posters in the background which drew the eyes of the audience to that and so away from the actors. It also made it seem less realistic and detracted from the story.
We also said that his shirt matched his eyes, both being blue, which shows he is calm and innocent looking. The extreme close up at the end of his eyes shows his pure blue eyes and his forehead is centered. This gives the impression that Abbie is going to shoot him in the middle of his forehead, thus killing him. I liked that the door opened from the inside and it was sort of the opposite of a point of view shot of him opening it. The camera was a bit shaky where they were holding it but it added to the effect of making the audience nervous as it felt like we were watching it from Luke's perspective.
The only things I think could have been improved is that the diegetic sounds very loud so they made the non-diegetic sound loud as well so you could hear both and I don't think it worked very well having them both there at the same time for the whole of the film. The other thing we picked up of was the mise-en-scene of the classroom and the posters in the background which drew the eyes of the audience to that and so away from the actors. It also made it seem less realistic and detracted from the story.
Evaluating Preliminary Tasks - Our One
We watched our preliminary task and the class gave us feedback about it. They said that they liked the use of non-diegetic and diegetic sound and the transfer between the two. They also said that when Catherine walks off the camera it makes the audience feel awkward and is in the style of Hitchcock which we didn't even mean to do. They thought that the red effect worked well and the doors acted as a good barrier and was also effective. They liked the mise-en-scene of the eyes at the end of the corridor because it looks like someone is watching her. The only criticism is that the camera was too cantered and people had to tilt their heads from side to side to see what was going on and we all said that that was a problem when we were watching it through as well. We are going to make sure that that doesn't happen again when filming for our main task.
