Preliminary Diary Blog

Preliminary Diary Blog

Role

During the preliminary film production, my main role was cameraman, this included deciding which shots we should use and when. I also did some post-production including some continuity editing (shot reverse shot) and the overall colour and brightness.

Experience Filming

Overall, I had a positive experience filming. I think we worked well together as a team, although we were not always on the same page in some areas of filming it more of a positive experience as it allowed communication within the group.

Changes from the Storyboard

We made very few changes to the storyboard overall, only adding shots to the overall story line during filming in order to 'flesh out' the end product.

Changes for Future Filming Activities

If I repeated this practical the main change I would make would be to construct a better storyboard at the start of the the practical, so that it would include not only a idea of the story but include the camera shots as well as editing techniques which we plan to use in the final piece. This is due to the fact that a large amount of time was wasted during production was deciding which shots to use. I would also make sure we had more takes for individual shots as some, especially the stabilisation tracking shot, could have looked better with more time.

Developing of Skills

Although, I think camerawork is my most confident area of film, I would like to try the position of director as it would help in my overall knowledge of production.

Preliminary

Hitchcock Commentary

Editing Techniques

Editing Techniques

Shot Reverse Shot

Where one character is shown looking at another character, and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.

180 Degree Rule

The guideline that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another- or become a reverse angle.

Match-on-Action

Where the editor cuts from one shot to another that matches the first shot's action.

Eye-line Match

Presenting a character gazing into the distance then showing what the character is seeing.

Shot Types

Preliminary Planning

A Day in the Life

 

A Day in the Life

Shaun of the Dead, Opening Titles

Shaun of the Dead

The opening titles of Shaun of the Dead use repetitive rightward tracking shots as well as flat angle medium- long shots in order to present a almost 'storybook' style opening, as if the viewer is turning pages in a book. This is further unforced by the use of left wipe transitions.

The misc-en-scene used is also highly suggestive of the 'undead forces' as the characters body language is 'zombie-like' in nature, foreshadowing the events later in the film. For example the mindless mirroring of the cashiers.

The overall graphic style of the opening titles are also suggestive of a 'zombie film', the font used seems to be battered, with various holes in letters, implying something is not right

Editing Techniques

Editing Techniques

Analysis of the Thriller Genre

The Thriller Genre

First Post

1.)Picture

2.)Video

3.)What is Media Studies for?

Media is important to me personally due to its contemporary side, whereas other subjects do not focus on the present, due to medias presence in everyday life it is very useful to be able to convey meaning from what is shown, making it practically useful.

4.)Favourite Film, Director, and Actor

My favourite film is probably Slumdog Millionaire as it was directed by Danny Boyle, who's always amazing(and is my favourite director) the film also presents some very interesting themes.
My favoured actor is probably Gary Oldman, mainly due to hes performance in Leon: the Professional, as well as in Harry Potter