Preliminary Task - Miss Miller

Preliminary Task

In my group were myself, Olivia and Nojus. The purpose of this task was to get used to using the equipment that we will be using for our eventual thriller sequence and how it can be used to achieve different shots and angles. We also familiarized ourselves with how the camera worked and how we should operate it. When it came to filming, we filmed a scene in which someone walked into a room and sat down with someone else and started to have a conversation and then get up and leave. The scene had to be thirty seconds to 2 minutes in length. We edited the sequence together using Final Cut Pro X by taking our individual clips and placing them in the sequence and cutting them up and arranging the scenes to make a coherent sequence that could be a short narrative.

In our task we used five different shots which all varied in positions so we had to adjust the camera and tripod to achieve these angles, we used a close up, mid shot, long shot, panning shot and an over the shoulder shot and used a tripod to stabilize the shots in order to create a good opening sequence.

For the close-up we had to lower the camera and the tripod in order to get the camera closer to the object we were filming. I think we used the camera really well when we had to do the close up of the books as it remained steady and showed the object clearly so the audience could see by having it in line with Olivia's shoulder as she examined the books, keeping them central to the frame and catching the audience's attention. We did not struggle with this as it was a straightforward shot and wouldn't be hard to achieve, as we knew what we wanted to film and where we wanted to film it.

For the panning shot we raised the tripod to it's highest and had the focus of the camera follow me as I walked, although the camera stayed in place. I think we did a good job of making a panning shot, as we were able to keep the camera going at a proper pace without it looking unnatural and disorientating to the audience. There wasn't much struggle with making this camera shot in terms of setting up the camera and tripod, as mentioned before, we had the tripod up the highest, but we struggled when keeping the camera moving in time with the person working.

For the mid shot we lowered the tripod to just above eye level as we talked and had it set up a few paces away from us. I think we used the camera well to do this as we managed to keep it steady and able to record our footage in a professional style, while also conveying the conversation that was taking place. Like the close-up, we didn't struggle making these shots as they were very basic and wouldn't require much skill to set up properly.

For the long shot we kept the camera at the same level and set up in the corner of the room while Olivia left the room and I sat at the table. This was not a difficult camera angle as the tripod was stable and was not moving, so that what we were filming well and straight. We did this shot by setting up the camera on the other side of the room to where the action was taking place to fill the criteria of a long shot and make sure we captured everything in the scene. We made sure to set up the tripod as high as it would got to make sure it was high enough to get as much of the scene in the frame as possible. I think this was done properly and looked like a professional long shot as opposed to an amateur one. If we were to do another long shot, I would set it up to be the same level as the actors in the scene.

For the over the shoulder shot we had to lift the camera up and angle it downwards to see over my shoulder as I walked. This was a camera technique we struggled making as the tripod was not tall enough to see over our shoulders and so it had to be held which created a shaky effect that we did not want and made the shot look messy and unprofessional. In order to stop ourselves from making the same mistake in creating the over the shoulder shot we would go slower in order for the camera man to not have to rush after us and shake the camera and creating an undesired effect, and by going slowing the camera man will have time to hold the camera in place and get a stabilised footing so that he doesn't bob up and down during the shot.

When making this scene we could have done with better audio in order to convey a better narrative as we could not be heard very well in the sequence as well as the narrative not being very developed and remaining quit ominous. By watching my film back I could see where I had gone wrong and how I could improve next time I filmed a piece for my opening scene like in this scene I was smiling when I was supposed to be serious which ruined the mood of the scene and took away from the serious feel we wanted, also when we were shooting the over the shoulder shot the camera was very jerky and could disorientate the viewer rather so we need to work on how we move the camera if the camera person is moving in order to avoid the jerky nature.

This task helped me to prepare for making my own opening sequence as I can get used to using a camera and editing the clips so that when I make my own opening sequence I will be more precise and use the camera with better quality. I can also get better at editing the clips I will gather into my opening sequence with more polished results as the editing program will take time to get better at using. By doing this task I have been able to learn how to use the camera, tripod and the editing program with better accuracy. I think when I made the first opening sequence I was able to assemble and angle the camera properly so I will ensure that I maintain the same amount of skill that I was able to use to operate the camera while I will try to improve my editing skills to get the best finish for the opening sequence that I can.