Alice's Media Blog

Boyfriend Bonanza

2. We planned our sequence by first scripting the conversation that was going to happen in the sequence. We then decided on the shots we would show to make the order of the sequence logical, and also decided on the continuity techniques that would make the sequence flow. We storyboarded the shots, and planned the number of different set ups we would need in the shoot, in order to fill in our schedule and do the shots in the most convenient, and the least time consuming order. We had to take into account continuity, genre, character roles and narrative. We had to make sure the audience found the genre obvious and that the sequence made sense, using different continuity techniques, such as match on action and the reverse shot. Here is a picture of the storyboard we did, in which we numbered the shots and referred to when shooting and editing as a background for our sequence, although we did have to make some changes from the original storyboard during editing, because it made the sequence more logical.

What technology did you use to complete the task and how did you use it?

3.We used different technology to complete the task. In the shooting stages of the task,we used cameras and tripods, with a microphone on top and with the camera we tried different shot angles, lengths and framing in order to make sure there was some variety in our sequence. In the post-production stages we used Adobe Premier Pro to cut and edit shots, and put them together to make our short sequence. We had to use the razor tool to split one shot into a few, and make sure that all the editing was done for a reason; in order to make sure our sequence was logical.

4. The main factors that we had to think about during planning, shooting and editing were the weather, the location we were filming, and when we would film during school time without being disrupted. We made the choice to do a sequence we could film inside so that the filming could not be affected by weather or delayed. We also chose to film in our media classroom, as it meant there were not lots of other students around the room, and we did not have to film around them, especially at busy times, such as after the bell when it is time to move to the next lesson. The picture of the shoot schedule shows how we planned our shots.

 

 

 

How successful was your sequence? What worked well, and in hindsight  what would you improve or do differently?

 



 5. I think, with our sequence, the genre is quite obvious, have we have made the characters quite stereotypical which also adds humour to our sequence. I think we were also successful in the continuity of the sequence. The timing of all the shots, and the match on action, make the sequence logical and the whole sequence follows conventions of a typical narrative structure. The continuity was done well, however we could have improved on some of the timing on the shots, and the acting. With some shots, we should have done more takes of the shot, in order to make sure we had enough variety to choose from when it came to editing and we could have made the conversation longer, in order to have more reverse shots and make the sequence seem more realistic. However overall we followed the rules of continuity and we were happy with the end result.

What have you learnt from completing the task? How will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework?

1. At the beginning, we get an establishing shot of Tim Thomas sitting in his living room. The establishing shot comes at the beginning of the clip, in order for the audience to get an immediate and clear sense of setting. Using cultural codes, it is clear that Tom is sitting in his living room.
2. When Tim Thomas is talking to Ezra Turner on the phone, by cutting back and forth between shots of Tim and Ezra. This makes the viewer realize that the 2 locations are supposed to be separate but parallel and there is no spatial discontinuity
3. We get the master shots of each character in their location and the shots cut between the master shots of Ezra and Tim on the phone, and then more specific shots, of their facial expressions and the computer Ezra is typing on. The master shot shows where everything is relation to eachother, in all the shots, to help make the story make logical sense.
4. When Ezra Turner is typing on his computer, we get an OTS of the keyboard and the computer screen, so we understand what the conversation on the phone is about. The variety of shot types enables the audience to get a sense of other peoples perspectives, and make the story make sense, by involving what is important in the story.

Psycho

1. We played with the convention of an establishing shot and used a shot of feet running towards the camera to give a sense of the action.We attempted to pan the shot of the people running, at the same time as moving the camera up to their faces. We managed to get a sense of action, due to the camera movement. 
2. We used match on action in shots 2 and 3. Matthew flies into the room as he has just entered the door in the previous shot. The same motion continues, which makes the order logical. 
3. The last shot is of Anjana going up and kicking Matthew after he has fallen over, and this is filmed at the same angle the first shot was filmed at, of just the persons feet, which keeps the feet theme throughout the sequence. 

1. The second shot we took was meant to be just Matt running, but due to a shooting problem, we had to make a long shot, so made it slow motion. However this does not work, because the first shot is an action shot, and this makes the second shot seem static compared to the first shot.
2. In shot 4, we broke the 180 degree rule, which means it is hard to tell where Matthew actually falls, because there are lockers on both sides of him. The sense of direction has changed in shot 4 compared to shot 3, when it shouldn't.