Evaluation Activity 7Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

By Shania Sukhu

The purpose of the preliminary task was to help megain an insight into using the camera and how to puttogether a short video. Looking back on my preliminarytask, I have definitely made a huge improvement. I nowknow how to use the equipment which was somethingthat I was not very confident with at first. I learnt howto set up the tripod safely, use the camera featuressuch as the zoom and I also learnt how to incorporate arange of shots and angles into my product. By carryingout the preliminary task, it made me feel a lot moreself-assured when it came to creating my final product.

What have I learnt from the preliminary task?

Camerawork and Editing

As I knew I was going to be the cameraperson in my group for the final product,I asked to have the role of cameraperson during the preliminary task alongsideanother member of the group that I was working with. This was because I wanted to begin learning about different shots so that when it came to filming the final product, I had an idea of what to do. Comparing the shots which I used in the preliminary task to the shots I used in my final product, I have definitely made a lot of process. I am now a lot more confident when using the camera. In terms of editing, this is something I have never felt entirely confident with. This is because I have not had much experience with editing in the past. However, I sat with my group during the editing process of my preliminary task and focused on what the editor was doing. Also, once all of the footage was collected for my final product, on a few occasions I sat down with the editor and observed what she was doing. I had done this to improve my knowledge on editing. I now have a better understanding of editing; although, I know it could be further developed.

The 180 Degree Rule is very important andshould be followed as often as possible. Itis about an imaginary line which splits thescene in two. The rule is that camera has to stay on thesame side of the 180 degree line. This is because if thisrule is not followed it may confuse the audience. WhenI first encountered this rule I was very confused by itand at times during filming I was close to breaking it.However, since the preliminary task, I learnt how tofollow it and make sure I always remained on the rightside. In both my preliminary task and my final productthe 180 Degree Rule was followed successfully.

The 180 Degree Rule

Match on Action is when one shot cuts to another which matches the first shots action. This is done to maintaincontinuity in the production. This was something we used in both the preliminary task and the final product. In the preliminary task it was used to show Minoli pushing the door open in the first shot, and in the second shot itshowed Minoli walking out of the door. This shows that she is entering a different location. We used Match onAction the same way in our final product. In the first shot we showed Zoe opening the bathroom door and in thesecond shot we showed Zoe walking into the bathroom. The only different in the shot used when Zoe walks intothe bathroom compared to when Minoli walks out of the door in the preliminary task is we used an extreme close up so that the audience would be on edge for a short amount of time as they begin to wonder what is behind thedoor, but do not instantly see it.

Match on Action

Preliminary Task:

Final Product:

Shot reverse shot is used in almost every film as it can show conversations between two characters or two characters looking at each other or an object. In my final product, we did not use shotreverse shot. We did not use it as we decided we were only goingto have one main character which was our protagonist. We chose todo this as we did not want our antagonist and protagonist toconverse with each other as we wanted to create suspense withinour audience. However, although we did not use shot reverse shotin our final product, I do know how to use it if I needed to as mypreliminary task helped me develop my understanding of it. Although we did not use shot reverse shot in our final product, it was used in my preliminary task to show the two characters conversing with each other. This allows the audience to gain insight into the relationship they have with each other.

Shot Reverse Shot

Preliminary Task:

Overall, by looking back at my preliminary task I feel asif my media knowledge has definately increased as Ihave thoroughly developed my understanding of shots,for example in my final product I used a variety, suchas: an establishing shot, close ups and medium closeups. I have also learnt how to use different angles suchas high angles to make the character look inferior andlow angles to make the character look superior. I alsofeel more comfortable when using the different rulessuch as the 180 degree rule, as well as match on actionand shot reverse shot compared to how I felt duringthe preliminary task.