PRELIMINARY

EVALUATION
Isaac Winterburn

Question 1) What planning did you do for your filming task?

The main planning we did was on storyboards (1) with a first rough
storyboard to understand the logistics of our film and arrange shots
into a chronological order. From there we spent a couple of hours
experimenting with shots in an attempt to understand which shots
could be used where. We ended up using some of these shots in the
final cut for example (2)
Furthermore, we discussed and planned where we could implement
specific features such as shot-reverse-shot (3) and match on action
(4). Both can be seen during the dramatic moment. Looking through
the footage I believe that our match on action could be a lot smoother
and I will definitely keep this in mind when planning our Thriller
openings.
Continuity was another planning point that we wanted to get right.
Both the performers made notes of what we they were wearing on
each day of filming, including the practice shots incase we used some
of them (which we did). Continuity is extremely important to increase
the solidity of the film and something that we cannot get wrong during
our Thrillers.
Finally, we got a list of each type of shots and used this during our
filming to ensure that we used as much variety as we could and still

(1) (2)

(3) (4) (5)

High Angle
Low Angle
Over the
Shoulder
Tilt (Dutch)
angle
Long shot
Medium close-up
Close-up
Extreme closeup
Worms-eye view
Birds-eye view
Tracking shot
Panning shot
Shot-reverse-

Shot-Reverse-Shot film examples.

Sin City

Hunger Games

Match on action film examples

The Matrix. Character of Neo walking in from the front and then it
cuts to him walking in from behind

Friends. Character heads back into apartment shot from outside. Then it
cuts to inside the apartment and the character continues to go into the room
and close the door.

Question 2) What is the 180-degree rule?

The 180-degree rule is an element of film making that ensures

the audience don't get confused and stay concentrated on /
keep up with the action or dialogue. To follow this rule you
must make sure that the camera always stays on one
predetermined side of the action, within a 180-degrees radius.
A good example of where this is commonly seen is in sports.
For instance, when watching a football match on the
television, the camera always remains on one side of the
pitch. If it kept changing the audience may get confused
about which team is shooting in which direction.

180-degree rule
Here we see the 180-degree rule in
action, during a football game

Examples from our production:

This diagram explains the 180degree rule in a clear way.

QUESTION 3) WHAT SHOT TYPES AND CAMERA ANGLES DID YOU USE

High Angle

This use of a high angle

gives an interesting
viewpoint on the action. Its
almost like the audience is
spying on the characters.
Suggesting something
dangerous/ significant is
going to occur. When it
occurs, the action is
enhanced

Long Shot

Over the Shoulder Tilt Shot

Puts the audience
into the
conversation and
adds realism.

Medium Close Up

This shot is the first

shot in the film so it
acts as a suitable
introductory shot. It
gives the audience
time to meet the
character and
suggests normality.

Again, here the

audience can get a
clear interpretation
of the characters
feelings. The
expression on his
face and the camera
angle connote
concern and anxiety.

Shows panic
and distress at
the thought
that someone
may have his
pen.

Birds Eye view

Close Up
Informs the
audience on the
characters feelings
and allows them to
relate to the
situation more.

Extreme Close Up
Intensifies the
scene. Black and
White draws focus
onto the
expression and
emotion of the
character.

Tracking
Shot.
This shot was created with the use of a

This shot puts the audience in a

position where it feels like they
are watching the character from
afar without them knowing. This
portrays the character as
innocent and oblivious. When
the audience find out
something is wrong this initial
impression is contradicted and
the sequence becomes
entertaining and interesting.

small, skateboard like, portable camera

dolly. This is a unique shot that we
experimented with and thought was
successful enough to be used in the final
cut. This shot creates tension as we are
unsure what is going on above the
characters feet. We cannot see what is
happening so the audience is intrigued
to find out.

Question 4) What editing skills have you

developed
This task was the first time I had ever used Adobe Premiere Pro and as a
result I feel confident with using it successfully in future projects. One of
the key skills I have developed is the use of key frames. These are used to
identify specific times during the film where a change is to occur. For
example, the first use of key frames in our film is the fade in and fade outs
of our opening credits. To do this we added a key frame before the title
came in and gave the name of the performer an opacity of 0%. Then I put
in another key frame about half way into the name being on the screen of
100%. Between these two key frames the title will go from 0% to 100%
opacity in a gradual way the distance between them determines the speed
of the fade. Then we just added a final key frame at the end of the title of
again 0% so it fades back out fully

Question 4) What editing skills have you

developed
Another editing skill I developed was using the razor
tool to separate visual/ audio clips. The razor tool cuts
the clip into two separate entities. We used this for
example when the character realises he is late for his
exam. We used the razor tool on the audio track to cut
the music and create an emphasised period of silence.
This was also used when the character who has stolen
the pens face is zoomed into. We cut the clip into two
then increased the scale of the latter half and changed
where the centre of the clip was.

Question 5) what effects did you use in post production?

Adding effects during post production gave us the opportunity to refine
our edit and consolidate the action. Adding effects can enhance the
footage. One effect we used during post-production was crossfades. One
example can be seen after the next slide (A). The way we achieved this is
by going to the Effects tab -> Video Transitions -> Dissolve folder. Then
we drag and dropped Cross dissolve onto the join between the top of
the stair shot and the Dutch angle hallway shot creating a fade between
the two. In addition to this we used a cross fade at the start of the
extreme close up, along with putting the clip in black and white, to stress
the overwhelming anger of the character whos pen has been stolen.
We used the same technique as previously mentioned to achieve the blur
at the start but instead put it only on this one shot, (B). To achieve the
black and white effect we went to Effects -> Image Control -> Black and
White. Again we just dragged and dropped the effect onto the shot.
Furthermore, the final shot in the film is a slow-motion clip of the
character chasing his pen. To achieve this we right-clicked on the clip and
selected: Speed/Duration and reduced the percentage from 100% to
20-30%. Using the razor tool first allowed us to start the clip of at normal
speed then put the second half of the shot in slow-motion (C)


At the start and end of our film we have titles. The first title we used is
the name of our production company, displayed over footage. To add a
title we went to the Title tab at the top of the screen (D) then typed in
the name of our production company: Derbyshire Productions and chose
text size, colour and font. Then we inputted the title onto video track 2 so
the original clip and the title play at the same time (E). On the opening
long shot, we faded in the names of the actors and then the title of the
piece (F). To do this we used the previously mentioned key frames. To
start we added a key frame at the point we wanted the fade in to begin
with an opacity of 0% under effect controls. Then we added a second
keyframe at the point we wanted the fade in to be complete, at 100% so
at this point the sentence to be at full opacity. Finally we added a third
keyframe with again 0% opacity to ensure the title completely fades out
before the next one begins. In addition, the last clip fades to black where
the last title fades in. To attain this effect we went to the video
transitions folder under effects, then to dissolve and then dip to black.
Once again we dragged and dropped the effect onto the end of the clip on
the timeline (H).

(A)

(B) (C) (D)

(E) (F)

(G)

Conclusion
Overall, this task was a very enjoyable introduction to A-Level
Media. It has given me the basic camera and editing skills required
to produce the opening to our Thrillers, recognising at the same
time that I still have room to improve further.
Areas to improve

Match On Action

- In our preliminary task I believe our use of match on action

could have been a lot stronger and smoother. It is a little bit
unclear and confused when the character enters the room.

Sophistication

- During the filming of our task we could have been more serious
as we didnt properly take into account once it got to editing we
had to used what we had. Many of our shots couldve been refined,
for example when the character throws the pen out of the window.
This take was very rushed and the actor hesitated. It wouldve
been very useful for us to redo this shot. What's more, I was
laughing in the background which, if noticed, could hinder the
realism of our production. Maturity and concentration are going to
be key when it comes to our Thrillers .