Overall, though I think this was a decent first attempt, it isn't up to film opening standards.
One thing I thought we did well was how we used a range of shots. We included long and medium shots, close ups, low and high angles, panning shots and eye level shots.
Another success was that we attempted our specification - two of those asked for, match on action and shot reverse shot, I believe went well. However, the 180 Degrees Rule, Winn and I found difficult to conduct with only two cameras and no other equipment like a dolly. The footage I managed to collect in the style of the 180 Degrees Rule I don't think meets the standard expected, so this is one thing we may need more practice on.
Our example of Match on Action:
Our example of Shot Reverse Shot:
Our example of 180 Degrees Rule:
One problem we came across was that Winn and I's cameras (our phones), filmed in different dimensions. We didn't know how to fix this, and so we had to leave Winn's shots with a thick, black border.
When editing our footage together, we realised that both cameramen can be seen in the footage. When it comes to our final product, we must make sure not to make the same mistake.
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| Winn can be seen bottom left, through the door |
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| I can be seen to the left of the frame |
As we filmed over the course of two days, we became aware of the importance of fluidity. We had to make sure our cast wore the same clothes and were styled the same in hair and makeup. We felt as though in this aspect, we were successful.
Editing wise, our group was very poor. We didn't add any sound effects, music or filters. As I said before, we didn't know how to fix the black border for some shots either. Essentially, all we could do was cut and crop clips - we know for our final product, we will have to become more familiar with the software Final Cut Pro (as this is what we used for our preliminary and what we shall use for our final product).
Another thing we noted had to be improved for our final piece is the general quality of our product. Although phone cameras are becoming better and better, there is a lot of pixelation and blurriness whenever there's movement. We should look to use more professional equipment for our final piece, such as cameras and video recorders.
We didn't really consider elements of mise-en-scene in this clip - we focused pretty much on the camera shots we were asked for. This by-passes what film is all about, so we must consider mise-en-scene elements next time, as it will create a more believable and effective atmosphere.
To conclude - though we have met the requirements asked for, our clip could look, sound and evoke emotions more effectively, if we work on our editing skills and consider mise-en-scene elements. This piece shows what we already know - hopefully, our final product will showcase everything we've learnt, including how to make all clips one size.
