Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Before we began the production of our opening sequence we had to complete a preliminary task, which involved filming and editing a person opening a door, walking across a hall and sitting with a friend. We had to demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and conformity to the 180 degree rule.
This was my first time using the camera equipment and I approached the task timidly. It was difficult at first to set up the tripod and bewildering to attempt to keep the bubble level on the middle unit, to ensure that the shot was level. I learnt quickly, however, and enjoyed learning how to maintain the 180 degree rule. This was also the first time I had personally understood how much time could go into a simple one minute sequence of conversation, when implementing shot/reverse shot; even though we kept our conversation simple it was sometimes difficult to maintain continuity when we had to repeat the same sentences.
We used several types of shots in our preliminary task, including a long shot (see fig 1), a close-up (see fig 2), a medium pan (see fig 3), an over-the-shoulder shot (see figs 4 and 5) and a two shot (see fig 6).
We also demonstrated match on action as we shot our character opening the door (see fig 2) and shot/reverse shot (see figs 4 and 5). We sustained the 180 degree rule throughout the short sequence.
The types of angles and shots that I used, as camera-person, in this task were limited and unimaginative; I think that the main task demonstrates how I have developed my skills of filming.
After practice and intense study of many successful opening sequences of films (such as Fight Club; Fincher, 1999 and Lord of War; Niccol 2005), my work with the camera and my variety of shots improved noticeably. As a group we knew that the most interesting and enticing opening sequences consisted of inventive and meaningful shots. Therefore, we found as many ways to film imaginative shots as possible when we visited each of our locations.
The first location we filmed in was an underground tunnel in Romford, a fittingly gritty and dark location for our sequence. Our opening shot (see fig 7) is a high angle long shot which pans to the right, into a bird’s-eye-view shot. To film this shot I had to position the camera carefully above the tunnel from the street; I held the camera, because the tripod did not reach the level we wanted, and tried to make the pan as steady and professional as possible. However, I think the shot would have been improved with better framing.
Having incorporated no establishing shots in the preliminary task, we wanted to experiment with them in our opening sequence. Overall we filmed three establishing shots in two of our locations, Harold Wood and Raphael’s Park (Romford), but when we came to edit we decided to keep only one, the one from Harold Wood (see fig 8), which I think is the most effective. This extreme long shot conveys the decrepit nature of the bridge and produces a sense of foreboding for the audience; its appearance connotes the sinister event that the protagonist is running towards.
Overall our shots ranged between long shots (see figs 7, 9 and 10), medium shots (see figs 14, 17 and 18), close-ups (see figs 12 and 15), extreme close-ups, high angles (see figs 7 and 9), low angles (see fig 15), bird’s-eye-view, point-of-view shots (see fig 11 and 17) and worm’s-eye-view (see fig 16).
My use of camera movement has also improved. The only movement I demonstrated in the preliminary task was a pan to the right (see fig 3); in the main task I used several hand-held shots and pans and zooms with the tripod to increase the movement. I used hand-held to create point-of-view shots and when the tripod was not capable of capturing the shot we wanted. For example, in a shot near the end of the sequence (see fig 13) we wanted to film our actress from behind a bush, to mislead the audience by suggesting that she was being watched, as she stood after her fall. It was impossible to use the tripod for this shot so I held the camera as steadily as I could and stood slowly as our actress did.
We also greatly improved our sequence during the editing process. Safia Shafi was the editor of the group and, as a result of a group decision; she added jump cuts to certain parts of our sequence. Deliberate discontinuity is a technique used frequently in thrillers, especially the psychological thrillers. As our opening sequence aspires to be the beginning of a psychological thriller, we wanted to employ certain codes and conventions of the sub-genre; we also wanted to shorten two specific long shots of our protagonist running so that the sequence wouldn’t become slow-paced and boring. The effect of a jump cut is to create a disjointed feel to a scene which will disorientate an audience and evoke a sense of uneasiness.
We used jump cuts in the following shots:
Continuity was also a vital aspect of our filming in both the preliminary and main tasks. We were careful not to break the 180 degree rule when filming our sequence; to be certain that we hadn’t broken the continuity while filming, we re-watched everything after we filmed it. At one point we had to re-shoot an extreme long shot of our protagonist running through Raphael’s Park because our actress was holding her bag on the wrong shoulder.
We found a copyright-free piece of score music which complemented our sequence well; it was aptly suspenseful and fast-paced. We used Final Cut Pro to add the music to our sequence and cut it so that it fit perfectly with our sequence.
Eye-line match was also an aspect of editing that we had to consider. The antagonist of our plot, who is finally revealed at the end of our sequence (see fig 18), was filmed with blue screen technology. Therefore, when we edited the sequence we were mindful to make it clear that both of our characters, during the shot/reverse shot (see figs 17 and 18), were looking at each other. We also ensured eye-line match during filming by using point-of-view shots from our antagonist’s supposed perspective.
Colour correction was also used to change the lighting in our sequence; originally our sequence was shot mainly on sunny days and this summer tone is contrapuntal to our subject matter. Darker, low-key lighting is more typical of a thriller because, as an aspect of mise-en-scene, it adds to the atmosphere of the film.
Colour correction was also used to change the lighting in our sequence; originally our sequence was shot mainly on sunny days and this summer tone is contrapuntal to our subject matter. Darker, low-key lighting is more typical of a thriller because, as an aspect of mise-en-scene, it adds to the atmosphere of the film.
Overall, since the preliminary task, I feel that I have learnt a lot about the practical aspects of production, particularly the filming. The opening sequence we have constructed demonstrates my ability to use a variety of shots using the locations we filmed in and my development since my very basic work in the preliminary task. I have also learnt about the editing process and how to use the editing software, Final Cut Pro. Having taken part in the editing for our preliminary task and our main sequence, and having edited my personal audience feedback and answer to evaluation question 4, I have learnt many important functions of the software. I also now appreciate the effort that goes into the production process of a film and the significant difference editing can make to a sequence.
