Saturday 28 January 2012

Shot List

The primary shots we decided to use in our film opening included:

Panning Shot - Used when Jonny is being chased across a ledge, the camera is situated at a lower level moving with the action, emphasising the pace of the chase. This is also used when nearing the end of the film, with the camera panning around the victims head, showing his worried, panicked emotion.
Close-Up - A shoe of each actor is shown closely as they run past, emphasising who was chasing who and increasing the tension as these short clips are transitioned with a black screen with the sound of someone panting.
Still - This was probably our most commonly used shot. The actor(s) would run past the camera, giving the audience a chance to establish characters clothes etc. This shot is also used towards the end of the film opening when the victim is at gunpoint, we feel this shot was necessary as it shows the victims vulnerability and the attackers dominance. This shot was most effectively used when we incorporated the sunset into the shot. The sun coming through the railings allowed us to show the actors as silhouettes, which would only be possible with  a still.
P.O.V. - This was only used once and we are unsure whether or not to use it in the final draft. This was used from the point of view of a chaser, showing him running down a flight of steps. This shot was very unsteady and the light intensity was poor, however, it gave an alternative view and emphasised the pace.
Zoom Out - Whilst running across a bridge, the cameraman stood at the end waiting, as they approached the camera zoomed out with them, they ran past the camera showing the intensity of the run.
Extreme Close Up - Used when iPod is being plugged in and on the gun near the end. Showing the gun close up emphasises the importance of the weapon.
Pan-Up - The final shot used, as the victim leaves the house the camera pans up into the cloudy, white sky, locating an ideal spot for the title Full Time to appear.

Each shot considered typography and titles. Where necessary we tried to keep the camera as stable as possible.

Feedback from our first draft

After broadcasting our film opening first draft to the class for the first time we received helpful feedback. The constructive criticism will help our group when shooting our clip for the second time (if we feel we need to) as the response from our peers has prompted discussion about whether or not to film again.


Response:
- Shot Steady
-- Nice shot into sunshine
-- Excellent movement around Jonny when he stops
-- Pay Attention to keeping the shot steady and reject any wobbly takes.
-Framing
-- Liked the framing where Jonny was running between wooden panels
--Choose more of these types of shots - they're brilliant.
- Shot Distance
-- Needs attention - you've begun with the right attitude but needs consistency throughout.
- Mise-en-Scene
-- Some excellent choices
-- Make sure you make the most of the mise-en-scene.
- Sound & Images
-- Pendulum track seems appropriate
-- Try and include some sound effects.
- Transitions
-- Pay attention to where you can create a natural transition.
- Titles
-- Font for Full Time becoming excellent
-- Work on an excellent title board.

From this valuable feedback I believe it is necessary for us to shoot parts of our film again. In my opinion the most important aspect to focus on will be the steady shot and making it look as professional as possible.

Thursday 5 January 2012

Shooting film #2

Second time round we were able to include all the improvements from our first set of footage. I feel our group has benefited a lot from being able to shoot it again - we were able to see what was missing from our first piece and apply the improvements.

We were able to improve shots, for example this time around we included a shot showing the actors as silhouettes with the sun coming through behind them.

Port Meadow


We were able to think about spaces for credits more whilst filming; allowing a space for them to appear, making the editing process easier.

We could use the sun to our advantage this time around, making the most of the sunset which we failed to do first time around.