Preliminary Task Daniel

Preliminary task.

The 180 Degree rule.
A screen direction rule that camera operators must follow - an imaginary line on one side of the axis of action is made (e.g., between two principal actors in a scene), and the camera must not cross over that line - otherwise, there is a distressing visual discontinuity and disorientation; similar to the axis of action (an imaginary line that separates the camera from the action before it) that should not be crossed.


The match on action
The match on action technique allows us to start the action in shot A and then finish it in shot B. For instance, the door opening scene when character comes through the door followed by a close-up on the door handle while opening the door.
Such technique requires precise timing in order to make scene look flow and smoothy transporting from shot to shot. Actor obviously has to look the same in both shots. One way of dong that is to film whole action on one go by two cameras placed in different positions. However my group used one, therefore we had to repeat the scene. It was not difficult to achieve because it was easy action to do and could be easily repeated. Another advantage was quicker setting up and uploading from the cameras.

Shot reverse shot

A film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.
Most difficult part of this technique was the acting itself, as whole sequence had to repeated twice in order to avoid using of two separated cameras. We filmed the scene from behind of one character and then the same scene, however from behind the other character. Editing helped us to properly time the conversation on the timeline. I think that using one camera to such easy scenes is more convenient and less complex than using two. The reason for that is that the scene could be repeated to capture from the other angle. Then uploading just from one camera is also quicker, and setting up all the equipment was much faster and less people were needed to operate them. On the other hand, the two cameras should be used for more complex scenes that would not be so easy to repeat because of the weather condition, time available or when set changes along with action, e.g blood or destroying something.

Summarising our final project is very successful. We have achieved what we planned in our project. The editing software was very helpful while correcting the timing errors, therefore we did not have to be over precise and strict while recording, also the idea of using one camera appeared more convenient at the end as we only had to connect one camera to download the footage. We however had to repeat the scene, but it was not too complex and therefore was not problematic to achieve.

Preliminary Task Final Daniel

Preliminary Task- Matthew

In the preliminary task we practised filming techniques like the 180 degree rule and editing techniques such as Match on Action and Shot-Reverse-Shot

The use of Shot/Reverse Shot
Shot/Reverse Shot is a media technique that conveys the sense of a conversation to the audience. The camera focuses on one member of the scene talking which allows for their expressions and persona to be shown while speaking, from the point of view of the conversational partner. The shot then reverses to the next member, once again allowing their personality and expressions to be shown in relation to the last line of speech. The 'Reverse Shot' also conveys the scene as a genuineconversation, facing and reacting to each other. We used Shot-Reverse Shot in our preliminary piece to create the sense of conversation between the characters, and to involve the audience in the conversation by using close up and direct shots, reversing with each new line.

The 180 Degree Rule
We also used the 180 degree rule which states that the camera should stay on the same side of an imaginary line so that two characters or elements in the scene will always have the same relationship to the camera. If the camera passes over the imaginary line then it becomes a reverse angle, giving a confused look to the scene.


The Match on Action
The timing has to be precise was quite difficult to achieve, otherwise the door would be opening twice. Match on SAction is used to connect to shots cut together by having a character finish an action in one shot and begin the other shot. For example the first shot would be a close up shot of the door handle, opening door followed by the second shot actor walking through door, mid shot - include embedded film.
Conclusion In conclusion I think we filmed and edited our preliminary task well. However, we believe that we could have done a better job performing the task by making the match on action flow more. We would do this by producing many moredifferent takes than we had done.