Preliminary Task - Film Evaluation Questions

1. Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?
I worked with Josh as the director and Cat, Wes and I were the actors. Josh and I took control of the editing during our free time whilst Cat and Wes brought in some props we could use and contributed ideas towards the editing process.

2. How did you plan your short filmed piece? Did you use any other films for your inspiration?
We planned our piece with a storyboard; we wrote down every idea we had and drew a picture to accompany them but we didn't use inspiration from any other films.

3. What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?
For our task we used a video camera, a triod and a tape to film and a firewire lead and an apple mac to edit.


4. What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
When planning we had to take into account what our storyline was going be and how it was going to work. When shooting we had to take into account what camera angles to ues and to include mise - en- scene. When editing we took into account what we needed to get rid of and what to add to make the film more effective.

5. Which film conventions does the piece follow? e.g. music, match on action, 180 degree rule, camera work etc
We used music that we made on garage band, and made use of match on action and the 180 degree rule. We didn't break any conventions.

7. How did you consider mise en scene? e.g. lighting, camera work, setting, costume, props etc
When considering mise-en-scene we made a storyboard of the various camera shots we planned to use. We also got mugs and muffins to make it look like we were in a cafe.

8. How did you consider narrative? Is there a sense of a storyline? Can any theorists be applied e.g. Barthes, Todorov, Propp, Levi Strauss
There is a storyline to our piece as I am Wez's girlfriend and I dump him after which Cat laughs at him. If we apply narrative code we can see that I am the antagonist disrupting the equilibrium of our happy relationship; his newly single life is the new equilibrium.

9. How successful was your filmed piece? Identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?
I thought our piece worked okay but as it had to be rushed some of the continuity and shots didn't work as well as they could have done. If I had a chance to do it again I would spend more time on it and make sure we spoke louder so it picked up on camera.

10. What have you learnt about producing a short piece of film? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework?
I have learnt many different camera angles and how to use a video camera. I have also learnt how to edit a short film and this will be useful if I choose to make a film for my final piece.