Filming and Editing of the Preliminary Exercise

Today we filmed the Preliminary Exercise 'The meeting'.

We had some last minute problems when the person who was meant to be playing the teacher pulled out in the morning before we were shooting. We were able to find a replacement at the last minute but this meant that elements of Mise-en-scene did not completely fit as he was not expecting to be acting. For example he was wearing a hoody which does not fit the dress codes and conventions of school teachers.

When we were sorting out our final props we discussed what the student should wear, we decided that she should not wear a school blazer as by identifying the specific school displayed on the badge could be considered false representation of pupils from that school.

When we arrived at the room we decided to move the tables around so that it would be easier to film and would make the shots run more smoothly, for example when the student walks into the room, by moving the tables we allowed her to walk directly to the desk with out having to walk around any tables which would affect the atmosphere, drawing out the shot making it too long.

I was the producer and director, meaning I was responsible for the correct shots to be taken and making sure that the actors were on cue. I felt like i did this well as we managed to get all the shots we needed and were able to quickly organise ourselves. I assisted with some of the camera work too as I helped Naomi set up framing's so that the actors were positioned in a way that fitted the Genre. The story board and script helped with this as it helped me imagine the shots and so help instruct Naomi where to place the camera.

When we began filming the over the shoulder shots we almost crossed the 180 degree line as we set up the camera over Lea's right shoulder. I realised immediatly that we had crossed the line and so we corrected the camara set up before we began filming. We had already established the 180 degree line by panning right to left from that side of the room.

One problem that we had while filming was when were doing over the shoulder shots from behind the teacher. The gap behind the desk was very narrow and this made it awkward to set up the tripod. This was combated by setting up the tripod and filming all of these shots without moving the camera.

First skills audit for the G321 Foundation Production

When we were set the coursework I was worried because I have very little knowledge of using a camera. I hope that through the Preliminary Exercise I will be able to develop my basic camera skills so that in the main exercise I will be able to help with the filming with more confidence.

During the planning my group discussed different ways in which we could approach the Preliminary task. We decided that it would be easier if we filmed at college as it will be easier for us all to get here. We then discussed Genre's that would be appropriate. After some discussion we decided that we will produce a scene from a school drama. This means that we can use a classroom at the college and this will make the Mise-en-scene more accurate. We also have a school uniform which will make getting hold of Props easier.

We looked at other school dramas so we could become familiar with the codes and conventions of this genre. We looked at a range of different programs including 90210, Waterloo Road and The OC. From looking at these we decided that 90210 and The OC portrayed an unrealistic representatin of life at school and appears more relevant to an American audience. We decided that Waterloo Road was the best example of a school drama relating it to a UK audience. Waterloo Road appeals to a broad audience as they show both a pupil and teacher point of view because of this we decided it was important to show the emotions of both participants of the conversation.

We decided on our production roles within the group:

Script Writer: Sara Trowbridge

Camara: Naomi Kelly

Editor: Andy James

I am the director.

As the director I am responsible for the overall look, sound and style of the film. So far I have helped create a Draft Script and I also drew the Storyboards.

This is a Test

This is a Test