Evaluation of Preliminary Exercise

1) Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?
I worked in a group with Jessica Ball, Jacob Vydelingum and Wanda Dunham. We initially had to arrange a group meeting to discuss ideas, write our script, sketch out a storyboard and write our our shot list. This was done quickly and efficiently, all members contributing ideas with little conflict between us. When it came to filming the sequence, Jacob and I shot the majority of it as Jess and Wanda were required to act in most of the shots. However, we gave them both a chance to work behind the camera when they were not required to act. In professional TV and film industry, there will usually be a camera, sound and light technician, a production assistant all helping the director. As there were only four people in our group, with two members being required to act for most of the shot, we would usually take on more than one job per person. They would usually be in the combination of the director also being the camera man and the sound technician and director's assistant being another (it was not necessary for us to have a light technician). We would all share these jobs between us when we were not required to act. When it came to editing, all members of the group made contributions to editing the sequence. We all made suggestions and made sure that all members of the group had a go at editing, espescially Jess as she did not do GCSE Media and had no previous experience in editing. However, she was quick to pick up the basics and was able to contribute many suggestions to the sequence. As a group we worked very efficiently and we learnt how to communicate with each other. Our respect for each other and good time keeping and communication skills meant we had little or no conflict in the group.


2) How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?
After initially planning our storyboard in the meeting we made sure we walked through it to get an estimate of the length of each shot and whether or not the sequence would make sense. When drawing out the storyboard, we made sure that we followed the 180 and 30 degree rule and also that there were gradual changes in the variations of shot types (e.g. from MS to CU to ECU, not from LS to ECU) to make the whole sequence flow more. When scripting, we also had to make sure the story made sense to the audience and that there was narrrative flow. We also had to decide on the location and the placement of the camera as in addition to writing our our shot list. After planning this, we finallised everything by making sure everyone in the group was clear on what was happening in the sequence and what was required of us; a subject walking into a room for us to demonstrate match on action, the subject approaching another person, sitting opposite them and having a conversation for us to demonstrate shot-reverse-shot. When it came to shooting were realised that were were not able to follow the storyboard exactly as there were a few problems with continuity, this we adapted though we still followed the shot list, which proved to be very helpful in keeping us organised.


3) What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?
Before shooting our sequence, we were instructed by our media technician, Ryan in the proper ways of handling and using the technology we had available to use for this exercise. We were also taught by our teacher how best to shoot it e.g. shooting each shot longer than we intented it to be so that when it came to editing we would not have to worry about the shots being too short in length, so that we would end up with the best result as possible.
Our hardware consisted of a Canon HD Mini DV camera with digital tape, a shot gun mike to increase quality and clarity of sound , headphones and a tripod. The tripod helped us to create smooth pans across the room as the girl enters and approaches the other girl sitting down. We were also able to adjust the height of the tripod to make sure that the girls would be at eye level to the audience e.g. when sitting down and having a conversation.
We edited on a PC based digital editing suite, using Adobe Premier Pro and editing in a non-linear fashion as it was easier to shoot shots according to location, instead of in order. In Adobe, we dragged our whole captured sequence on the two timelines which were provided by default. The razor tool was used to to cut the sequence up into its seperate shots and the rubber band tool was used to cut off unnecessary parts of the sequence. When cutting up the sequence, we put each shot on alternate timelines to make the sequence clearer to us and to organise ourselves. To order the sequence all we had to do was drag them into order, making sure there were no gaps between them. We used the source monitor to view each individual shot when needed and we used the output monitor to view the sequence as a whole. Finally, we added titles at the beginning of the sequence using the on board titling software and we also made the end of the sequence fade to black, by adding on a transition from Adobe. This was done simply by dragging the effect (which was provided to the left of the timelines) and dropping it to the desired place, and to shorten it we once again used the rubber band tool.


4) What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
When it came to planning the first thing we had to decide was what we were going to shoot and who would not mind acting in it. We also checked that the location we wanted to shoot the sequence in would be free at shooting time. Though we had no problem booking the room where the majority of the sequence would take place, the difficulty was when we were going to shoot the shot where the girl walks along the corridor as other groups wanted to use it at the same time as us. In the end we compromised with the other three groups, with us planning to shoot the shots inside the classroom first and shooting the shot of the girl walking along the corridor last, which gave the other groups time to shoot their corridor scenes beforehand. We went over the storyboard and the shot list several times to make sure the whole group knew what we were doing whilst our two actresses went over their lines to make the scene seem as natural to the audience as possible.
We also realised before shooting our sequence that we only had three people maximum behind the camera when shooting the shots. This presented itself to be a problem as with only two to three people at a time behind the camera there would not be enough people to fill the roles of members of a production crew (director, production assistant, camera/ sound and light technician) which are usually present in the professional television and film industry. To counter this we would adopt more than one role in order to make sure we covered all aspects of film to get the best possible result.
When it came to the day of shooting, we had to move furniture that would be in the way of the two actresses away to eliminate any distractions which may have presented themselves to the audience. We also framed the shots each time before we actually recorded them to make sure that we were all happy with what was in shot. We also tried our hardest to keep to the 180 and 30 degree rule. The lighting we had no control over as we decided that the lighting in the corridor and the classroom would be sufficient, and using the same lighting all the way through meant that the shots would flow into each other more easily. However, sound became a problem to us as we were able to pick up background noise from other people in the media block. To counter this, we had to ask the groups to quieten down whilst we were filming, but to do this we had to be quick and efficient as we were possibly inconveniencing other groups by asking them to keep quiet. We made sure that we did each shot more than once so that we would have more material to work with when editing and that we went over each shot after we shot them so make sure we were satisfied with the result.
When editing we had to make sure that the computer we used was free at the time and that we were able to finish editing in the time allocated to us. We also saved our progress every few minutes so that we would not lose any work should something happen to the computer.


5) How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and in hindsight, what you would improve/ do differently?
My group's sequence consisted of Girl A walking into a corridor, opening a door from corridor side, a match on action of her opening the door from the inside of the room. Girl B, who is sitting down at a desk reacts to Girl A entering the room, Girl A walks across the room, sits opposite Girl B and exchanges a few lines of conversation with her, which helps us to demonstrate shot-reverse-shot. I also think we created a sense of place well within the sequence as we had clear establishing shots.
I think that the sequence turned out quite well as we demonstrated both shot-reverse-shot and match on action very well. The narrative was easy to follow and would make sense to the audience, adding to narrative flow. However, though our sequence was quite continuous, I think it could have flowed more, this could be due to mistakes made during filming which we had not taken into account at the time.
Firstly, we did not have a close up of Girl A's hand on the door handle as the only shot of her hand on the door handle broke the 30 degree rule when compared to the shot of her actually pushing the door open. This was due to the fact that we had not realised we broke the 30 degree rule and also because when it came to realising this mistake we had already run out of time. The second mistake we made was when Girl A walks across the room, sits down opposite Girl B (shot 6) and starts having a conversation with her (shot 7). There is no flow between these two shots and its looks stiff and rather strange. This was because we had not filmed Girl A walking across the room and sitting down opposite Girl B from Girl B's point of view. This would have made the transition from shot 6 to 7 more fluid. Finally, I think the shot of Girl B apologising to Girl A was cut a bit too short. However, this was because the actress looked at the camera at the end and we had to cut it off, had we realised this mistake beforehand and were given more time we would have been able to rectify this mistake.
Analysing the sequence from the point of view of a member of the audience, I don't think the sequence is particularly successful. The editing is seemless at parts (match on action, shot-reverse-shot) but at other times it looks disjointed and rather strange (when Girl A sits down and starts having a conversation with Girl B). This does not provide a pleasing viewing experience for the audience and does not seem to suspend their disbelief. The audience acts more the part of an observer rather than a participant, though the master shots help to give them a sense of place within the sequence.


6) What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of our foundation coursework, do you think?
This exercise was set to teach us the basic principles of continuity and filming. I have learnt how directors in both film and TV apply continuity to their material in order to engage the audience and "suture" them into the world they are trying to create. From what I have learnt, I will try to apply to the main task I will be shooting later in the academic year.
I have also learnt the importance of shooting schedules, shot lists and storyboarding and just how significant it is in filming. The clapper board, which before seemed rather insignificant to me, proved to be the tool to help keep the group organised. I have also learnt how directors shoot according to location and not in order as a way to save time and energy. Before learning about this, I had always thought how professional TV and film sequences seemed to difficult to put together, after, having learnt how directors shoot according to location and camera placement instead of in shot order, that the process (though on the outside seems complicated) is actually rather simple and easy to achieve if done well, following basic continuity rules.
The storyboard is also of great significance, being not only an aspect of planning, but also as a guideline to follow when filming. Without the storyboard, we would have not only not known what to do, but we would also be disorganised and disorientated in terms of framing and camera angles.
I also have a greater appreciation of working in a team and have enjoyed working with other people as opposed to with myself. I also think that working in a team will ensure that the end result is better as there are other opinions and perspectives about the work besides your own. Though there was little conflict in my group, I have learnt to compromise and work around other people's ideas during the planning stage.
Finally, this exercise has refreshed my memory on working with Adobe Premier Pro as it had been a while since I had used the software. I am now, with my added knowledge on continuity, more confident the main task later in the year.
(Below is evidence of the planning my group did for this exercise)


Group 1C

Proppian Analysis of Aladdin

Vladimir Propp was a Russian formalist scholar who studied Russian folk tales to classify their similar narrative elements.
In these Russian folk tales, Propp identified only eight main character types which he believed to be present in all stories, of which are;

1) The villain- who struggles against the hero
2) The donor- who prepares the hero or gives them a magical object

3) The (magical) helper- who helps the hero on their quest

4) The princess- the object of the quest the hero is on/ the reward

5) Her father- who rewards the hero

6) The dispatcher- who sets the hero on their way to completing the quest they are on

7) The hero- the person that undertakes the quest set to them

8) The false hero- who takes credit for the hero's actions and/ or tries to marry the princess (the false hero can sometimes also be seen as the villain)

Although Propp focused only on Russian folk tales, his character types can be applied to characters in modern day films, most easily to fairy stories. Below, I have applied Propp's theory to the story, Aladdin as an example.

SYNOPSIS OF ALADDIN

Jafar, Grand Vizier to the Sultan of Agrabah, is attempting to access the Cave of Wonders for a magical oil lamp containing a genie. He and his talking parrot, Iago, learn that only the metaphorical "Diamond in the Rough" can enter the cave.

Meanwhile, Jasmine, the Sultan's daughter is frustrated, living a suppresive lifestyle and escapes the palace and goes to the marketplace. There, she meets the street urchin, Aladdin and his pet monkey, Abu. However, Jafar has Aladdin arrested after finding out that he is the "Diamond in the Rough".

Jafar (disguised) releases Aladdin from prison and leads him to the cave of wonders, where he is instructed to touch nothing but the lamp when he enters the cave. Once in the cave, Aladdin meets a magic carpet which leads him to the lamp. Once there, Abu attempts to steal a ruby which causes the cave to collapse upon itself. Aladdin (holding the lamp) and Abu, with the help of the magic carpet survive the cave in though do not manage to escape and are thus trapped in the cave.

Trapped in the cave, Aladdin rubs the lamp, releasing a genie which grants him three wishes. Aladdin manages to free himself from the cave with the genie's help, though without using up any of his three wishes.

For his first wish Aladdin wishes to become a prince in order to marry Jasmine.

When Aladdin enters the Sultan's palace as "Prince Ali", he is rejected by Jasmine, who considers him idiotic. However, Aladdin later takes Jasmine out on a ride on his magic carpet, where she then realises that he was the street urchin she had encountered in the market.

After returning Jasmine back to the palace, Aladdin is captured by Jafar and is thrown into the ocean. Aladdin then asks Genie to save him with his second wish. Once back at the palace, Aladdin informs the Sultan of Jafar's plans to overthrow him. The Sultan, impressed by Aladdin's bravery names him as his successor to the throne.

Realising Aladdin's true identity, Jafar escapes from the Sultan's bodyguards. Iago, Jafar's parrot steals the lamp and takes it to Jafar, who uses his first wish to become the Sultan. With his second wish, he is turned into a powerful sorceror, and using those powers, sends Aladdin off to a remote, distant place.

Using the magic carpet, Aladdin returns to Agrabah. Whilst attempting to steal the lamp back from Jafar, the Vizier notices and attacks him, boasting that he is the most powerful being on earth. Aladdin replies that Jafar is in fact wrong, as the Genie is the one being more powerful than him. Hearing this, Jafar uses his last wish to become a genie, but forgets that genies are not free entities and is sucked into his new black lamp, dragging Iago with him. Genie flicks the lamp into the Cave of Wonders.

Aladdin uses his last wish to grant Genie's freedom, much to Genie's surprise and happiness. Finally, as Jasmine loves Aladdin, the Sultan changes the law so they can marry.

CHARACTER TYPES IN ALADDIN ACCORDING TO PROPP

1) The villain- Jafar

2) The donor- Jafar (takes Aladdin to the Cave of Wonders)

3) The (magical) helper- Genie

4) The princess- Jasmine

5) Her father- the Sultan

6) The dispatcher- the Genie (granting wishes) and Jafar (taking Aladdin to the Cave of Wonders)

7) The hero- Aladdin

8) The false hero- Jafar

As you can see the character types in Aladdin often repeat themselves, for instance, Jafar taking on several character roles (the villain, the donor, the dispatcher and the false hero). Thus, from this we can glean that though it may be relatively easy to apple Propp's theories to some modern day fairy stories, they are not as clear cut as we may have thought them to be. Today's stories are much more complex than those Propp analysed, so we may say that his theories are not very relevant in today's society. However, though those theories may seem outdated, an understanding of them helps us appreciate films and their narratives as a whole before looking at them in more depth.

Applying Todorov's theory of equilibrium

CHOCOLAT- up to 4 minutes 40 seconds



The Bulgarian theorist Tzvetan Todorov had, after extensive analysis of folk tales and fairy stories, discovered that they followed a similar pattern in their structure. What he discovered is now known as the Classic narrative pattern and can be applied to the films of our current society.
The Classic Narrative Pattern starts with equilibrium, then disruption, then resolution, the restored order and finally a new equilibrium.

- Equilibrium at the start of the scene is the small town pictured with its ordinary looking townspeople going into church

- It is not made clear who the agents (antagonist and protagonist) are but we assume that the protagonist, the hero of the story is the man with the moustache who greets the townspeople at the entrance of the church and that the antagonist (the opposing agent) are the mysterious people cloaked in red who advance towards the town at the same time a strong wind blows through.

- The disruption in the film is when a strong wind blows through the town and manages to release the church doors from its latch.

- The resolution is when the man with the moustache closes the church doors against the wind. Order is then restored and a new equilibrium established.

- Though equilibrium is established we get a sense that the cloaked figures will cause disequilibirum later on in the film.

- The antagonist and protagonist are not made explicitly clear and the audience could have been left wondering whether or not the man with the moustache is good and the cloaked figures bad.

Homework 28th Sept Part: 2

(I was unable to share or embed this video off youtube so if you click on the link below it will take you to the video I analysed for homework)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhblfL436wM&feature=related
FANTASTIC FOUR 2005 CONTINUITY SEQUENCE
(sound slightly out of time)
Up To 1 minute 35 seconds

The timings of this particular clip from Fantastic Four does not correspond with the actual start of the scene the directors intended. Thus, the first shot of the character Ben (Michael Chiklis) is not intended to be an establishing shot. However, I think the other three characters entering the empty hallway could be seen as an establishing shot, telling the audience that they are going to Ben's aid.
At the start of the clip there is limited camera movement and shots are cut into one another, signifying that there is little time to waste and that the characters are under pressure.
The shot types do not vary much at the beginning, consisting only of MCUs and CUs, making the shots flow into one another more easily and to prevent any sudden changes in angle and perspective.

The shot of Reed (Eoan Gruffudd) bending down to the bottom of the door is a LA. The fact that he bends down towards the camera makes it feel as if he is coming towards us, the audience, absorbing us into the flim without disruption. Also, the camera is focused on Reed's hand reaching up to the other side of the door- the CU of his face and hand make us every bit as informed of the situation as he is, and the cut to the other characters, Sue (Jessica Alba) and Johnny (Chris Evans) remind us that they are still part of the scene.
The cuts to the inside of the room where Ben is show us what the other characters can see from the outside of room. We are no more informed of the situation than they are. The mystery surrounding Ben's state makes us keen to find out what happens to him and engages us within the film

Fantastic Four follows all the continuity editing rule. The shots of the characters always follow the 180 and 30 degree rules, to make the scenes flow steadily and without glitches to confuse the audience. At the beginning of the clip, the conversation between Sue and Johnny show clearly the practice of the 180 degree rule- the over the shoulder shots always stay on Sue's right and Johnny's left. This conversation also shows shot-reverse-shot in use. This is so that the audience can follow both sides of the conversation without missing out on anything.
The shots at the start of the clipn are always on order, from MSs to MCUs to CUs. Ordering the shots takes the audience smoothly through the narrative steadily.

Match on action is an extremly important technique to use in continuity editing and it is shown to great effect when Reed opens the door into Ben's room. The shot when the door is opened from the outside of the room to the shot taking us inside the room, observing the three characters going in is perfectly matched with no jumps to interrupt the audience and their viewing pleasure.

Finally, the camera follows the characters into the room with a pan and also follows their line of sight to up the the hole in the wall with a tilt. These shots are used to show the audience what state the room is in and to also vary the shot type to make it more interesting to the audience. Smooth pans and tilts also make for better narrative flow.

Homework 28th Sept Part: 1

1) What did you think was the point to the activity?

I think the point to the activity was to teach us how to appreciate the neccessity of a storyboard and how important continuity is in filming. In this exercise we were told to create a short sequence compromised of six shots of an accident without editing it on the computer. From this exercise, we learnt how important narrative flow is in relation to the storyline.
We also learnt how each specific shot can help to contribute to the mood we try to create.

2) In regard to your finished sequence, what worked well?

This sequence has a wide variety of shots which I think were filmed well my myself and other members of my group. The first shot, an LS tracking shot is filmed quite steadily and the LA mid-shot is also framed very well. The pan around the subject is also done very well. All these different perspectives of the subject make the sequence on the whole more interesting to wach for the audience e.g. the tracking shots showing the subject alone in the field show just how immersed in his music he is.

3) What would you aim to improve about your sequence?

Firstly, the first shot, tracking the subject goes on too long. Later in the sequence, the second and third shot break the 180 degree rule. We unintentionally broke up the sequence by interrupting the continuity, and by doing this we end up confusing the audience's by shooting the subject from two completely contrasting angles.
There are also several glitches in the sequence from about 18 seconds onwards into the sequence from us trying to film over unsatisfactory shots.
We also unintentionally ended up including another person in the backgroud of the fourth shot.
Finally our accident looks too staged and unnatural and the ending is clumsy and messy as we had run out of time filming the sequence.

4) What did you learn from doing this activity?

I learnt that it is always essential to plan out the sequence on a storyboard before actually shooting it as not being organised caused us to rush the filming of the ending of our sequence. I also learnt how important continuity is when trying to achieve a realistic narrative flow. I also learnt certain important rules in filming, such as the 180 degree rule and the 30 degree, which help prevent confusion and disorientation for the audience.
This continuity exercise showed me how to create a continous flowing sequence by not only using a variety of shot types, but more importantly when to use them in order to create narrative flow.