Main Excersise

I had been really looking forward to creating the main excersise. So far we are doing really well. We have found one location, and done location recees. We are still working well as a group, and have made very good progress so far. Andy was incharge of the research into our audience. He lost the first piece of research due the computering system at college, so therefore he had to start again. Our opening sequence is the opening qequence to a 'chick flick' film. We looked at the opening squences to films like, 'Legally Blonde', 'The Princess Diaries' 'The lizzie McGuire Movie' and 'The Devil Wears Prada' and 'New York Minute' (shown below).



These films vary in the target age of the audience, for example: 'The Devil Wears Parda' has an older audeince than 'The Lizzie McGuire Movie'.

Evaluation of the preliminary exercise

With the preliminary exercise I didn't feel as though I'd put much thought into the research material. The research was mainly done by Andy, but this time round I would like to take a more active part and help out with the research. This is because I feel that I could be quite good at the research, as it is something that I have done quite a lot in the past. I mainly created the storyboard for the preliminary exercise, but I would like to help more with the script in the main exercise. I think I would be good at the script writing as I am an English Language student, and therefore I have done script writing before. I felt that I didn't do a particularly good job when filming. This was because I hadn't much experience with a camera, and therefore I didn't really know how to get all the right shots to make a good clip. Lee taught me how about steady cam, and how to hold the camera without using a tripod. I also had trouble getting the continuity right within the clip. This again was part of my lack of knowledge about how to film. I did feel that I did a good job for my first attempt, but would like to do something else when it comes to the main exercise.
With the post production, I found myself doing a lot of the editing. This was because Andy was absent through most of the lessons and I was the only one who really understood how to use Windows Movie Maker. I wouldn't mind being the editor for the main exercise, even though it would be more difficult. I just feel that I would be good at cutting the clips, and making the continuity work. Finding the sound clip needed for the preliminary exercise was quite easy, however we know that it is going to be a lot more difficult with the main exercise, because we are looking at using a song, and we need to make sure it's not copyrighted.

The final clip for our preliminary exercise worked really well, but could of been better in many different ways. I know what I need to focus more on, next time, and I can take on the knowledge gained from this piece.

This is our finished project:

Filming and Editing the Preliminary Exercise

I felt that I didn't really help with the research as much as I should have done. I helped more with the script and the story board than I did with the researching. I also did the final call sheets from the pre-production, but they were left till last minute, as we were unaware that they had not been fully completed. I think that I would be strongest at writing the script when it comes to the main exercise. This is because I believe I am a strong English language student, and therefore I could use my strongest ability to it's full. The day we filmed our coursework (1st February) one of our group members were absent, due to illness. Also one of the actors pulled out last minute, due to personal issues, so we had to find someone else to step in. This wasn't too much of a problem, and our production ended up working really well. However we now know for the main excersise we need to find actors/actresses who will be commited to helping us, and who will turn up ion the day, because otherwise this could cause problems within our continuity, and we could really lose out on marks. When filming our coursework, I found it very difficult to begin with. This is because of the lack of knowledge I had when it came to getting the right shots and angles. It took me a while to learn how to make the tripod suit th situation, for examaple being eye line, but Sarah Blues (a group member) helped me a lot with this. I found it really usefull, and I really approciated how patient she was with me. I managed to follow the 180 degree rule well, when it came to the conversation, my main problem was getting the zoom at the right speeds and angles. It took a few different shots before I finially firgured out the nack to getting it right. Towards the end of the production I had defiantly improved and I became much more relaxed in the situation. We stuck to our plan, and all the shots stayed the same as our original ideas, and the same thing happened with our script. I ended up really enjoying the whole filming process. There was one slight problem within our filming that we were unable to find a clock. The clock was to of been quite a major aspect of our clip as it showed time, and it represented the setting. This means that we had to find a clock at a later day and edit it in. On Tuesday 2nd Februray we began the editing of our clip. The member in our group who is in charge of editing, was absent that day, so we decided to make a start and picking out the clips, as we didn't want to be wasting any time. Watching our footage back was, good because I got to see where I'd made mistakes and how I could of improved that particular shot to of been able to create a better effect. When we began editing, a few problems occurred, for one, the member of our group in charge of editing has been off ill, and so between us, me and the rest of the group have made all the decisions. When editing we found that the continuity wasn't quite as good as what we had expected it to be. We had problems making the cuts fit into each other, so that people had not moved around the screen. We also found that our actors were to close to the edge of the screen. This could cause a problem if the clip was viewed on TV, as it could cut them out of the frame all together. This did mean that we learnt how to go about filing for next, because I learnt that there is an inside frame that I should of attempted to keep to. When I took footage of the clock it wasn't very affective. This is because I was unable to hold the camera still and I was also holding the camera slightly wonky (at a dodgy angle). My lecturer, Lee then showed me how to use 'steady cam'. This involves the positioning of the camera in your hand, and holding it so that it rests against you. This means I can now take my new knowledge onto the main exercise, for if I end up filming again, or so that I can pass on my knowledge to someone else.

First skills audit for the G321 Foundation Production

When informed about the coursework I was quite happy with the task at hand. I felt that I had grasped the idea of the coursework and that I would be able to perform strongly, producing a strong piece of work. I think that the initial skills and planning that was done by the group, went well. We made a group decision about our preliminary exercise quickly, and this allowed to jump straight in and begin planning where to film, and how to go about it. The research our group has done, is strong and backs up our ideas well. This has given us a strong idea of the exact audience that would watch the programme from which our 'clip' has come from. I think that my skills vary dependent upon which section of the preliminary task am asked to focus on. I personally felt that writing the script would be my strongest point, as I am an English Language student, and therefore I have experience in this particular area. However it was decided by the group that my main focus should be on camera work, thus allowing me to attempt something new. Seen as I am yet to of filmed our production, I haven't faced any major problems yet, although I am slightly worried about what to do when it comes to filming. I have never filmed an official production, and so it will be an almost entirely new experience. This means I will have to learn how to go about filming the right angles and getting all the correct shots that are needed to get the right effects. To ensure that I am able to for fill the criteria on the set task I will ask for advice from my group members, as I know that one group member has camera work experience and therefore can pass on his knowledge to me. This will help me and prepare me better for the main exercise. So far there have been no major problems within our group, all members have attended the majority of the lessons, and we are all focused, and know exactly what's going on. This has made the pre-production easier going on ourselfs, meaning that we can all focus on the task at hand. I feel that so far our group is doing very well. I think that when it comes to filming our production, the knowledge that I will gain from group members will help me a lot in producing a strong piece of coursework.