Evaluation of preliminary task:

For our preliminary task before we make our proper title sequence, we were required to make a short sequence which involves someone walking in, sitting down and exchanging dialogue with another person.
However we must follow the 180-degree rule, demonstrate match on action and include a shot/reverse shot. This task should also show continuity not be confusing for audience. When I and my group first decided on ideas for this task, we completed a storyboard and mind map so that it included all of our ideas and that we had a thorough overview of what exactly we were going to do. However I believe we decided to make our task too complicated and became too absorbed in the plot and storyline, whereas we should have actually concentrated on the task guidelines. During filming we found it difficult to match continuity as we filmed it in different lighting and places. This meant the sequence did not flow very well and confused audience members. During editing, we attempted to rectify this by changing the lighting and making some bits longer but it didn’t look effective and therefore as a group we made a decision to film it again so it was perfect.
We made sure we found an isolated room which was quiet; this meant we wouldn’t have to stop halfway through due to interruptions and this would improve our continuity. Also we realised during filming last time, we hadn’t followed the 180-degree rule effectively so we ensured it was perfect this time. Because we made our second sequence a lot less complicated, it took a lot less time to produce and we were able to complete it in one lesson, allowing us more time to concentrate on editing. I am glad we re shot the sequence again as it gave us more experience and taught us the importance of the 180-degree rule and continuity. We also ensured our dialogue was short and simple so didn’t interfere with our filming. We tried to add variety to our shots by using lots of different camera movements and shots, as we found this would help keep the audience engaged and overall, improve the quality of our sequence.
We decided to use an over the shoulder shot firstly as this fit in with the ‘story’ we had chosen, as the character was untrustworthy. We then had a long shot of the character opening the door from the inside of the room, giving the sequence more variety and continuing continuity. The next shot we used was a shot/ reverse shot of both characters dialogue, which I think worked effectively as it was engaging to watch. The different camera movements we used was tracking, panning and zooming and we also chose these particular movements to add variety to our sequence. During the making of our second sequence, we also ensured lighting and sound was the same throughout so as to show continuity.
During comparisons of the two sequences, I think the second sequence is a major improvement in contrast to the first one, which was too complicated, did not show continuity and did not follow the 180-degree rule. Making a second sequence allowed all of us to learn from our first mistakes and make the huge improvements that were needed in order for the sequence to be effective. From completing the preliminary task, I and the group now have more knowledge on how to film effectively, which will help us in our main title sequence. From the preliminary task I have learnt the importance of continuity; as it means audience members will not be confused and it will improve the quality of the sequence. I have also learnt the efficiency of the 180-degree rule as the entire sequence looked a lot more ‘polished’ when we followed it effectively, making our sequence easier to follow and overall, a vast improvement on the first attempt.


1st attempt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xOzrOaqPEk
2nd attempt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zyBS4raKTU