James Gao Assignment

1.Use of the Camera
Our finished work  shows what we have learnt about the techniques of using camera during the last few weeks.
Since we used the tripod throughout the process,we successfully made almost all our shots steady,therefore the clip we made looks relatively developed.However we may also meet the situation where tripod cannot be used when shooting our final piece,  so we still need to practicing using camera.
We have framed our shots appropriately, because the way to frame a shot is often discussed by members of the group rather than decided by the camera man himself.Therefore the positions where camera is put are often well chosen.
We included a variety of shot types in the clip, using them appropriately at the same time.I think what we need to improve is make the shot types more expressive,which can make our clip more attractive.
Composition techniques were never forgotten while shooting.We always follows the rules of three thirds ,so the audience can see that characters are often conspicuous on the screen.We also managed to make some shots meaningful through using the composition techniques.
2.Use of Editing
We tried to follow the rules of editing but some small mistakes we made when shooting affected the continuity.Still, the clip looks fluent in general because the mistakes had been hidden while editing.
We did not use any editing transitions because we want to make our clip natural. 
3,Selection of Content
In the clip we just made  we didn't  pay much attention to costume or make-up because characters and plots are not complex.However it will become a big problem when we are making the final work  since these will be what the audience  see on screen and it helps create the whole atmosphere.
Since it was just a test clip so we chose the football field in college as our location for convenience.
It was not a very good location at first because there were always people walking around, however we eventually improved it by changing exposure when editing to make it darker.
Mart in our group was the actor.Although he did very well ,we still need more actor/actresses if we want to shoot a completed horror film.The advantage to use the member in group is  that he can understand the storyboard much better.
4.Self-assessment
Unluckily there were only two members who produced the short clip, so Mart and I need to share the work and do more than usual.My job was to draw the storyboard, filming and editing,which was what Mart did as well.The filming work was mostly done by me.I am happy with what i did because it doesn't look bad.Further more, through operating the camera alone this time, I am more confident when using the camera.
There are a lot of improvements can be made to the finished film.Music is a new but important problem for us to think about because we tried using several pieces of music to illustrate the atmosphere of the film but didn't achieve the best effect.I think we can improve it if we do more work about the soundtrack.
I don't think it will be different for me when it comes to the final work because I am very happy about what I do in our group and I think I can make some improvements in the final work. 
 

Mart Smith Individual Assignment

AS Media Studies
Half Term Homework Assignment

I worked with James and Ashley to produce a 40 second clip of a horror film produced by previous years students. 

We decided to reproduce a clip from 'Pendant' in the psychological genre in horror films. On the day we filmed and edited the clip Ashley was absent so he has subsequently edited the film that we shot to show his skills.

1.Use of the Camera

For our reproduction of the 40 second clip we had to use our new found skills in camera work. Throughout the film we shot the camera shot was steady throughout and only shuddered when we felt the need in the editing stage. 

We appropriately framed the shots following the golden mean rule and the rule of thirds. We made sure that the actor was in the camera shot in the correct position for the shots which meant that the clip was easy to edit afterwards. 

We used a variety of shots when we initially filmed the clip but in editing we cut out a lot of close ups as we felt that it detracted from the atmosphere of the overall clip. We used composition techniques to our advantage as they helped to keep a pace on the clip so that the acting and movements led into something that the viewer would expect.

2.Use of Editing

We used the rules of continuity editing to make the shots flow and merge together without the viewer noticing too much. When we were editing we had a lot of shots that seemed right and good at the time of filming but when we looked over them in the editing suite we felt that they wouldn't be of use which narrowed down the amount of clips that we could actually use in our reproduction. 

We didn't include any editing transitions for the clips that we shot but we looking at the final version of the clip we think that if we had used any transitions then it may have made the clip look dodgy.

3.Selection of Content

Our finished work doesn't really show that we can choose appropriate costumes, make-up and props as they weren't used in our clip as we didn't have any monsters etc that needed to be in the clip. The only prop that was used was a mobile phone which was used in replace of the pendant as we couldn't get one to use for filming. 

The location was the best we could use due to the circumstances in that we filmed, we feel that even though it was in college the use of the surroundings made it not feel like a basic location. 

When we came to film the clip we had to use ourselves as the actors as one of our group members was absent and he had arranged for his friends that the other group members didn't know to act for us. So instead of having actors we had to multi task by filming and acting at the same time.

4.Self-assessment

As we only had two people in our group when we came to filming and editing the two members had to split the work of the absent member between ourselves that meant that we had to film, act and edit when if the absent member was present we could have shared out the roles. In the planning stage of our clip drew half of the storyboard and found the location for filming. When we were filming I did most of the initial camera positioning and shot framing before I then become the actor in the clip. In the editing suite I gave my opinions on how the clips should go and edited them together to show James.

We worked well together when we were editing as we both could tell if a shot looked good or if something didn't and either of us could make it look right. If we could reproduce what we had already reprodued then I feel that we could make it even better as we would find a better location outside of college and by having the third member of our group present along with actual actors then the whole clip would look a whole lot better. By cutting out the sound and merging different sound clips we could add more presence of the fear that we tried to replicate from the film 'Pendant'. 

The things we would do differently when we come to do our final coursework film is shoot on location, have actors instead of acting ourselves, produce background music that works well with the visual film to create a tense, fearful atmosphere and to film a lot more than we actually need so that when we come to editing we can use a lot more different show types without sacrificing the look of the clip.

Mart Smith

Video Skills Practical Assessment

AS Example Film

This is the Psychological Horror film that we are going to create for our preliminary exercise. We are going to remake the first 40 seconds bar a few scenes, which we think will make our remake better. 


We are doing this to improve and bring together all the skills that we have learnt so far since we have started. It will be a good experience, to prepare us for when we shoot our actual film in weeks to come.

Composition Exercise

This week we had a go at shooting a short film, focusing on composition. The film was based on someone waiting for another person, them having a short conversation, then them both walking off with each other up the stairs.


While shooting most of the time we filmed using the golden mean which means splitting the screen into 9 boxes, commonly known as the rule of thirds. We feel we have took to the rule reasonably well with a few exceptions where we feel we could improve our work if we shot it again.


Another key point whilst thinking about composition is looking at the amount of headroom above the actors head. We had to make sure there was enough room, but not too much as if there was a large amount the viewer would be drawn to the space above his head, rather that the actor himself. If we could do this again, I think we would as on a few shots we have left a bit too much room and the viewer immediately spotted this and pointed it out.


In our short film we had to think about giving the actors lead room to walk into or talk into. We think we have given enough lead room for the actors whilst not having too much as it would appear to the viewer as 'dead' space.


When we came to editing the film we realised that we hadn't shot a clip which was necessary to make the clip flow. If we would have shot this, it would have improved our short film, whilst thinking about composition.

Practical Continuity Exercise

This week, we filmed another short clip based around continuity and coverage. The footage was of Mart walking up the stairs, looking at his watch, then leaving out of the door.


Although our clip is relatively short, we feel we have gave it a good go. The reason for our clip being so short is because we edited too much out as our camera skills weren't up to scratch. But we now know what we did wrong, so hopefully next time, this mistakes will no longer be apparent.


Our continuity of our short clip is reasonably good as the individual clips do flow but not as well as we would have liked. Considering that it is our first attempt at these kind of shots we are quite pleased with the results.


The framing of shots along with the variety of shot types make the short clip look more professional even though we were still rookies at filming. 


In our original plan we planned to have a number of varied shots, all but one of these are included in our final clip. The one that isn't is a extreme close up of the watch but due to our basic filming skills the shot wasn't long enough as the arm was shaking. 


The final clip does flow and has a bit of pace to it as it is easy to watch on the eye and there are no obvious mistakes.


If we had to do this again we would try to film for longer on each shot so when we come to editing we aren't left with a clip a second long instead of a longer on that has more editing freedom.