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Part 1: Forming groups and working collectively on the project:
Kirsty split the class up into a group of three or four. Ryder, Rachel and I were put into a group of three. Kirsty tried to keep the groups similar to the groups we were in for the preliminary exercise, because we knew each other well. On the first lesson of planning we all put down our initial ideas to see if we could make a film concept which included each of our ideas. This took an hour then we knew which style of film to make and we were all happy. -
Group work.
We worked collaboratively so we could bring each of our ideas together to make one idea which was the concept we were going to make an OTS about. We did this by explaining our own ideas and taking the best bits from those ideas and moulding the ideas to the rest of the group. This way we had an idea which had many good aspects and we were all happy with our own individual contribution to make the groups OTS succeeds. -
task delegating.
We didn’t delegate tasks straight away as such, because we needed time to figure out who would be best for certain job roles. At first we had to delegate blog roles i.e. who was going to do the first group work and so on. The delegation then developed into more important roles such as who was going to direct and acts in the OTS etc. We did this easily as our personalities and egos didn’t clash. -
Why group work was rewarding.
Working in a group was very rewarding because we each could benefit from others in the group, because we all had different expertise and we each had our strengths which could benefit the rest of the group. It also feels better when you do something positive as a team instead of individually. -
Challenges i found.
Personally I didn’t find it challenging or difficult; however the workload strategy was hard, you all wanted the same workload not too much or too little. Delegating tasks was quite time consuming and strenuous at times. -
Part 2: Preliminary exercise: a filming and editing continuity exercise:
The preliminary exercise helped us gain knowledge about our equipment and filming rules. It was extremely beneficial to us because we knew that when it came to the final piece we understood what to do, not to do and how to do it. During the prelim we understood key concepts in continuity filming and editing which were; 180o rule, match on action and shot reverse shot etc. When it came to final piece we knew when and how to use these techniques in order to improve our OTS. -
Part 3: Planning and filming your opening title sequence
I believe I did, I say this because I went into the OTS with a different frame of mind with more knowledge and understanding of what was needed. I did this (planning it with more of a film maker’s eye) almost unintentionally. During the planning stage I knew what we had to include such as; shot by shot and M-E-S work, I started with a head start because I was aware of what I was doing. -
Improvements.
I think the library shots could have been improved, however on the day we had some minor technical issues and this was the reason, we also had to leave the library when it opened at 10am, so timing was a minor problem also. We did not have to re-film any parts of the day which was a massive relief. -
Pre lim continues.
Because all of us were new to filming it was essential that we learnt these new concepts quickly, and you can only truly understand them when you try and learn them practically, this way you can learn from your mistakes and it’s easier to pick up knowledge compared to if somebody is teaching you in a classroom. When we went into the edit we could see what we learnt and didn’t learn well. -
Why the prelim went well.
The prelim for me went really well, we began the process by creating storyboards and job allocating; this was followed by a mini rehearsal so we knew where to put the camera. Then we went out and filmed it. The prelim only took an hour however many mistakes were made and had to be corrected in that hour so by the time the real OTS filming started we knew what to do and this gave us experience. I found the acting role I was given fairly challenging because I have never acted before. We made some -
Skills gained.
As well as filming techniques we also had to learn the following skills: Group work, delegation, planning, storyboarding. All of which didn’t take too long to pick up however we needed to understand how to do it effectively. These are all key aspects in order to making a group succeed. Delegation of tasks and job roles were easy and we all knew what we would like to do, however planning was fairly time consuming and we had to learn what the best ways in doing so were. -
What i learnt.
I learnt each of the above a substantial amount in the prelim and when it came to the final piece I found that timings were my best strength. It took the rest of my group and I was very quick to understand what we had to do, so our time management was great. Furthermore I believe that my planning was better compared to the planning in the prelim. -
Planning,
The storyboards, recces, shot lists and m-e-s ideas were very important in the planning stage of our OTS because we had a better idea of what we wanted to achieve. The more information you have the better the outcome will be. -
Our groups ambition.
I think that our group were more ambitious when it came to the filming day because we knew what to do and we also wanted to experiment knew ways in order to making our OTS as good as it could possibly be. My favourite scene was the death of Lloyd scene. Not only was Ryder’s acting superb however it was very fun and quick to film. -
Techniques we showed.
We did not use any forms of shot reverse shot during our OTS because the only character we showed in our sequence was Lloyd. We did however use the match on action well during the scenes where Lloyd was bleeding and in distress. We also struggled to complete the 180o rules because again Lloyd was the only character involved and each of our shots didn’t last for very long and we cut to different shots throughout. -
Very proud.
I am very proud with our end product and I think it reflects our best work and shows how hard we tried in order to make it as good as we possibly could. I believe that “Prima Facie” has been a great success in my opinion. -
Suggested improvements.
I wouldn’t change anything, however the library shots were are only weakness if I was being over critical, although we did have a technical issue so this was the only reason. On a whole I am overly happy with the outcome. -
Part 4: Editing:
In the prelim we all edited it together and we also had John with us to ensure we were on the right lines and to give us advice. Compare this to the OTS editing was very different. Ryder was delegated as the main editor and we gave him advice on what we wanted and it was his job to do it. He like all the other editors worked almost individually whilst the rest of the group members were working on the blogs. -
Why it was easier to edit.
I think it was easier to edit the footage because we picked up techniques and knowledge on how to do so and we were able to edit at a quicker speed. It is difficult for me to comment as Ryder was the main editor throughout the OTS, however what I did do and contribute to I was aware that we gained knowledge and experience from the prelim. -
Editing transitions used.
We explored many different editing transitions and effects, however did not use all of them, the main effects we used was the work we did on the spinning coin. Ryder and Stuart set up and black background with artificial lighting shining on the background and the spinning coin. We filmed this very closely whilst I took pictures. Ryder in the edit then added music correctly and developed the sequence to better this shot. This was our main special effect and I think it worked very well. -
What i would change.
If I was to do this again I would not change anything. This is because I am very much happy with the outcome of our piece and I believe it reflects each member of our groups efforts well.
