Question 7

This is an example of an over the shoulder shot that we used in our preliminary task. As you can see, the quality of the shot isn't great and the camera is out of focus creating a blurred image. Furthermore, the shot is supposed to give the viewer a little bit of a perspective from the character, however from this shot you can see very little of what is ahead of him.



On the other hand, this is a shot that we have taken from our film opening which as you can see, is a much higher quality image. For this piece we used a different camera to ensure that the quality of our film would be reflected through the type of shots that we chose to include. This shot is from a higher angle looking actually over the characters shoulder unlike in the preliminary task shot. This shot clearly gives the audience more of a point of view shot of the character. For the few seconds that the shot lasts for the camera remains still and in focus all of the time to produce a high quality image once it is edited.

In our preliminary task we included a match on action which is an editing technique to show the character opening the door and then entering into the room from two different angles. In this film, the match on a action takes place at 0:15 into the film and it is made apparent that the character is entering the room. The match on action is slightly out of sync due to the fact that the door was opened wider when the shot is outside of the room compare to when the camera is located inside of the room. More importantly, the match on action doesn't follow the 180 degree rule which can confuse the audience easily.

At 0:35 in the preliminary task we show I high angle shot of the character walking up the stairs however, the camerawork isn't very professional due to the shaky hand trying to film the shot. This creates a slightly blurred image along with the character walking too fast which means that the camera is out of focus which can clearly be seen within the shot. Because the camera isn't still, we are unable to keep the characters feet in the shot at all times which is the main object in the scene at the present time.

We also used a match on action at 1:00 in our main task. This attempt was much more successful as you can see that the transfer between cameras is very accurate and almost perfectly timed compare to the preliminary task. Moreover, the lighting in this film makes the match on action clearer to the audience as before the quality wasn't as good. Finally, in this task we followed the 180 degree rule more accurately in terms of not confusing our audience as to where objects are located through the use of camerawork.

A similar high angle shot was used on the character walking up the stairs at 0:45 in our main task. The framing of the high angle shot used in our main task is much more professional than the one in our preliminary task as you can see the characters feet throughout, which is the main object in the scene. To prevent the camera from going out of focus or producing a poor quality image, we used a tri pod which allowed us to get the ideal angle that we would want and hold it there in a steady position.

The planning stage was where we prepared for our film opening. This meant it was the steps leading up to our main task. Some of the steps we took were shot list, storyboards, timelines and analysis'. This research and planning assisted us when it came to producing our own film opening because it gave us guidance and made the process more efficient. It helped us to be more efficient as all the work was like a step by step guide because it showed us the basic structure of our film opening.

The research into the genre gave us further information as to what we needed to include in our opening. We chose to do an action and therefore by looking into the generic conventions we were able to figure out what to include within our own opening. More over we could find out when and where to use shots and how they promote dominance or someone who is weak. It also helped us to identify our target audience.

Overall from filming a preliminary task and then filming an actual film opening I feel as though our confidence in using the equipment has grown. When filming the preliminary task, you can see that the shots are shaky and in parts blurry compared to our actual opening which is very high quality and there is not much camera wobbling throughout. Using the movement on the tripod was not something we did in the preliminary task but because the confidence has grown using the tripod we managed to get some good pans and tracking shots using the tripod to steady the camera and get a smooth movement. These shots we put in our opening look good and fit In well. Our final film opening we used a HD camera which helped to improve the quality from the previous camcorder which you can tell had been filmed poorly. Finally, I think our biggest improvement between tasks was using the editing software. In the first film our sound and effects used are out of place and do not fit that well but our actual opening shows a significantly better use of sound by using a voiceover and having non-diegetic music which helps to create an atmosphere. Our editing also shows better changes, cuts and transitions. This helps to add to the realism of the film.

Looking back at our final film opening I feel it has been successful. The purpose of a film opening is to show what the film is about and to gain the audiences interest so that they are immediately hooked with the film. The film opening is also there to clearly display the genre of the film and introduce the characters. I believe we have followed these conventions when creating our opening which helps to make is a success. In order to show the genre, we put a gun as a prop in which is a typical convention of an action film and furthermore this helps to attract the viewer because it is an interesting prop so hooks them in. We introduced 2 characters well which might connote the convention of a hero and villain.

Moreover, our film opening is just over the 2-minute mark but no more than 2 and half which follows the guidelines given. I feel we could have improved it if we had kept it tight on the two-minute mark instead of going over it. Our narrative is not clear but we have introduced it and it is assisted by the voiceover so the audience have a rough idea of what is going on. Early on we also manage to establish the scene and location the actors are at. One is at school and the other is clearly in an office.

Our opening credits are seen to be stereotypical of a mainstream film because they have the main actors and main people from production and then the title. We have chosen for the title to come last because it most action films it is the last thing to appear, for example fast and furious 6. Usually in an opening a key event will occur that could help the storyline. In our case we see a government agent involved with some drugs he clearly shouldn’t be taking, this shapes the storyline. Finally, we also use relevant shots like an establishing shot to set the scene. I feel for these reasons that we have created a successful film opening and we are happy with the end product.

Rhys Williams & Sam du Berry