Short film - school

Reflection of a task

Our first task for A2 media studies was to create a short film that consisted of a various number of different shots given to us by the teacher. I have had past experience before of using a video recorder however this was for non-professional use. After learning how to use the video recorder this helped increase my knowledge and understanding which I can now apply to for future use.

When set the task the first thing we did as a group was to familiarise ourselves with the shots we had been asked to create. An example of a shot was a medium close up of a male teacher, by applying our knowledge from last years media studies when creating a magazine cover we understood that the medium close up involved us taking a video of a male teacher from elbow height and above. Planning was key when it came to organizing these shots. As a group we ordered the shots into a order that most suited the flexibility and availability of taking the photographs.

First we started by taking a moving image of the teacher, the reason for this was because he was available for that shot however just because this was the first moving shot we had filmed this didn't mean that this would be the first shot that the audience would see on the final footage. To solve this issue of muddling up the shots we created a clapper board which helped to organize the shots to make the clips easier to sequence when making the movie. When using the clapper board it was important that as a group we followed certain rules, the reason for this is because the clapper board is a major responsibility into making the film organized.

These rules were:

Making sure the clapper board is fully within the shot

This was important because the information  on the clapper board is most important, if part of the board was missing off the shot, for example the shot number, this could become confusing and a key element of the film could be missing too.

Clapper board must exist for 5 seconds within the shot

This is important because the director and publisher must be able to acknowledge and clearly see the shots to be able to piece the film together in order to make is successful.

No talking happens when someone is introducing the shot

This rule is important for the actors due to them being stood behind the clapper board and them being able to hear what the individual who is in charge of the clapper board is saying so the actors are informed and are fully aware of the scene that is about to start.

These rules were successful and when it came to making the short film it was easy to piece the shots together due to the professional and efficient way of using the clapper board.

This was the first time I had used a clapper board but now I think I can put my knowledge to use when it comes to creating short movies and films in the future. 

Before beginning to film the rest of the movie allocated roles were key, the reason for this was because when using roles authority can be used in order to stay organized. Due to my successful grades in drama and me being confident I volunteered to be an actor however those who felt stronger on camera and had more camera skills allocated themselves within a specific camera based area. As a team we had a good continuity which made us strong as we worked together.

Before beginning to assign the actors movements and speech for individual roles we had to consider our positioning of filming:

Setting

Due to us filming our short movie within the school premises as a group we were limited to setting however we used the school setting to our advantage and based our film around school.

Background noise

Because of our setting being a school, noise was an obstruction to making our movie successful. As a group we had to consider noise levels outside such as cars driving past, students doing P.E on the field and also the wind. To solve this problem as a group we asked the actors to speak loudly and clearly when we were recording the video.

Lighting

The weather on the day of filming was sunny, due to our limitations of equipment we had to position ourselves away form the sun so that it was shining in the actors eyes or creating a reflection on the camera which could of caused unclear footage to show on the final film.

As a group our main prop was an engagement ring, the story fitted around a break up and because of our setting being in a school the settings were even more limited when it came to finding relevant props.

When we had filmed all of our shots we were then given the task to make a short movie using the film clips, to do this we used the software Abode Premier. This was a software I was unaware of and had not used before. After editing our movie we decided to merge the shots using a fade, this effect was successful and made the film smooth, the use of effects such as fade when merging a shot together are called transitions. Text was added to the short film too using insert text box and adding an extra 5 second long clip on the end to fit the text in. Music was also added to make the film more successful, the soundtrack of Mamma Mia Vou le vou was added over the background and when the actors had speech the music volume was decreased so that it played in the background quietly whilst the audience could listen to what the actors were saying.

In conclusion I think that our short movie was successful and looked professional. By taking my knowledge and understanding of how to film correctly I can now apply these skills in the future.