The preliminary task that I was set was to film a short piece which consisted of someone walking through a door and exchanging a few lines of dialogue with another character. In my preliminary task I also had to include a match on action shot, a shot reverse shot and use the 180 degree rule. This is what I based my preliminary task on.
Preliminary task – plot summary
The section of Heartbreak I am filming is in the middle of the film. Heartbreak as a whole film is about the life of Claire who has a sister a couple of years older than her. At the start of the film you see her being adopted into Jane’s family but Jane does not realise Claire is not her biological sister. The film is about Claire’s life and how she has struggled with her family.
The scene I’m filming is about a woman (Claire) comes into a house where she sits next to her sister Jane in the kitchen. She is very upset and has something to tell her sister Jane. Jane is reading a book and when Claire sits down Jane does puts her book down. Jane asks Claire about her day but Jane does not respond very well. When Claire tells Jane what has happened she is very shocked and cannot believe her sister is adopted. Jane looks very angry about what has happened so she rips up the birth certificate.
Setting:
This scene is set in a house where two sisters live together. You first see Claire in the hallway and then in the kitchen with dim lighting. It is a medium sized kitchen and it is quite modern. The table they sit at is quite large which suggests that this used to be a family home. Then, the setting changes to the living room. It is quite large and again suggests it was once a family home. All three settings are quite dim lighting to show that something bad is going to be said or happen. Or there is going to be a shocking reveal.
Props:
· Birth certificate
· Cup of coffee
· Book
Character description – Claire James
Claire is wearing laid back clothes to show that she has been visiting her parents and has a day off. She is an angry person and gets annoyed very easily and is why she walks in the door looking upset. She is wearing quite a lot of makeup which shows that she cares about her appearance. Claire is not wearing a wedding a ring which shows that she does not have a family and is why she is living with her sister. She has a very good posture which shows she has been bought up well.
Character description – Jane James
Jane is in her late twenties. She is a caring person as she asks her sister what is wrong. She is the ‘typical’ older sister as she wants to make sure Claire is ok. She is wearing smart clothes to show she has been at work all day. She is also wearing a lot of makeup which shows that she cares about her appearance. She looks like she has been bought up in a wealthy background. She is also intellectual as she is reading.
Script
It is quite bright in the hallway of the house as Claire walks in the front door. She looks very upset as if she has found out some important news. She walks down the hallway into the kitchen which has dim lighting. Her sister Jane is sitting at the kitchen table reading a book. Claire joins her. Jane puts her book down.
Jane: Hiya sis. Did you have a nice time visiting Mum and Dad? Are they alright?
Claire: Yeah they were fine. (Sniffles)
Jane: Are you ok? You seem really upset. What’s happened?
Claire: Mum told me I was adopted… Look, she gave me my birth certificate to prove it. (Pause) It means we are not sisters.
Claire gives the birth certificate to her sister and she puts it on the table. The camera then zooms in to the birth certificate and Jane is now sitting in the living room with Claire’s birth certificate in her hand. She picks up her cup of coffee, has a sip and puts it back down.
Jane: Why didn’t mum tell me she was adopted? How could she lie to both of us?
She rips the birth certificate up and throws the pieces on the table and walks away. The camera zooms in to the pieces and the screen goes black.
Shooting schedule
Locations:
Hallway :
1st shot – Medium long shot - Claire walking through hallway. Duration – seven seconds.
Kitchen:
1st shot: Long shot - Claire and Jane are sitting at the kitchen table. Duration – five seconds.
2nd shot: Close up – Jane talking to Claire. Duration – eight seconds.
3rd shot: Close up – Claire replying to Jane. Duration – four seconds.
4th shot: Close up – Jane asking Claire what has happened. Duration – six seconds.
5th shot: Close up – Claire telling Jane what has happened. Duration – fifteen seconds.
Living room:
1st shot: Big close up which zooms out into a medium close up – birth certificate to Jane talking about what has happened. Duration – 25 seconds.
Storyboard:
Evaluation of my filming process
What went well? What would I do again?
When I was filming my piece it went quicker than what I expected it too as it ran very smoothly and I found the equipment quite easy to use. The reason why my filming went quite quickly was because I followed my shooting schedule so I knew what I had to do next and I knew how and where the camera needed to be positioned. When I filmed my preliminary task I filmed it in the correct order so that when it came to me editing my film it was much easier for me and it saved a lot of time. I like all of my shots that are in the film but one of the shots at the end of the film where the birth certificate has been ripped looks very messy and amateurish so I would film this again. When I was filming I filmed everything four times which was helpful when it came to me editing my film because I had a variety of takes to choose from so I could choose the best one.
What could be improved next time?
The next time that I film I would make sure there would be more back lighting as I only used ambient lighting and in some parts of my film it is quite dark and could have done with more light to see facial expressions more clearly. During the film I would use more non diegetic sound so I could grip the audience into watching the rest of the film as at the moment I only have dialogue. I would also use more editing techniques and look thoroughly through the software so my video would look more effective.
What will I do to improve my practice task?
Whilst I am filming I will check what my shots look like before I finish filming so I can re film if I need to before I start editing so that I can save time. I will also use a variety of camera angles and movements so that I would be able to draw in my audience. I will also learn how to use the editing program so that when I edit my thriller film I know how to use all of the different editing techniques.
Targets:
Make sure I have brighter lighting
Have a longer time to film
Check as i'm filming to see if the shots are jumpy
Use different camera angles and check if they are effective
Use the same planning as before as it was effective
Use an actors schedule so I have more time to film
