Evaluation Of Preliminary Task

Evaluation Of First Promo Video

Brief of task

Our first task that we were told to do in our Media AS was a continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue.We were assigned into groups of four, made by myself,Charlotte Gray, Shane Cunnane and Tabitha Jones. 

Having the first initial time planning before heading out to film. We thought about the different rooms/locations, subjects etc.This task should demonstrate match on action, shot, reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.

Editing (Titles and Sound)

Strengths- Do's

• The editing worked well, as the shot reverse shot of the door, the added sound effect of the creaking door, fitted effectively with the visual. 
• Another element would be the comical effect over the film, setting the tone and mood of the clip, made aware by the typography in the title, suggesting the video's audience as kids, perhaps at a young age, due to the informality and simplicity used.
• We also added a non-diegetic sound of a school bell, which helps link the clip to the location and sets the scene.

Weaknesses-Don't

• When I cross cut from the mid-shot to the second mid-shot the sound cut out sharply, this taught me that I need to bridge my sounds more efficiently in future, to produce a effective piece that flows and is more appealing.
• A second weakness to our edits on our video is I fade shots, making the cuts seem harsh and unrealistic.I would therefore ensure that throughout the process I focus on the cutting, to make sure all fad and cross cut efficiently.
• I did also break the 180 decree rule, this will ultimately confuse the audience, as it is a key in filming;

These two video I found on www.youtube.com, both brief sharing an explanation on 180 decree rule and the impacts/ effects it has on both the audience and the quality of the film.

How would I improve my work?

Personally, I felt the film produced was filmed and edited at a high standard, showing different skills and techniques through shots and with a strong storyboard. However there is room for improvement. Firstly, as mentioned before, panning was used extensively, which, in a way, made the piece seem repetitive and coursed it to lack in creativity, therefore if given the opportunity to re-film the movie, more shots could be added to enforce variety.

I also think we could of spent more time on planning and designing our production to reduce the time needed for filming and to improve the efficiency of the piece.

Although we did work corporately in our group and identified our key strengths and weaknesses in one another, which helped improve the quality of filming and made every member keen to complete their part of the task.It also helped encourage all of our group to contribute or to have a larger involvement with the production.

I feel that without adding an establishing shot in the video my audience were unable to identify the scene/ location we were in, although titles were added in the opening to summarize this.But in my opinion it would of benefited from this type of shot to strengthen there awareness.

This video shows a brief explanation of why an establishing shot is so important.

Unfortunately our group ran out of time and were unable to add voice overs to our video, we alternatively got music from www.sumblesound.co.uk and 'Free Play'.Yet this means I am going to start my production and editing without the knowledge of both 'Soundtrack Pro' and 'Live Type  

Therefore overall, I believe the video produced could be modified, yet meeting most of the criteria listed in the brief. Aswell as covering a range of new skills and techniques in filming, broadening our understanding and knowledge before the practical examination begins.