Media Skills

Before we started the Preliminary task I didn't know much about filming and editing, however as we started using the camera and lenses more I started to get the gist of focusing and creating different shots. I also have developed the skill to use final cut pro as now i can import footage and edit it whereas i didn't know much beforehand about editing.

Analysis

From watching the clip you can immediately tell the representation is the stereotypical roles of somebody in an office and gender, as the person behind the desk in an office is normally betrayed to have more power as they are use to their bearings also the role of a receptionist is normally seen as a women. I think the main audience who would be interested in this clip would be of an older generation as there is more of a serious tone to it. The narrative starts off being told through hand gestures then moves onto the two actors speaking.

Within the first few seconds of the clip the location is set in a hallway through a long shot, the shot goes from blurry to in focus shot allowing the viewer time to question where it is. We are then introduced to Anna (receptionist) with a close up shot of her hands playing with the tape which slowly tracks up to her face so we can see her facial expressions. The tape really sticks out as we made it the focal point of the shot which may lead you to think that it's foreshadowing her mood as she seems to be acting suspiciously.

Then we meet character two (Baz) through a low medium shot making the umbrella the focal point which links to the weather outside. The two characters are wearing different clothing. Baz is wearing a dark slouchy cardigan with his hair tied back messily where as the receptionist is wearing a blazer and her hair is down which allows us to presume she has more power as shes dressed smartly and takes her job seriously.  At first  you would think Baz has more power as he is the only one standing up, however the role is reversed as the receptionist asks Baz to take a seat, this makes us think she has more power as shes giving a demand.

The music is being played continuously through the clip but beings to become quieter when the two talk showing that their conversation is important. There is a sound effect of the phone ringing and the filter of the voice when the Mr Ripley speaks on the other end to make it seem like a normal conversation between the two.

Preliminary Task 

Converting Footage
After production we converted the footage onto Final cut pro, we were all excited and interested to see what we had filmed as none of us had watched it back before.

Editing
When we first imported the footage to final cut pro it originally looked difficult to edit, but once started playing around with the tools it became much more easier than we initially thought it would be.

Because we filmed two different shots with the voice recording we had to overlap them which was new technique for us but it looked very effective once we had figured it out. When the phone rang in the clip we wanted to make it feel that somebody was on the other end of the call, as originally we filmed the scene with Molly talking normally in front of the camera. To do this we used a voice filter.

Music
Finding the music to fit was quite difficult as the music determines the mood and the way we view something. In the end we went with a piece of music called  'Donkey Kong' as it had a serious feel to it and it suited the footage quite well.

What was frustrating was that when we were editing  we had to constantly keep rendering the clips because we had to make all the different layers into one, we also found out that we had missed a scene so at one point it doesn't make much sense as one of the characters responds in an angry manor to nothing.

After editing it was time to convert what we had to YouTube. When playing it on YouTube the clip tells us that it is 3:10 minutes long however it is actually 0:45 seconds long, the mistake we made was we forgot to cut the music.

Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task

For our Preliminary Task we were given the task of creating a short movie clip to the script 'Pop Goes' while incorporating a prob which in our case was masking tape.

We started off  reading the script thoroughly through individually so we all had a clear understanding to what the script was about. In our groups we then discussed the factors of Pre-production that we needed to explore and the importance of them, we also thought about the deadline and how we would meet it.

The script:

We then began to make a storyboard so we could get an idea of what is happening in each shot ie. camera angle, scenery lighting and what to be is in focus and not.

Storyboards:

Location
Once we made the storyboard we needed to think about the location, we wanted somewhere where we could film and not get disturbed by people as we didn't want any other sounds in the background because we wanted to have just the actors voices then we were going to add in the background music later on.  So as a group we went location scouting and found out that the best place to shoot would be in the art block corridor as it fits the storyboard and we would be able to shoot the camera angles we wanted there.

Props
When thinking about props we had to incorporate a masking tape into it but we wanted other props to make the scene of a receptionist's office so we included a phone, a desk and other items you would normally find in an office.

Lighting
The lighting was quite important to us as we wanted to create a serious atmosphere to the clips, we used spot lights from the wall to make the actors be the focal point. We also used natural lighting to make it seem more realistic and to capture the dull rainy weather outside.

The next thing we needed to do was find cast members for who can play the roles and fit a schedule around it, we wanted somebody who was good at acting so we picked two AS drama students.
We gave the actors the script before hand so they could have time to learn their lines, but before we starting shooting we went over their lines again so they knew exactly what to say if they were unsure.

Overall what went well is that we instantly got all our beginning ideas noted down, so we just carried on growing from it . All the time we spent planning made it much easier for us when it came to filming as we knew from the storyboard what camera angles to use lighting, props etc. However the main problem we had was managing our time efficiently because we filmed on two different days therefore the actors were wearing different clothes and their hair and makeup was also different. To improve this we needed to make a longer slot when filming so we can get more done also we needed to warn the cast when we were about to film so they would have time to prepare and wear the same clothes, hair and makeup.