Preliminary exercise evaluation

Brief: Film a short conversation between two people that demonstrates; 180 degree line, shot reverse shot, match on action.

180 degree line is when you film a conversation you stay on the same side of the people, so the background and people’s positions are consistent.
Shot reverse shot is showing the view of one person in a conversation from other the other’s shoulder. Then you swap, and show the other’s person from the other person’s shoulder.
Match on action is cutting shots so that movements seem fluid and continuous, even if they may have been filmed at different times/angles.

To plan, we firstly began by making a script on Celtx. This programme, although complex, gave the correct formations for the script, and gave it a professional look. Then, we created a storyboard. This allowed us to put our imagination onto paper of what we wished to create with our filming, and gave us a visual representation.  It also let us decide on which shot type to use. After this we chose a location that was suitable for our filming and matched the script/storyboard (long corridor, door and room) Next, we created a shot list which made sure everyone was aware of the shots needed, so we didn’t miss one when it came to filming. Finally we did a risk assessment do minimise potential hazards.

While filming, we had one person filming and an ‘over-seer’ to ensure they were no mistakes, and that there was good continuity. We overlapped action is shot, so that it was easier to edit. We made sure people were sitting in the same place, hands on doors at the same place, and walking at the same side of the corridor to ensure all shots matched up. We were careful to never cross over the 180-degree line, however once we were on the wrong side. However, because we checked each shot after filming we could see where this happened and was able to re-do it.

We used Final Cut Express to edit the film. It required carefully lining up the shots into the right order, and selecting the right second to make sure there was good match on action. We also had to cut the length of many, such as when the clip of our actor walking down the corridor was too long, or when someone was no on screen, but we were waiting for a door to close.

In our film, you can see our seated actors never swap sides and the background is consistent. This is because we carefully abiding by the 180-degree line rule. As well as this, we used shot reverse shot during the conversations between our two actors. We also carefully edited our film to ensure perfect match on action.