Preliminary Task - Film Evaluation Questions

1. Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

I worked with Maz, Wez and Josh. We managed the task by deciding that Josh was going to film and me, Maz and Wez were going to be in the film.

2. How did you plan your short filmed piece? Did you use any other films for your inspiration?

We planned our short film by drawing a storyboard. We decided our storyline would include Maz walking into a room, sitting down at a table with Wez and having a conversation. Maz splits up with her boyfriend Wez. Wez cries followed by me shouting "so you got dumped then." We took this line from the film "about a boy" as this was our inspiration for our film.

3. What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?

For our task we used a video camera, a tripod, a tape, a firewire lead and an Apple Mac to edit.


4. What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

When planning we had to take into account what our storyline was going be and how it was going to work. When shooting we had to take into account what camera angles to ues and to include mise - en- scene. When editing we took into account what we needed to get rid of and what to add to make the film more effective.

5. Which film conventions does the piece follow? e.g. music, match on action, 180 degree rule, camera work etc

We used the 180 degree rule around Wez when he was crying in our film, we also used match on match action and used a variety of different camera shots.

6. Which does it break?

We broke the film conventions of music as we couldn't find a suitable song on rockband and weren't able to copy other songs.

7. How did you consider mise en scene? e.g. lighting, camera work, setting, costume, props etc

Mise en scene was carefully considered because it was important that we included the right mise-en-scene in order for our film to look realistic and work effectively. Because our scene was a "cafe" we kept the lighing bright. We managed to move the tables and chairs so it looked more realistic and we got mugs and biscuits to make the scene look like a cafe would do. We made sure when filming that we didn't include certain areas of the classroom or else it would have ruined the effect. We had to film the whole of our piece again as we realised we had missed a shot and because we didn't have the same clothes on, we wanted to make sure it looked consisternt.

8. How did you consider narrative? Is there a sense of a storyline? Can any theorists be applied e.g. Barthes, Todorov, Propp, Levi Strauss

Yes, there is a sense of a storyline and we used some of Barthes' Narrative Codes in our film. We used to Enigma Code to make the audience ask questions as to why Maz is splitting up with Wez. Maz says "you know why I'm dumping you" which uses The Semantic Code because there's an additional meaning and Wez knows why she's breaking up with him. Propps theory is kind of used as we see Wez as being the heroes and Maz being the villain but we don't entirely know the reasons behind her splitting up with him. Todorov's theory is used as there is a state of Equilibrium at the start where the protagonist appears to be happy, this then is disrupted by another protagonist. Because it is such a shot film we don't see it return to the state of New Equilibrium but it would have done if we'd made a longer film.

9. How successful was your filmed piece? Identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?

For a first piece, I think our film was very successful. We were enable to include a variety of shots and camera angles. We worked well as a group and included everyone's different ideas. I would improve is by using more props, spending more time on the filming and finding music that would go with the piece.

10. What have you learnt about producing a short piece of film? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework?

I have learnt a lot about producing a film as before I had never filmed anything before. I enjoyed leaning about it but despite this I'm thinking of doing a magazine cover as I found it easier than filming and enjoyed putting my creative ideas on paper.