- Final Prelim and Evaluationm - 1/10/15 -

22. PRELIM Kenny Tristen David Thabiti from 283goswell on Vimeo.

Things I Learnt
During the Prelim Film coursework, I feel like i have learned many valuable skills that will help me in the future with other media coursework projects as well as working with media in general.

I first learned the importance of making a a clean plan of action and sticking to it. This includes a storyboard ( consisting of shot types, angles and motions) and a script ( containing all dialogue and some stage directions). Completing this planning process made the project feel a lot easier as we were able to record each scene perfectly without having to think on the spot about what camera angles we were going to use and what dialogue out actors will. Completing the storyboard with the group gave me a better understanding of how storyboards are meant to be constructed and the importance of detail.

As i have never written a script before, creating a script for this project made me aware of how much they help during the filming process. It helped our actors stay calm during the whole project as  they weren't being put on the spot and trying to figure out what to say as we went on. Instead they had confidence in the script writing which made the whole performance better.

Planning will help a lot when making big productions because it will prevent both the actors and directors from feeling overwhelmed as they will be able to follow their progress with the plan and always stay a step ahead. It will prevent us from accidentally missing certain steps and scenes and give and overall more polished product.

What I Think I Did Well

During the planning process i think i was successful at thinking up camera angles and shot types. I think we managed to think of angles and idea's that not many people would have been able to think of therefore making our project stand out from the rest.

During the filming section i took the role of camera man and director. I believe i performed these roles successfully as our recorded footage follows all the rules (180 degree rule) and i managed to successfully perform all the camera angles planned on the story board despite the small work space we was given to complete the task in. I managed to successfully blend two different shot types together in one smooth shot giving the final product a more advanced and sophisticated feel.

The group as a whole really managed to pull together and create a great film. With the co-operation of the group we were able to accomplish a lot more as we were all working together to keep mistakes to a minimal. Even when we was interrupted and forced to move to a new location we were able to work together as a group and make that transition as seamless and unnoticeable as possible.

I also took on the role as editor and was able to cut down the footage and meet all the requirements. With the help of the group giving me constant feedback and thoughts as i edited, i was able to perfect the timing and ensure that we used all the best clips and footage effectively.

I believe the best part of the film project is the footage and camera angles that we managed to use in such a small environment. We manages to use angles and camera movement that i think  exceeds what was expected from us. I think the least successful part of the film was the storyboard. Although we managed to fully complete the storyboard from  beginning to end and include everything there was still room for improvement. For example it may have helped if we included the duration of each shot. This would have made the editing process easier as we wouldn't have had to think on the top of our head with how long we would cut down each shot to.

What Changes I Would Make

If i was to complete this project again i would make sure we included shot duration on the storyboard to make the editing process easier. I would also make sure that we chose a better time/place to record ( or record faster) because as time progressed the amount of interruptions from teachers needing to use the kitchen increased, therefore resulting in things being out of place in certain parts of the film and then eventually leading to us having to relocate.  This relocation also resulted in an error being made, we accidentally broke the 180 degree rule after moving. Although we were able to fix this mistake in the editing process it is still noticeable if you pay attention to detail. By the time this mistake was noticed it was too late to change, therefore if we had a second chance at this project this will be the first thing i will fix as i don't like inconsistencies in my work.