Charlotte's Evaluation

Media Studies AS Level 2009 Foundation Portfolio Preliminary Task

During the preliminary task, I have learnt how to use many pieces of equipment such as a mini DV camera, a tripod, a sound recording device and how to set the white balance on a camera. The editing software we used during the post production stages to put the final piece together was I movie. We used I movie to cut the footage in to the correct place.

We also used an iphone to record the correct sound we wanted for a sequence and an iPod to choose the songs we used throughout the piece.
We used the program ‘garage band’ to find a clock sound effect for the sequence which included the clock. It gave us many options although it didn’t take us very long to choose the one that sounded the best. We also used a sound recording program to transfer the music from ‘iTunes’ to ‘I-movie’.

We did have a couple of issues when it came to room locations and finding a clock in which the time could easily be changed. It took a while to find a correct room that was suitable for the filming use and was available at the times in which we were able to film. We found a room that was suitable and decided to film after school on a Wednesday afternoon.

We as a group were able to demonstrate three continuity editing skills throughout the film. These were keeping the 180 degree rule, using match on action and using the shot reverse shot technique. When filming we focused on keeping the 180 degree rule, and at one point we had noticed that we had crossed it and decided as a group to reshoot that sequence. As well as keeping the 180 degree rule thorughout the film, we used the technique of match on action as the teacher enters the room although we had to be careful when filming and editing to make sure we had a correct match between the two shots. We used the technique of shot reverse shot more than once in the film for example when the student (ghislaine's character) is waiting for the teacher (cristina's character) to enter. This was edited easily as we had lots of footage.

There were some problems with the clocks. Please read previous blog which will inform you about the issues with the clocks. When editing it took us as a team ages to decide on which kind of soundtrack we wanted for the film, as the music would decide what kind of film it would become.

I have learnt that in order to improve our practical work we should film more footage so that when it comes to editing we have more choices and can then gain the perfect shot. In our coursework filming I believe we should focus on improving the composition of each shot and concentrate on the framing. I believe that our team worked well together and will probably stay in the same group for the coursework task. In the actual task I hope that we can use more artificial lighting and a couple of different locations.

My personal input was a bit of everything. Chris and I did all of the filming whilst Cristina and Ghislaine were the actresses. I helped during the editing stage and helped choose the music. I have uploaded some things to the blog. As a team we all came up with many ideas for the actual storyline.

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