Ghislaine's Evaluation

Media Studies AS Level 2009
Foundation Portfolio the Preliminary Task

I have learnt a lot of new things about how to use the technology and what technology is used to create a good quality film;

• The video camera that we used was a mini DV camera this was a good piece of technology and captured each shot we took in good quality. I learnt a lot of new techniques using this camera and generally how to use all the features and set up the white balance and focus. Also I learnt the importance of using a tripod when doing a panning shot because it stops the camera from shaking and gives a crisp image. There were a few mistakes that we did whilst filming but all were corrected for the final cut of the film. Some of these mistakes included getting a reflection in the clock and then when re-filming getting the clock wonky within the frame.

• To get the background music that we used on our film we connected an IPOD to the Mac computer and recording the songs we wanted on to the computer using special software. We also learnt how to use Garageband so we could get louder sound effects for certain parts of the film, for example the clock ticking and footsteps.

My contribution to the preliminary task was drawing the pictures on the storyboard, acting alongside Cristina and editing on the Mac computers. However, I also helped by coming up with ideas that and putting them forward to the rest of the group, I also helped (along with Cristina, Charlotte and Chris) to overcome any of the problems we were faced with. Chris and I began the editing by going through all the different shots we had taken for each shot that was on the storyboard and choosing the best ones. After that we started to put them in to order and then with Cristina and Charlotte we began to add music, sound effects and sort out the timings of each clip.

My group demonstrated to the three continuity editing strategies (match on action, shot/reverse shot and 180̊ rule).

• For match on action we used the point in the film when the teacher enters the classroom by open a door. This was the most obvious way of showing this type of continuity, to edit the clips together was relatively easy to do but we had to make sure there wasn’t a big delay between the two clips.

• We incorporated the shot/reverse shot when the pupil was having a conversation with the teacher.

• Our 180 degree line was diagonally across the room; we managed to keep to the rule and didn’t cross it in the final piece of film. However, when we began to film the shots within the classroom we did break it but luckily we realised when watching the footage back straight after it had been filmed. We then quickly corrected it so that we had footage that didn’t break the 180 degree rule.

I think to improve my groups film quality we could use a better camera to get the perfect shots to make a more affective film. Also we could use some soft lighting and maybe a filter to create a mood that fits the films theme. It would also be good if we pay attention to the precision of the framing and how level the shots are.