Evaluation of Preliminary Task

1) What planning did you do for your filming task, and how did this planning aid the filming?

Coming up with an interesting story and putting it in a storyboard was the first thing that I did, because that is an essential key step. Creating a storyboard, (which included the main scenes with not so much solid detail on the camera shots, but more focus on the action and dialogue), allowed me to get a visual of how the task would build up and unfold. The subject of cheating for our conversation made the process of the dramatic moment direct and gave us a clear focus because it easily became a confrontation.The shot list allowed me to think specifically about camera shots and location. We used match on action continuously: in scene 1(shot 3), scene 2(shot 7), and scene 3(shot 11). I didn't plan to use our first footage because I thought it was just a practice round to get familiar with the camera, but some of our first shots were actually good enough to use. Even though they appeared to be quality shots, we weren't able to use them due to continuity problems. We filmed over a few days, so Lauren and myself had to be conscious of our attire for quite a few media lessons. Not planning the outfits for the task prolonged it because we had to spend extra time rerecording the beginning.

2) What is the 180degree rule, and how is this rule important to the filming task?

 It's the invisible line between characters that can't be crossed because they need to stay on the same left to right ratio so that the audience won't get confused.   The rule is very relevant whenever there is going to be a conversation, which is what our task is centered around. Our task is all about continuity, concerning not just the basics such as clothing, but match on action, shot reverse shot, and the 180 degree rule.The picture is a perfect example; the green showing where we are free to film, but the red shows that we can't film on the opposite side. Even though I barely notice the rule being followed in media, the picture put the rule in great perspective for me. It was very easy to break and get confused by this rule when we actually had to film the conversation. The shot reverse shots and points of view threw me off because we weren't sure if we broke the rule.  

3) What shot types and camera angles did you use in your filming task, and to what effect?
My group used a variety of shot types and angles including worm's eye, panning, tracking, and close ups. We didn't want our audience to get bored so we didn't allow the shots to last too long, setting the mind off to wonder. We wanted the the shots to have quality, and to be relevant as well as interesting. I personally favor with worm's eye point of view because it's such a different perspective of the world, so I particularly chose to include those. I intended for one of our first shots to be worm's eye to immediately intrigue the audience by not using a typical point of view that establishes my surroundings. We planned to use close ups because they are so effective in  showing character's emotions, which is a big deal in shows and films; close ups help break boundaries between the audience and what they're viewing. 
We experimented with it in the shot reverse shots, and another tense moment after the confrontation when I'm trying to leave. Some shots were even blended together, for example: one shot was a perfect blend of me running through the canteen that is shown through a medium close up and also a tracking shot at the same time. That wasn't planned for, it just unfolded in the moment making a great shot.

4) What editing skills have you developed?  How confident are you with using the editing program? 

I have had quite a good amount of previous experience with Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro, so I mostly know the basics of how they work. My editing skills consists of placing clips in the timeline, trimming them, changing the speeds, transitioning, inserting music, inserting title pages, and just things along those lines. 

On a scale of 1 to 10 of how confident I am, I'd say I'm at a 6 because I know my way around, but I'm not a complete pro/expert yet. I don't have much practice in changing colors, or reversing clips. I would like to become more comfortable with the software in those areas. I want my videos to be awesome, not just nicely put together.