For the sequence task I had to film a sequence of a maximum duration of one minute. The sequence had to show establishing shots, CU’s, match shots, cutaways and understand of the 180 degree rule. The story for my sequence task is someone is relaxing on a bench reading a book. Suddenly realises they are late for an appointment. Grabs something and dashes off to meet their friend and makes their apologies.
This artefact was done within a group of three and had to be done in a 3-hour timetabled slot for each of us to shoot our task. This meant that preparation and planning was essential to fill for this task (Bamford 2012). Therefore I decided to produce a story board to ensure that I knew exactly what shots I needed when it came to the production. Resulting in me taking full advantage of the time slot. Story boards should include frames, shots, location, cast, set and props (Schenk 2015 p.116). Taking this on board, I included these on my storyboard and this preparation allowed me to create the artefact that I had planned. Also it was very useful to present my storyboard to the crew members when arrived on set to shoot as it made them aware of my vision and how I wanted the sequence to look.
There is a simple sequence to follow when you are designing shots or planning the storyboard (Hughes 2012 p.121). Starting with an establishing shot, in which I established the surroundings before anyone was in the shot. Then I have told the story through shots that I felt was appropriate as well as meeting the brief. Action shots and close-ups was used to show the emotion of the emotion of the character, which portrays the story to the viewer. Cutaways where added which I used as my character was walking while ensuring that the shots were short and fast paced to portray the story, in which the person was late.
Whatever you are filming, wherever and however you are filming it, the vital paperwork is the Risk Assessment form (Bamford 2012, p.60). In regards to health and safety it was considered an important aspect due to being in a public location. My group and I filled out an assessment form specifying the specific risks, such as cables, roads and uneven floor. To prevent/reduce the risks that were listed we ensured that we never went near the roads and filmed in quiet areas with a flat surface and made all crew members aware of any trailing wires.
When it came to the editing stage I decided organise my footage by labelling them by shot names and also placing them in chronological order. Therefore it made it easier to find the footage throughout the editing stage and no time was wasted, struggling to find certain footage. However, at this stage I did notice that I was very limited to the amount of footage and this made it difficult to ensure my sequence product had a beginning and end of story including all the appropriate shots. This artefact has allowed me to be aware that when you are at the production stage you should try and get as much footage as possible, even if you repeat shots and also if you think you have enough.
Bibliography:
Bamford, N (2012) Directing television, a professional survival guide. London, Bloomsbury.
Hughes, M. (2012) Digital Filmmaking for Beginners – A practical guide to video production. USA, McGraw-Hill Companies.
Schenk, S and Long, B (2015) The Digital Filmmaking Handbook 5thed. Boston, Cengage.
