Filming

The filming process ran fairly smoothly. We used the storyboard as a guide but of course we often experimented to see if we could film something using different shots/movements so that it either looked better or ran more smoothly. We used an array of shots, opening with an establishing shot of the car park with the school building in the background to set the scene for the audience. We then used an over the shoulder shot as the character got out of the car to give the audience an insight into the character’s life, as though they were sat in the passenger seat witnessing it for themselves. Using match on action, we filmed the character getting out of the car, using a long shot. Again, this gives the audience an insight into the character’s life as they can see everything that is going on around her. We use a low angle shot when the character is getting her bag from out of the boot, to achieve this we set the camera filming and put it into the car. As the character runs down to school, we zoom in causing the camera to blur slightly, showing the rush the she is in. We use close ups to express the character’s emotions, for example, the teacher shouting at the student for being late; the teacher is in the audience’s personal space and they feel uncomfortable. A low angle shot is also used here to convey the power of the teacher. One of the main problems of the filming process was that there was often times when the whole group wasn’t present which meant that we couldn’t do what we had planned for that day, however, there was always an alternative, such as editing, which we could be getting on with.

Planning

The aim of the preliminary piece was to film a short clip which involved somebody walking through a door and then later on having a conversation, all using continuity. We got into a group of four which consisted of myself, Liam, Laura and Emma. In preparation for the task, we took a walk around the location looking for suitable places to film; taking into consideration such factors as the lighting. We took still shots of our ideas so that we could have a look later on and make a decision. Using the still shots, we put together a storyboard which would guide us through the filming process, thinking about which camera shots/movements would be most suitable for each shot.

Morning!

For our assignment, we were asked to take a few shots of things that could be used in the opening of the film to signify that it is the morning/beginning of the day. I chose to use a cup of coffee; showing that the character is energising themselves for the the day, and a running shower which would show that they are getting themselves ready.