Links to Google Documents & Paperwork for Preliminary Exercise

Initial ideas
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0ATOmh5fwraT2ZGZuZjljNGZfMWRxazZicWdr&hl=en_GB

Initial ideas 1
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BzOmh5fwraT2NWRhMDJkMmYtMDUxZS00YjMwLTg5NGItZDhhNzcyZGY3N2Q1&hl=en_GB

Initial ideas 2
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BzOmh5fwraT2NDg0ZmI2ZjItN2JkOS00ZTAwLWJhMzItOGIxMWQyYmY0YzM4&hl=en_GB
SWOT analysis
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B1wksxvZmdl9ZTVkNTJjOGYtNDQ0YS00NWJkLWFkYzQtNjg2NmRjM2FjYmJl&hl=en_GB

Content of Production, Research and Production Schedule
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0ATOmh5fwraT2ZGZuZjljNGZfNGdjZzZmaGdm&hl=en_GB

Finished Story Board
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B1wksxvZmdl9M2QwZTkzZTUtNjQzZi00ZGYyLThkNWYtOWViZmI2NTQxNDY2&hl=en_GB
final script
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0ATOmh5fwraT2ZGZuZjljNGZfMGdjODJjNWNn&hl=en_GB

Risk assessment page 1
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0ATOmh5fwraT2ZGZuZjljNGZfMmdyYjh0eGY3&hl=en_GB

Risk assessment page 2
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0ATOmh5fwraT2ZGZuZjljNGZfM2ZoajJrMmM2&hl=en_GB

Call Sheet
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AVwksxvZmdl9ZGdnY3hrZnJfMGRzNmM0OWRq&hl=en_GB

editing notes page 1
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BzOmh5fwraT2YWI4MzFkYzctYmRkMy00Y2NjLTllNTItNGRmY2JiZGFjZDBi&hl=en_GB
editing notes page 2
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BzOmh5fwraT2OTFmMGI3MTAtNWRkYy00OTc4LTlhZjQtY2Q0MmE1NTIxNDg0&hl=en_GB

Filming and Editing the Preliminary Exercise

We filmed our production on Wednesday the 3rd of February, meeting at 1pm with the group and the actors and headed off to the media block to set up in room M002. We chose to use this room as it is a recording studio, and therefore sound proof meaning that the audience would understand that no one else would have heard the fight due to the sound proofing. we also chose this room as it represents a subject that is only available at college level and therefore also helps to set the scene and location. There was a slight problem in the morning as we found out one of our actors was sick so Kyle called a friend and arranged for him to take his place and meet us at 1pm.

We filmed the inside shots first as lunch time was still calming down and we wanted the outside shots to be quiet and the focus to be on the actor only and this would not have been possible during the lunch break. We took around 3 takes of each shot, sometimes more where dialogue from the actors part was concerned. When we first got into the room we set up the camera in each individual place where it would need to be for the shots to see if there was anything on screen we didnt want. we had to move some of the items off of the desk and move a chair out of the room to make enough room for the camera and its operator, kyle to fit in. The filming was fairly easy and took around an hour which I thought was good as we had a firm set out plan to work to from both the story board and the script. This meant that as soon as we got into the room Kyle the camera operator, knew exactly where to go and what angle to film at so my job as director was fairly easy as things ran fairly smoothly. The boys acting were fairly chatty and therefore there were quite a few 'gag reel' takes as they liked to call it, but i managed to keep the situation under control and get the shots i wanted. The filming process was enjoyable, fun and overall a great success although Lily could not be there to help with it.

There were a few problems that we encountered when filming. The main problem was that we had not realised that the place we had chose to shoot our first shot in had a large extractor fan nearby for the college kitchens and therefore made filming slightly difficult as the actors voice in a few of the takes was muffled or undetected by the microphone on the camera. This was a mistake made during our recee and therefore when we proceed with the main task we will make sure that our recee is completely correct before hand to ensure nothing like this happens again. This also meant that we had to slightly alter the dialogue of the script so that when the actor answered the phone he had to explain that he couldn’t hear the other person but would be there soon as the sound was obviously diegetic and therefore we could not ignore it in the actual production. Another problem that we encountered was that when we filmed the last shot of Lee unconscious through the window we found to begin with that Kyle’s reflection was visible on the footage and therefore we had to cover as much of his skin as possible to help him blend into the dark walls, but luckily he had a black hoody and dark jeans on. We also were unable to alter the lights in the media room as they were set bulb strip lights and therefore the only control we had was allowing natural light in through the window which we chose to keep the curtains closed.

I think that we stuck to the script and storyboard almost exactly apart from the minor change we had to make in the first shot in terms of dialogue due to the fan. And seeing the finished and edited product it has turned out how I imagined it in my head when we first started planning it and drawing out the storyboards and I think that we also stuck to the rule of thirds when we were in the room and the actors were having their conversation very well, making sure we never crossed the line. Next time however I think that we should use the tripod, for the shots where the 180 degree rule applies, such as conversation as we did get a few takes that were shaky that we had to cut a few seconds out of, but this was due to the fact that the room we chose to shoot in was small and there was not much space to move around in, but we captured the shots we wanted through not using the tripod, however next time we will defiantly use it to create a more professional looking piece of film.

We originally planned to edit our filming the next lesson, but unfortunately Lee was ill during that lesson and so we were unable to get the equipment required and had to wait until the next lesson when Lily had also come back from being ill. The editing process was fairly easy and only took around 40 minutes once we had captured and transferred the footage onto the computer. We worked together as a group while editing, to include all of our opinions in the process so that we were all going to be happy with the final outcome. We used the editing program Windows Movie Maker to put our final piece together and I found the software easy to use, as I had previously used this software at GCSE Media to edit together a stop motion advert. I also find this software good to use as it is simple and easy to work your way around, but still giving a professional finished product and I am happy with the final piece for the preliminary exercise but feel I have learnt a lot ready for the main task which will help improve the quality of the main task even more. I think that watching the edited version of the film back, it is overall good, keeps continuity and would be easy to follow and understand by our target audience of 16-24, due to the visual cues we have included and the way we have created college students who are relatable. The ideology that youth's are also involved in crime is also shown through this film and therefore the audience will not be shocked or confused by what's happening. We used a fade in from black at the beginning to give a sense of oreintation for the audience so that it didnt launch straight into the film and we tried to cut on action as much as possible to keep the flow between cuts smooth and as least noticeable as possible.

This is a final edit of our preliminary exercise that has been compressed and uploaded onto the Weymouth college Youtube channel. Overall I am happy with our finished sequence of shots and am pleased with the way the filming went as we didn’t encounter many problems at all as we decided to keep our storyline simple but keeping orginiality while sticking to the codes and conventions of social realist drama. Anything that did happen that went wrong during both filming and editing, we were able to resolve as a group quickly and efficiently and in many ways it made out producion skills stronger .

First skills audit for the G321 Foundation Production

I think that so far the preliminary exercise has been fairly successful although with the absence of a member of the group for many lessons its left more for me and the other member of the group, Kyle to write and organise putting us slightly behind production schedule. This has also had a positive effect in some ways as it has created less conflict within the group as there are less opinions that clash. We have decided to create a short sequence of shots in the theme of social realist drama, much like in the style of channel 4 programs like "Skins" and "Shameless" who have a young target audience and whose characters tackle story lines containing issues surrounding drugs, alcoholism, violence, racism and other aspects of youth culture and so we decided to have the storyline for our production as a student, as the target audience will therefore be able to relate to his experiences of college and the ideologies surrounding college life including the idea of hegemonic masculinity being dominant amongst young males as well as drugs and alcoholism. The character will be answering the phone, then going to a room at college to meet his friend who has knocked out his lecturer during an argument. I feel that our idea is original and fulfils the brief while taking a different approach to it as we have also included a phone conversation to emphasise our skills of the 180 degree rule and to show our understanding of continuity. It also is appropriate content for the target audeince of 16- 25.

Although we have had slight issues with timing and preparation for filming we have managed to produce all of the necessary paperwork to allow us to film, sharing the load equally between the group. It was fairly hard to come up with an idea due to the tightness of the brief and we also had many ideas that seemed to be similar which may have made it harder to choose. The risk assessments were fairly easy as we were filming on college grounds and therefore theft and other risks were not needed to be addressed as closely as we were on college property. The recee was also easy to do, as we had easy access to the rooms we had chosen to film in and therefore could easily run back and forth during lesson time to check things out if a new worry or concern came about, for example the restricted lighting and the small diameters of the room and the worry that we may not fit the whole shot onto the camera.

As I have produced an advert before for GCSE Media Studies I know the lengths of time it takes to edit and film and therefore for this reason I feel we have a slight advantage as I am familiar with editing film through the use of Windows Moviemaker and have also been through the process of the write ups and evaluations before. I think that it’s good we have now set a date for the filming as it gives us a target that we have to for fill to meet the deadline and means that although Lily is ill and has been away for the whole task, we will still have accomplished the brief on time and hopefully to a good standard. The paperwork is also a little confusing at times but I feel that we have now got on top of it and are ready to make the final piece. I feel that it has been slightly difficult to discuss ideas within the group as we don’t know each other very well which in some other ways has helped as it’s caused less arguments but it can also hinder by making you afraid to confront certain ideas you might not agree with.

I am looking forward to the filming process and the editing of the film and I am especially looking forward to the second part of the coursework as I feel we will be able to put more of ourselves into the media text as the boundaries are not so tight and specific and will therefore allow more extravagant ideas to be successful. I'd like to become more familiar with the filming equipment and look at more advanced editing to improve the quality of my production skills and to create more professional looking products and hopefully during the next part of the coursework illness won’t affect the dynamics of our group and therefore we will have more man power to create a better response to the brief. I hope to also find it easier to come up with an idea for the main exercise as I feel that due to the restrictions put on us by the preliminary exercise, it is fairly difficult to create productions that differ from each other a lot.

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