Feed the Fish- Preliminary Sequence

Feed The Fish 

I think that we had some nice shots in our sequence and we tried to vary them as much as possible in order to apply what we have learnt. At the beginning, I like the establishing shot because it captures the place really well and the panning shot allows the audience to see the entire location, which is important. The reason why we did this was because we wanted to draw attention to our main character, which I played. However, I do feel like this was quite rushed and so the camera did shake a little, so next time, when using an establishing shot like this in my  opening sequence, I need to make sure to put the camera on a tripod so it doesn't jog. Therefore this can make the sequence more realistic but also flow more coherently. 

     We then have a low angle shot which I thought was a good way of making the whole scene a bit more interesting but thought that it doesn't really make that much sense because normally when making a low-angle shot this is for someone who is important/ higher status and this was not the character who we were trying to present. If I had to improve this I would make sure to pay more careful attention on the types of shots I use and whether they have a particular intention. 
     In term of sound here I think this was an issue in this sequence because we did not block the sound out and so you can hear background noise of other students in the hallway, which was hard to control. Therefore, in my real opening sequence I would make sure that we film in a quiet environment or be able to control the sound to make it realistic, where there's no disturbance.

When I walk through the stairs this was a good long shot because it really does show the character well and the viewers can clearly see what I am doing. However, I think this shot would have been better if the camera was again still on a tripod, and it pans slightly when I go up the stairs.
  The shot of opening the key I thought would have been better if we had included a close-up shot of what I'm doing because I think that was important and we needed to divert the audience's attention to that. We also move quite quickly to the sign, so to improve, better control of the camera would make this more smooth.
I think the over the shoulder shot was effective because we can see the other character which is also important in this sequence; also it makes it realistic as the audience can see who I am directly talking to.
  The shot if Fahad in the background is also effective because we can see him acting as the 'security guard' as he appears really tall and masculine but cannot see his face which adds some kind of tension as to who he is.
  Other shots I don't think quite worked was putting the camera at a low-angle again because it doesn't appear to make that much sense.To improve next time, I think a simple over the shoulder shot would have been better because people can focus on the actual conversation, which is vital. The flashback part of the scene of putting toilet paper in the toilet could have been better by actually having better props such as real fish food, adding to the humour, but yet again for the actual opening sequence I think that we will be a lot more prepared and feel confident, taking on boards the skills we had learnt and applying them.
  Our peers in the classroom also gave us constructive criticisms such as they didn't understand why I was walking up the stairs and suddenly we were outside, so planning before hand is something I will take on board in my opening sequence in order for us to know exactly the type of shots we are filming, location, etc. 

  Shot Types

Establishing shot: We start off with an establishing shot in order for the audience to be clear where the who sequence is going to be set, the environment and location they are in. For example, in this case it is clear that this is a school. I liked how we panned this shot and so this gives an overview of the whole building, but it also follows the character as she enters the door.

Low- angle shot:  We then decided to do a low angle shot. A reason for this is that we not only want to experiment and use varied shots but we also wanted to maintain some suspense by not showing the character's face. However, I do think that a low angle shows higher status and power, this is a problem as this character is not the powerful one and so this may convey a misunderstanding in our audience. In my main opening sequence I should pay more attention to the type of shots I use and the meaning they may have.

Panning: As I am walking the stairs, we used a panning shot in order for the audience to see my at the top of the stairs. However, I do feel it would have been much more smoother and better if we had used continuity editing here and filmed me on the other side of the stairs coming towards the camera in order to create realism. This can also minimise the camera shaking and so the overall sequence may have looked professional.

Close-up:  In this shot we tried to show that what the girl is doing is something dangerous and secretive  hence the close-up shot of the sign 'danger of death'. I think this was effective in creating this a close-up shot in order to shock the audience, however, I think we should have held this shot for longer or gradually have zoomed in to create some kind of dramatic tension and suspense.

 Shot-reverse-shot:  We then decided to use this shot in order to show the two characters having a conversation. This gives a sense of intimacy as we are able to see the conversation of these two characters and follow up what they are talking about so keeps the audience hooked.

High- angle shot: The reason we used a high-angle shot was because we wanted to show the two characters talking to each other and give a whole over view of where they are, their body language, position and surrounding, which is important detail in keeping the audience interested in knowing what's going

Task 3- Editing Analysis of clips

Haven - (TV Show) - A conversation over dinner

•       Establishing shot- opens up the scene and introduces us to where the action of the characters is taking place. We then have a master shot so we see the name and the exact place of restaurant, adding more information.

•       We then have a long shot of all the characters and tables which is effective because we are shown all the places to establish the setting before we actually see the main characters.   Then there is a cut of the two characters and this is shown through a long shot so we gain information of what they look like/ what they are wearing.

•       Through the invisible editing we then cut to a close-up shot of her taking out a tag sticker out quickly and then moves back to the full long shot of the table. This can be an example of continuity editing called match on action because the shots are all different but seem to flow like one together.  

•       There is then the use of parallel editing where we see a different location of a man in the kitchen while we are still hearing the man at the table talking to the women. This does make the scene more unique but also ads some suspense as to why we are being shown this.  This is also interesting as we can still see the man when we are shown a mid close up shot of the women. She appears to be slightly on the right which enables our view of the man in the kitchen- this may mean that he is important to the plot.

•    We then get the shot-reverse shot of them having a conversation were as we see the women speaking we see his shoulder and the same happens in reverse. This creates a sense of intimacy as we feel that as an audience we are part of the two character’s conversation and the fluency of the shots reversing makes it more realistic.

•       There is more parallel editing when we are shown from the mid close-up of the table scene, to the kitchen scene and then long shot of restaurant tables again creating more curiosity that the main two characters may actually be involved with the man they keep showing behind the restaurant.

•     The rest of the scene mainly remains in shot-reverse shots as we gain detail of what they are talking about and are able to see their facial expressions and some of body language. The fluidity of this also enhances our interest and does not make it boring to watch. 

Task 3- Editing analysis of clips

Eastenders - Kat - Who is her lover?

•      The beginning of this scene starts off with a close-up shot so that we are introduced to both of the characters. The camera slows moves towards them to connect us more with them and for us to see their expressions better. The shot then changes from this close-up shot to a medium shot of half the bed by the technique of invisible editing so that we get a sense of fluidity.   As the character t gets up, the camera pans from him sitting on the bed to him standing up and moving along his bedroom. This is effective because we are able to follow the action closely.  This is similarly used when the women gets out of the bed- the camera pans upwards this time and follows her as she goes to check up on the baby, again keeping viewers close to the action. The shot used is a medium close-up so we are able to see the women’s facial expressions and we get a sense that she appears fed up and annoyed, making us curious as to why that might be.

•      We are then shown a different location and the shot first introduced to us is the close-up shot of the flowers so that we can see the action of the character ripping out the petals showing her anger. Her anger is further showed when the camera pans up to a mid close-up of her talking on the phone and we see her facial expressions as being anguished.

•      The camera on the next location tracks behind some objects which obscures our view from seeing the character in detail and adding more curiosity. The track is fairly slow at a speed which can exemplify that that’s the way the character is feeling: moody and depressed. The shot is then focused on his phone which appears to be a mid shot, so we get the impression that he may want to receive a phone call from someone, drawing us in as we want to find out who that person may be. The scene ends with a shot from his hand to a close-up of his annoyed face and by using continuity editing this makes it effective because it makes it realistic from the fluid editing. This can also be a match-on action because the two clips between his phone and his face may be shot a year apart but because of the invisible editing, it connects them.

•       We are then shown a long shot of where the next scene is taking place which appears like a hallway and we are introduced to the next character. This shot is also filmed from a long angle and this normally makes the character higher status but in this case it could be a way of must making the scene more visually interesting because we then track closer to his face.  We end up with a mid close up shot which shows his facial expressions and we are able to interpret his feelings/thoughts.

•      This shot begins with a low angle shot of a women’s feet which is effective because we focus on what the character is focusing on to and get a sense of being part of the film- again making the programme feel like reality. We then finish with an establishing shot so that we can get a sense of where exactly we are, drawing importance to the setting.

Continuity Editing

Continuity editing

Continuity editing is also referred to as invisible editing, is a technique of cutting used to maintain clear and continuous action by following a set of rules. This is all done in the post-production stage.  I think this is very effective because it creates a sense of fluidity when the viewers are watching a film/ programme and so they barely notice the edits.  One reason that this is used is to try and make the film as real as possible and so the audience can be drawn into a world which is realistic and not obvious that they are watching a film.  
What is also effective and unique about this type of editing is that it allows the audience to see a wide shot cut to a close-up shot; something our eyes cannot do in real life. Without continuity editing, the film may not be as fluent to watch but this type of editing allows the viewers to fully immerse and follow the story.  

This is an example of continuity editing from an episode of Eastenders because a lot of the shots can be from a close-up shot to a long-shot etc and change really quieckly without actually noticing the editing techniques. This is used as a way of retaining our concentration and making us merge in with the characters and the way they are feeling/reacting. It allows us to feel like it is reality and not like we are actually watching a programme, making us want to watch more and more.

Match on action 

This is also an editing technique for continuity editing where one shot cuts onto the other portraying the same action as in the first shot.  This creates the impression of a sense of continuity and fluidity which draws the viewer’s attention away from slight cutting or continual issues. All this says to the audience is that when one shot ends another will pick up where the other left off making the reality of the film fluid and continuous.

The clip above from Victor Flemings The Wizard of Oz (1939) shows an example of this match on action. Miss Gulch is seen riding her bicycle, moving to the right, for the majority of the short clip., then at the cut we see her riding her bicycle coming in the direction towards the viewer. The speed at which she is riding does not change, which adds to the continuity and flow of the one shot to the next. These shots may have been recorded at different times but the match on action technique makes them flow and connects them more. We know that while the camera cut to a different angle of view the entirety of the clip shown is meant to be taken as a single action (riding the bicycle) happening at the same point in time.

Establishing Shot

This type of shot may be basic but is actually most commonly used. It is a way of establishing a scene so that the audience are aware of where the action is taking place.

The above clip comes from Shashunk, where is shows an overview of the prison. We as an audience are able to see where this is set and as we focus more into the shot we can see the prison, which the main building where the majority of the film is set so we need to be familiarized with it, demonstrating the importance of this setting.

POV- Point of View Shot

This shot tries to place the camera as a character, making the audience have physical mass inside of the film reality and creating tension because we feel most of the time we are spying on a character.  
For example, at the end of the clip from Halloween we get a POV where we feel that we are entering the house ourselves.  The eerie music and hearing the sound of the footsteps adds to the tension and we except some violence to happen as this is a thriller movie.

Often this effect is employed to help the audience empathize with the main character, or to restrict their view strictly to that of the characters.

Eye-line Match

This is where we see the character looking at something but we as an audience do not know what this is, adding tension because we are eager to find out what it is that we’re missing out. Then the camera shows a shot of what the character was looking at, matching their eye-line.
The clip below shows a good example of an eyeline match where we see the character looking at something which she appears to be extremely shocked but the audience have not seen it yet. 

Shot-reverse shot

Shot reverse shot is a continuity editing technique used mainly in conversations of characters. This shot shows what the character is supposedly looking at (either at a POV or filming from their shoulder) and is followed by a reverse shot of the character themselves looking at the person talking to them. Shot reverse shot often ties in with the 180 degrees rule to retain continuity by not distorting the audience’s sense of location of the character’s in the shots.

An example is the clip below where we see a shot reverse shot of one of the characters talking to another person filmed from the shoulder of each character. 

Parallel Editing

Parallel editing is a technique of alternating two or more scenes that often occur simultaneously but in different locations. This is effective because it creates suspense and is just more visually entertaining and interest to watch than if they were shown in order of what happens. It also gets the sense that it is a high budget film where thought is being put into the editing process and in return has a great effect of being visually interesting.
The following is a popular and famous example of parallel editing from The Silence in the Lambs. Many different scenes are shown one after the other to create the climax and draw the viewers in because they see action from different locations and gain more information about what is happening.