Account Of Shooting Our Preliminary Task

Our preliminary task consisted of us filming a conversation between 2 people. The objectives of the task was to lean and familiarise ourselves with the camera, and learn to use the technical settings accurately, such as the composition of shots, framing, focus and continuity. The task was also to practice and understand the concept of constructing a narrative sequence using the method of continuity editing. We also learnt how to produce footage (rushes) that could then be digitalised, letting us log and cut on a timeline using non-linear editing.

Whilst we were shooting our Preliminary Task there were 4 main technical areas that we had to pay close attention to. These areas were Camera, Sound, Story Boarding and the 180o Rule. We didn’t need to worry about aspects such as lighting and mise-en-scene etc. as it was only a basic task and we weren’t using lighting or carefully constructing mise-en-scene.

We were constantly changing and adjusting the settings on the camera. The set up was an important part, we had to make sure that the camera was set up on a tripod and levelled properly using the spirit level bubble. Using a tripod meant that we could do pans and tilts in a very smooth way and aspires to high production practices.
One key technical area that we had to take into consideration was the framing of each shot. When we set the camera up for each shot we had to set the focus (making sure manual focus is on). Zooming in to the furthest point in, focusing up and then zooming back out meant that everything between the camera and the point we zoomed in on was in focus. When we were positioning the shot we had to take into account whether we were giving the subject sufficient headspace and also looking, walking or talking space. When choosing the angles we had to think about the effect that they might make, such as high and low angles affect the status of the subject felt by the audience. Before we were able to film we had to check that the settings on the camera were correct. These include, making sure that the white balance is set to the right kind of light (inside – artificial, outside – natural) the exposure is set to the right level letting in the right degree of light through the lens for the particular shot. Also making sure that the gain is set to 0 if possible and making sure that you let the tape run for approx 30 seconds before you start filming onto it. This is because sometimes when a tape has been played a lot the beginning can stretch and deteriorate and glitch.

The sound that we recorded was recorded using the mic mounted on top of the camera. This is a directional microphone but because it was always pointing in the same direction as the camera we didn’t need to worry about making sure it was facing the right way. We had to make sure that the levels on the camera were ok so that the sound wasn’t distorting or peaking.

On a few occasions we had to stop and think about 180o rule, this is the invisible line that runs between the camera and the main action that must not be crossed as it dictates the direction of movement. All the movement of the subjects must also be in the same direction to ensure directional continuity.

The storyboarding produces the technical account of shot action, sound, movement, angle, editing transition, timing and lighting. We were infact given some very basic storyboards, which just outlined the task for us. They were very prescriptive to ensure that we didn’t break continuity. Although we were allowed to add in some extra shots, for example we did a focus pull from foreground in focus of the man worrying pulling to the background in focus of the women entering into the shot. We also added a pan shot of the women just before entering into the room. These additional shots provided variety and choice in the editing process.
These were all the main aspects that had to be taken into account during our shoot. In our next task we will have much more to think about when we are using lighting and all that comes under the topic of mise-en-scene.