Practical Film 2

In this lesson we were given a task, to go out and film a practice sequence so we can improve are camera shots and camera movements etc for the real thriller film. We had to include the following sequence, in are film and they were to making sure that we have use at least one match cut, an example of shot/ reverse shot and showing are understanding of the 180 degree rule. The story of are practical film was A character opens a door, walks into a room, sits down opposite another character and they share a few lines of dialogue.

The camera work movements used in our film sequence was excellent as we used a wide-ranging amount of shots and also experimented with movement and angles. My personal judgment is that, I feel that as a group we have improved are skills in camera work from the last practice film we created. As a result, we also have learned from the mistakes we made last time and have improved them for our second practical film.

The shots that were most successful in our film, was the over the shoulder shot, close up (of feet and hand opening door) and the match cuts. That was used to create a sense of flow and stability in the sequence. However, the panning shot we used in the beginning of the film didn't work good as the character was not located in the frame properly and was not capable to judge the speed of the person walking so therefore it was a bit muddled as an general shot.


The editing in our practical film was very successful, this was because the clips we filmed were simply fitted together following some touching up as a result the film looked very good and made sense. We also used continuity editing productively in editing as the film flowed and appeared like there was no editing done. The short film that we have made in our group did make sense because of the thinking and planning that went in beforehand. Also of the shots and angles used and in the editing we formed the scene therefore it would appear straight rather than appearing as though it have been edited.

We also learned as a group that the Mise-en-scene was very important in the shots. This is because it created the atmosphere and emotion which also gave the viewers an idea of where it was set.

As a group we also managed to create a sense of tension, at the beginning when the character was walking in have not shown fully. Therefore, we only determined to show a close up of his feet and hand opening the door. Therefore, it would collect questions to the viewers, like where he was going and why?
One thing that we forgot to do when filming our film was to add the 5 seconds rule before and after the shot which would have specified us more time and space when editing the film.

However, we also tried to use various conventions from a real thriller film like tracking the characters footsteps, close up of his hand which creates suspense and also a range of camera shots giving the viewers more to look at.
After filming our film and editing it, we had some feedback from the teacher and she told us that the film we made was very good and also the match cuts we used worked out well. Also she told us that the camera work was well thinking out and planned.

In my personal feelings of the practice film, was very successful and I also have enjoyed playing a role in the film with the group. Also, i personally believe that the work we was set to do was well done and it was to its highest standard including all from the brief in the film.