At first, the idea we had was to have a girl walking through a forest area, whilst giving the effect on her being watched by an unknown figure. We filmed our shots for this idea, but then realized we were trying to incorporate too much into a short space of time. We then had to think about the factor that it was only the beginning of a film and not the entire film itself, we discussed these factors and thought it would be best to come up with another idea. Our second idea was based on the beginning of the film brick, where a girl is filmed lay at the side of a stream unconscious with the element of flashbacks. During the editing of these clips we realized we could incorporate the first set of shots, which were taken in Heaton Park and link them together with the shots that we took in Platt Fields and then complete our final two minute production.

Film Analysis For Silence Of The Lambs:

The opening scene of silence of the lambs shows a woman running through a forest, we chose this film as an important feature within our movie is the locations, and as one of our locations we are using the woods. The non diegetic sounds used are very low pitched and go very well with the empty, dark forest setting which creates a mysterious atmosphere to the film. During the film, there were many close ups on the women's face and although we are not using close ups in our main task, we thought that this feature was used very cleverly to show the emotion in the woman's face. The fog and mist in the forest also add mystery, which is a main feature we are planning to include in our main task.

The Silence Of the Lambs on IMDB

Ideas for main task:

• TV static on camera to end film
• Camera on tripod falling into leaves
• Scenery with lots of dead foliage
• Establishing shots
• Night time
• Night vision editing
• Tracking shot of objects falling from bag
• Jump cuts to show panic
• Zoom in on object of interest
• Close up on face, upset, make up, looks like crying
• One Actor
• No dialogue, just heavy breathing and crying
• Heaton park
• Minimum amount of face shots creates mystery
• Blue wash/Grey scale color scheme
• Handheld camera work
• Shots of behind trees far away, shaky and builds tension.
• Shots from behind the trees closer every time

1. long shot of character 1 walking through the doors to the room where the story takes place.

2. Extreme long shot with a slow pan and a jump cut of character 1 walking to the table where character 2 is sat down already.

3. Close up of both characters hands as the shake hands.

4. Over the shoulder shot from behind character 1 looking at character 2 while he is talking.

5. Over the shoulder shot behind character 2 while character 1 is talking.

6. Another over the shoulder from behind character 1 while character 2 is talking.

7. Long to extreme long as character 2 walks away from the table and slow pan as he walks towards the door.

On the 4th February, we filmed the preliminary task. Due to some changes in the group, we were unable to complete the task to the best of our ability. This is shown in the sequence as some of the dialogue and shots do not match up.

On the 9th February we edited the shots and compiled the video using final cut pro, which is industry standard editing software.

01. What did you learn about the cameras and editing software during the preliminary task?

We learnt how to operate the camera and how to use final cut pro. Although our preliminary task was not completed to the standard of which we hoped it would be, we have learnt from our mistakes. This includes some of the ways of editing that we did not expect were possible before now.

We also found that filming for a motion picture was not as easy as we first thought it would have been as you have to plan all of your shots before filming, as it is far easier to edit when you have your production fully planned out before filming and editing. What we have learned from learning final cut pro is that you have the advantage of being able to easily change what you have edited if what you have made did not flow properly, or if it did not make sense.

The advantage that we have gained from completing the preliminary task is that we know know how to use a video camcorder, and also how to use final cut pro, which is industry standard editing software and will allow is to create a professional looking start to a film production.

02. In the filming and editing of your project, what worked well and what could have been improved?

As a group we worked well together, and this has let all members of the group have an equal input as to what has been done to the video during both the filming, and the editing stages of our preliminary task. We found that although our preliminary task was far from perfect; we adapted well to time constraints and changing circumstances. Some of our shots that worked well were the shot reverse shot, however the dialogue did not match properly and this made our scene makes less sense. We did not however break the 180* rule so this conforms with the way in which one would expect to edit any type of media text. Our continuity editing could have been improved, as one of our protagonists was holding a pen in one shot, and then in the next he was not.

03. Give a detailed, specific example of how you used shot/ reverse shot combination in your film.

In the preliminary task we used a shot reverse shot when the two characters were talking, this was used as it makes the conversation more realistic and can capture the attention of a more avid viewer. The use of the shot reverse shot also helps the user establish who is talking to who.

04. How did you make sure you did not break the 180 degree rule? If you did what did you learn from this?

To avoid breaking the 180 degree rule, we made sure we positioned the camera correctly, so we didn't cross the line on either side of the characters, and kept it on the left hand side of the table. If we were to cross the camera to the other side, it would not make sense.

Welcome to our Blog!

Before we could start our main task, we were asked to conduct a preliminary task, which would enhance our knowledge of how the camera works and increase our editing skills. We also needed to recognize the filming techniques, which were required within our sequence, such as the 180-degree rule, shot/reverse/shot, and jump cuts. The preliminary task involved us filming and editing a character walking up to a door, entering a room and sitting down on a desk opposite another character where the two characters exchange a short conversation, and character one exits the room. The preliminary task prepares us for the main task, which is an opening of a two-minute opening of a film.