Homework Assignment - Samantha Whawell

For our preliminary assessment we were asked to recreate and film 30/40 seconds of a horror film that previous students had already made. We chose to Psychological 1 ‘Reflection’.  Within the short sequence we made we had to include what we had learnt in previous lessons about how to use a camera correctly and the different rules you have to consider when filming. We also had to find the location and costume to wear for when we shot the assessment  and plan out all of the shots we wanted so we would have a feel of what we would have to do when it comes to shooting our own and final opening to a horror film.

In our finished work it is evident that we could hold a shot steady due to the help of using a tripod correctly. This is evident right at the beginning where the character first finds herself  in the woods and the camera it steady and focused on her. Also at the point where the camera pans upwards to show an establishing shot of the trees is a steady shot. This shot was made steady by using a function on the tripod which kept the camera steady and secure and enabled us to move the camera upwards.  We were able to frame our shots appropriately with the exception of a couple of the close ups and mid close ups where too much room above the head has been given too much room in the background. However by making these mistakes it will give us something to focus on when creating our final coursework film to ensure we don’t make the same mistake when it comes to framing the shots correctly. In our preliminary assessment we used a variety of shot types including: MS (mid shot) ,MCU ( mid close up) ,LS (long shot) ,CU (close up), we used these because we noticed that psychological 1 had a lot of variety in shot types so it let us try out as many as possible and know how to frame them correctly but also would also still make it similar to what we was trying to recreate. We used the rule of thirds when filming the sequence to show the elements of the shot that we wanted out audience’s eyes to be drawn to. However because there was only one character in the short sequence and no props used it the focus was solely on the character and the location. This is why we had to ensure both the location and costume where appropriate for the genre. The rule of thirds rule went well because it showed the character being alone which is the main point we wanted to get across in the 30 seconds that we created.

The continuity of our first assessment piece flows well as the film progresses however near the first transition to the establishing shot of the trees there seems to be a slight jump which we would have corrected if we had more time to edit the final piece.  We have stuck to the 30 degree rule for the filming so we knew that when it came to fitting all of our shots together it would not be as jumpy as it would have if we didn’t use this rule. In the transition of each shot we have changed the shot type, this also helps the sequence fit together better with minimum jumps.

For the location of our shoot me, Sorraya and Frankie all had to fill in a recee sheet with a location where we thought was appropriate to film our horror film and take photos of this place. We all agreed on using Sorraya’s location because it was the closest to the college and the easiest place for all of us to get to. Because  it was close to the college it meant we were able to go out and film it in college hours so the natural lighting was the same as what we were trying to copy as this also was filmed in the day time. The setting was part of a woods so but had steady grounds and pathways so we were safe and near the park. Because very few people came past it meant we were able to film our sequence with very little disruption.  We didn’t use any makeup or props in the remake because they didn’t have any in the original piece so we wanted to keep it as closely the same as possible. However, we did want to use the appropriate costume, and as I was the actor for our assignment I brought in my pyjamas, dressing gown and slippers so it would be similar. I brought in the full costume to if anything got shot on camera that we hadn’t planned it would still fit in with the genre, e.g. wearing shoes instead of slippers may have come across as being a mistake as you wouldn’t wake up and put your shoes on. I think it was appropriate for me to be the actor for our shot piece because it made the organisation easier and the filming possible with the short space we had. It also meant that there would be less chance of any changes to our plan. However, because I was acting in it, it meant I was unable to do the filming and could only film the panning of the trees where I wasn’t in it and also do the white balance before filming.

Because I didn’t contribute to the filming side of the project too much I edited and split what we had recorded into sections so we were able to put them into place and see what it looked like, then as a group we cut smaller sections of to help with the continuity and timing of the sequence. If we were to film this sequence again we would probably get somebody else to be the actor so everybody had to film parts of the film. Also choose a couple of days that we could be able to film as the day when filmed on there was a lot of wind so when it came to editing the piece together we had to include no sound in, however if we had longer to edit the film we could have put some sound effects over the top to try and make it seem more scary.  I feel as though we worked well as a group and feel like everyone participated equally even though Frankie was away on the days of filming and editing she did a lot of the planning. When it comes to filming our final coursework film I think we should plan in more detail of each shot so we know exactly what we want to include and set the frame of the shot correctly. Overall I am very pleased with our final piece and enjoyed the planning, filming and editing of it.