How We Filmed The Preliminary Task

For this task i worked in a group of five to film as short sequence:
Actor 1 - Alexandra
Actor 2 - Marriella
Director - Louise
Assistant Director/Cotinuity -

We had to fulfill certain criteria that was given to us in the form of a storyboard showing a variety of different shots and angles that we were set the task of capturing. We also had to find our own props which were to act as signifiers to give a background to our story. In our piece we chose to use street life and so we dressed the actors in hooded outfits with cap hats and we used a spray can as our main signifier object. The storyline we came up with for our short prelim was simply a thug covincing another person vandalise a wall with sray paint.

Filming
To begin with we fimed the whole scene in a wide shot. We did this so we would be able to cut back at anytime during editing and so we could create continuity. Also by shooting a wide shot first of the whole story we managed to capture a number of shots in one take and this saved us time in the long run and meant that we could be finished filming in the time we had. By having capturing this wide shot of the whole thing we also got the shots 1, 4, 7, 11.

After having filmed the wide we then filmed the whole story again as part of an over the shoulder shot to show the persective of one the characters. We then added a closeup of the character to show a reaction shot of his face. This covered shots 2, 5, 9, 10. This shot diplayed emotion to the audience and allowed one to empathize with the character, it also gave variaion to the prelim. We then repeated these shots from the other characters perspective, agin by filming the whole sequence. These shots covered the frames 3, 6, 8, 12; and meant that we had covered all that was demanded by the sheet within five takes. As a result we finished early and consequently decided to film to extra shots to give our piece some more variation and make it stand out from the other groups in the class. We added a close up pan of the spraying can being passed from one character to the other and an extreme closeup o the spraying can to establish our signifier object.

Prelim Storyboard

Prelim Storyboard Draft and About Storyboards

How To Create a Storyboard

What Is a Storyboard And Why Is It Necessary To Have One?

A storyboard is a graphic representation of how your video will unfold, shot by shot. It is made up of a number of squares with illustrations or pictures representing each shot, with notes made about what is going on in the specific scene and why. It can even include whats being said in the shot (dialogue).

Making a storyboard may sound tedious and time consuming however it is extremely productive when it comes to he filming.

Storyboards are a visual aid they make it much easier to share and explain your ideas. This also enables other people to understand your ideas more clearly. A stporyboard also makes production considerably easier as is essentially setting up a plan for production that will include all the different kinds pf shots, how they are laid out and how the visuals will interact with the script. It ensures that you will not forget any shots. Most importantly a storyboard also saves you a considerable amount of time. Initially it may seem that constructing a storyboard is time consuming in itself however in the long run it will mean that you are doing many things such as editing and production much more quilcy and efficiently.


Our Groups First Storyboard




During todays lesson my group and I began to piece together our storyboard. After discussing between us how we would split the thriller up into individual shots we began to draw it up. We chose Mariella to draw as she is an art student so she would make a clear representation of our thriller idea. Myself and the two others finalised our thriller story and told marriela what we wanted her to draw. This storyboard is not finalised it is the initial rough copy that will be developed over the year and converted into the final finished piece, however this piece provides a basis that we can work on.

On this storyboard we annotated it with proosed props and ideas for charecter choice.

What is a Thriller?

A thriller is defined as a novel, play or movie with an exciting plot that uses suspense, tension and excitement as main elements within the composure. A thriller is often simliar to a puzzle, that your mind has to put together and once you think you've figured it out, the picture on the puzzle changes. Thrillers keep you guessing by being fast paised and many incorperate plot twists and red hearings whilst also including clues that are often difficult to pick up on that enable one to piece together the story.

The main objective of a thriller is to keep the audience on the edge of their seats and captivated.The tension is used to create a stressful climax. It does this by providing a sudden rush of emotions, excitement and adrenaline that create a drive for the narrative. This narrative is usually based around a quest that the main character has to solve and is often portrayed in the view of one specific person rather than a variety.

Thriller films have been used as a genre since the 20's where Alfred Hitchcock began to exploit the idea with his films; The Lodger and Blackmail, which were silent films. Over the decades up until the present, a massive development in technology has allowed peoples thriller ideas to be created in film more easily and much more affectively. This has meant that plots have become more complex and intricate. Some of the most famous thrillers include:

Learning To Use The Camera

The Camera

During class we were taught both how to set up a camera and how to use it to create a piece of film.

Setting up the Camera

Firstly we took the tripod stand, on which the camera would sit, and simply adjusted the legs to the preferred height and position and tightened the various knobs and assured that they were securely fastened. Once this was completed we positioned the camera on top of the tripod stand, once again fastening securely to ensure that the camera would not be in danger of falling off. Then we 'bubbled' the camera; a method used to check that the camera is not angled awkwardly thus not affecting later filming. Next we turned the camera on and adjusted the white balance which is done by zooming the in on a white object and focusing in on it. Once this is done the lighting on the camera image will match that of the surrounding environment.

The 180 Degree Rule

This rule is used to give one a basic understanding of the on-screen spatial relationship between two characters in a scene. The line of vision lies across the centre of the circle and the camera must be kept on one side of the line to avoid the audience becoming confused when the two characters are both facing the same way. However one can cross the line if it is included in film, yet if you decide to cross the line onto the other side you must stay on this side.

Toby Baring

Hi, my name is Toby Baring I am 16 years old and I am currently studying for my AS mediastudies qualification at Hurtwood House in Surrey. This subject is new to me yet i have always been deeply interested in the film world and how exactly films are constructed. I am taking biology, chemistry and geography along with media so it was a bit of a punt but i thought it would be a really great thing to do considering my interest in the area. After school my dream is to go to medical school and become a surgeon. You're probably thinking why i'm doing mediastudies if i could have chosen physics or psycology maybe, but the truth is i believe in doing the subjects that one really likes not the ones that one is good at yet finds deeply boring.

I love to watch a wide variety of film genres and appreciate all films ranging from indie classics to modern day comedies. My favourite film of all time has to be the blues brothers shot in Chicago during the mid 80's, I still remember the first time my mum put it on and insisted that my brothers and I would love it and sure enough we did! Dan Arkroyd as 'Elwood Blue' was awesome he had us laughing our heads off as we sat watching the classic, I think it must have been how outrageously behaved he was that made it so great for me!