1. Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?
My group consisted of me, Dominic, Sheera and India. Initially in class we broke up the tasks between ourselves. Me and Dominic chose to act and India and Sheera split the filming between themselves. Since me and Dominic were acting we handled the script and the shot list/shooting schedule and India and Sheera handled the storyboard. We tried to split the tasks as evenly as possible to ensure the task was a learning experience for everyone in the group. I even managed to shoot a shot myself when i didnt have to be acting in it. At the end we split the editing evenly so again everyone gained experience from creating this continuity sequence.

2.How did you plan your sequence? What processess did you use? What theories did you take into account?
To plan the sequence we had two group meetings. The first of these was in a lesson in which we mostly disucussed everything involving roles and an theme for the sequence. Once this had been decided we started drawing up a story board. We did some run throughs beforehand to check all the camera framings and angles would work in our location of chpice. In the second meeting at lunch we finished off the story board and made our shot list/shooting schedule so we knew exactly which shots we were taking where. This made it much easier when it came to the filming of the sequence. In order to create this continuity sequence we took many rules and theories into account. As stated in the brief we had to demonstrate match-on-action, shot-reverse shot and the 180degree rule. This was all put into the sequence in order to create a sense of flow. There were other rules and techniques we used to ensure our sequence worked well such as very quick gapless editing and we made sure we didnt break the 30degree rule so it looked as if there were no short 'jumpy' cuts. A master shot was also used in the sequence so the audience know where the continuity sequence takes place and it helps re-establish taht throughout the sequence when it cuts back to it later on.

3. What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?
We had to use many pieces of equipment in order to create this continuity sequence. The first was a Canon Mini DV video camera. This was our main piece of equipment and was used to film every shot. This was operated by the cameraman/woman and was mounted on a tripod for every shot to ensure smooth non-shaky shots. To accompany this and record auido we used a shotgun microphone and headphones to try and get a reasonably good quality dialouge to accompany the shots. To capture and edit the sequence we used Adobe Premier Pro. We only usd the very basics of this program but it was enough to edit our sequence. We also used it to create titles for the begining of the sequence.

4. What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
We had to take into account many factors when planning and shooting our sequence. The first obstacle to overcome was managing to create this sequence within the time limit we were given. We had an hour to plan, an hour to shoot and an hour to edit. This obviously restricted the complexity of the sequence so we decided to make it short and simple. The second thing we had to consider was the location of our shoot. This area had to have reasonable lighting since we decided not to use artificial lights, it had to have quite quiet sound levels so there would be no background noise when recording our audio and the location had to be accessible to us during school hours. From this we decided to use our media classroom. It was empty at the planned time of shooting and would have enough lighting due to there being many windows. While shooting our time limit was the main factor we considered. We had to limit the number of takes we could do of each shot in order to finish within the time limit. This meant we wouldnt be able to perfect all our shots but we did manage to correct the ones that went horribly wrong. Another thing to consider however was the continuity rules. We had to stick mainly to the 180degree rule while shooting to make our sequence look as proffessional as possible. When editing we had to try and split the task evenly between us. This meant constantly switching between tasks and perhaps slowed the editing process down slightly. Again we had to consider continuity techniques and try and make our cuts as tight as possible. With only an hour to edit everything had to be done in a brisk manner and this limited our ability to perhaps create perfect match-on-action between each cut.

5. How successful was your sequence? Identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?

Overall i think our sequence was quite successful, however there were things we could have done a lot better. The beginning of our sequence is particularly successful. I am shot walking up to a door and then there is a cutaway to a CU of my hand opening to door. This then cuts to a master shot in the next room of me entering through the door. This bit works really well because the match on action effect is created really well. There is a lot of flow between the 3 shots and it makes the editing almost seem invisible. As well as being technically successful, these shots also work well in the narrative sequence as a whole because they establish my character and also give the audience a sense of place. Another part of our sequence that was particularly successful was the conversation between me and Dominic. It features the shot reverse-shot technique. It works really well because the cuts are very pacey which again helps to create a flow in the sequence. The use of a master shot in this sequence works well because when it cuts away to the master shot the audience is reminded of where this sequence is taking place and makes them feel more of a part of this sequence. The main thing that helped make this a successful sequence was sticking to all the continuity rules

Many things could be improved in this sequence. Firstly the second character in this sequence (Dom), isnt properly introduced since the first shot we see of him is in the master shot. This is a wide shot and therefore he is not seen properly by the audience. This means the audience are not invited into this sequence and therefore have less connection with what is happening. To fix this there should be a shot that introduces Dominic. This could just be a simple MS of his reaction to me walking through the door. Some things in the sequence are also not as clear as they should be. The handing over of the book to Dominic isnt shown clearly. Initially there was a cutaway of a CU of the book but this didnt work well with the narrative flow because match on action wasnt created. This problem arose because the shot was not filmed as part of the whole sequence and was only filmed as an individual shot. To improve this i would shoot the whole sequence from each shot. This would provide more options when editing and help the sequence flow more. One last thing that could be improved in this sequence is the general match on action of each cut. For example in one shot I am shown with my hands down on top of eachother on the table, and in the next shot of me they are spread apart. This can only be improved by careful consideration of each shot.

6. What have you learnt from completing this task? How will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework?

The first thing that i have learnt from this task is the importance of planning. After using a story board, script, shooting schedule and shot list everything was made so much easier during the shoot. Every member of the group knew exactly what they were doing and everyone knew how the sequence was going to pan out. This is very significant to the rest of my coursework project because later on in the year when we come to filming, i will make sure that my group plans every detail and that everything is arranged beforehand.

Another important thing that i have learnt is the importance of shooting a whole sequence from each shot. This provides many more options when editing the sequence and helps prevent match on action problems. I will definitely bear this in mind when shooting my final coursework piece. Hopefully by doing this i will have no problems with the flow of shots or unnatural cuts. Related to this point, i have also learnt that it is important to consider match on action in every shot. All the details of every shot need to remain constant throughout a sequence in order for it to look proffessional. Remembering to do this during my final sequence will be very important because otherwise there will be continuity problems.

However the main thing i have learnt from this task is the importance of the contnuity rules. Making sure we used all of them in our sequence meant that we created a good looking sequence and made most the editing almost seem invisible. I will make sure that all the rules are applied to my final coursework piece. This will make my coursework piece look proffessional which is one of the main aims of it.

Group 1D

Propp's theory analysis

Finding Nemo is a film telling the story of a fish (Marlin) searching for his lost son (Nemo). Marlin, recently widowed is an overprotective father and struggles to let Nemo out of his sight. Nemo disobeys his dad's orders and wonders into the Great Barrier Reef. As he does so he is captured and taken to a dentist's fish tank. The narrative tells the story of Marlin and his new found friend (Dory) searching for Nemo and also tells the story of Nemo trying to escape the fish tank.

Character Types in the Film:

Hero - Marlin

Villain - Little Girl

Victim - Nemo

Helper - Dory

31 functions of Propp's theory applied to finding Nemo:

No.1: Nemo is taken from home

No.2: Marlin tells Nemo not to leave leave the reef

No.3: Nemo leaves home anyway

No.8: Villain takes Nemo away

No. 11: Marlin leaves in search for Nemo

No.14: Marlin finds Dory (helper)

No.25: Nemo has to swim through the pipe

No. 30: Villain is punished because she loses her fish

Conclusion

Many of the functions in propp's theory apply to this film, however many don't. In my opinion this theory is probably slightly outdated because films nowadays tend to all change narrative theory structure in order to provide a different viewing experience and prevent predictability. As shown in Finding Nemo many of the functions do apply however they are slightly in the wrong order and many also do not apply. I think that no general formula will be able to apply to every film because every film is unique. There will always be elements of difference.

Opening Sequence - Applying Todorov's Theory

The main antagonist is clearly shown in this opening sequence. He is introduced right at the beginning with the name of 'Sauron'. He is shown to be clearly evil in many ways. The narrator introduces him as 'the dark lord' and he is shown surrounded by fire and darkness. The protagonists are only shown towards the end of the opening sequence. The first, 'Bilbo Baggins', is introduced with a name and can been seen as a protagonist due to the innocence of his nature. The second is not introduced with a name but can be seen clearly as a protagonist because of the peace and bliss that surrounds him in the establishing shot. The title of the film is also shown as the first shot of him is shown which indicates it will focus around him.

This opening sequence is not very conventional because it first shows how things will be due to a disruption because it is narrating a past story. The equilibrium is only shown at the very end. The last shot is an establishing shot of a forest area. The protagonist is sitting by a tree and the camera pans round. he is calmly reading and the area is very luscious. Birds are tweeting and everything represents bliss and calm. Another shot shows a CU of the ring. This is significant because it shows that the equlibirum exists when the ring remains untouched. The lighting in this shot is very dark and everything about it looks very gloomy, this perhaps suggests that even in the equlibrium things are definitely not perfect.

The disruption is greatly hinted at throughout the whole opening sequence. The narrator tells a story of evil forces taking over the land due to a ring. This ring is found at the end of the opening sequence so we can assume that the equilibium is broken due to conflict arising again. The audience is made to think that the story the narrator told is bound to repeat itself and there will perhaps be more war.

The heroes journey can only be assumed to be a quest in which the protagonist must restore peace somehow. We can guess that this has something to do with the ring but we can't be sure of deatils or how he will go about doing this. From what we can see in this opening sequence i am guessing that the new restored equilibrium will be exactly as the first (peaceful lands with no war) but with many changed lives. Every hero will have completed a journey which will have perhaps changed their perception on everything. Maybe new alliances will be formed in order to restore this equilibrium but nothing is given away in the opening sequence.

Decontructing a Continuity Sequence