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