Evaluation - Preliminary Task

Q1: Planning:

Initially, we had to decide what storyline would be used as the basis for our short films and at first we came up with the idea that it should be based around the theft of an apple - of which we decided isn't really realistic and wouldn't be taken seriously. After some more discussion we decided to use all the same ideas but instead base the plot around the theft of a phone.

As a cinematographer, the first stages of the planning were getting an idea of which shots we were going to use and at which points they would be used in the film in order to ensure continuity throughout.

We initially chose a room in the school study hall for our shooting location but it wasn't deemed suitable as there was too much happening in the background of our shots and we were worried about it causing too much of a disturbance to the others around us - eventually we decided a computer room would be the most suitable location for our film as it was a more realistic place for the confrontation to be happen and didn't have many people nearby which made it easier to get the shots that we needed.

Q2: 180 Degree Rule: 

The 180 degree rule is used to ensure that the camera is always positioned on the same side of the action in order to avoid confusing the audience. Sometimes the rule is broken deliberately in thriller films to disorient the viewers (such as in Stanley Kubricks 'The Shining') but in circumstances such as football where following it is absolutely crucial to the viewers understanding, the rule is never broken.

Q3: Camera Shots: 

A wide range of shots were used in our film and were all used to achieve different outcomes. For example, in the opening shot we feature a birds eye tracking shot (with a black and white filter applied later) of our main character to create a sense that he is being watched - perhaps by a CCTV camera. During the shooting process we experimented with a similar shot which was slightly inspired by the opening sequence by the film 'Halloween' and to have the camera shooting through the window, but unfortunately there were too many reflections on the windows for it to achieve it's desired effect.

One of the most notable shots we used was a 'Vertigo shot' or 'Dolly zoom' which was implemented to create a sense of distortion and anger with a character. We were aware of this shot and had seen it being used before but didn't initially know how it was done but that was overcome quickly by experimenting with the zoom and focus of the camera.

Towards the end of our sequence we used a selection of Spaghetti Western inspired close ups on the eyes to show how the characters were looking eachother. This technique is easily recognizable and was most famously used in the final duel sequence of Sergio Leone's 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly". The way this was achieved in the Sergio Leone western was by slowly cutting between close-ups of the characters eyes - so we decided to implement a similar technique (The images below demonstrate this)

Q4:  

I feel much more confident in using a digital camera now and learnt some crucial techniques during filming. Adobe Premiere is extremely user friendly but I feel creating the thriller film will be a much smoother process now we are more acquainted with the equipment that will be used in future.