British Social Realism // Production Log One

(technical skills are described in paragraph below)

From looking at the mark scheme and the work of other students, I have learnt that there is many things needed in the opening sequence to achieve the highest level possible. Firstly, the material has to be appropriate for the target audience which in this case is 16-24 year olds. As it is a British Social Realism film, the themes would have to be realistic for the audience and be based around the typical working class life. They also look at characters that may face struggles in their lives. Also to achieve the best level, you have to use titles and sound appropriately. The titles need to be on the screen long enough to be read and the sound must be suitable and related to the storyline of the film. The sound cannot be played too loud, so dialogue can be heard and the music for the opening sequence should add a mood and not distract or bore the audience. I also need to make sure that there is a controlled use of the camera and variety of shots. This showcases the understanding of different techniques and keeps the audience interested. Mise-en-Scene is very important in British Social Realism films so we need to make sure that the production design is suitable (sets, props and costumes) so the opening sequence is as realistic as possible. This also comes into the era the film is set in as costumes and props may help show that which means we have to represent the time and place in a certain way so it is suitable to our film and theme. Also we need to consider the lighting and colour design for our opening sequence, whether the lighting is artificial or natural. British Social Realism films tend to have a blue colour design as it is a cold colour. Finally, to reach the top level, we must be able to use editing to make our meaning/theme apparent to the audience by making selective shot transitions as it must be as realistic as possible. 

Some well-known British Social Realism films can be seen here:

This will impact my work as I will take all of the above into consideration throughout the planning, filming and editing of the opening sequence. I will make sure the theme is appropriate towards the audience. When looking at other people's opening sequences, I can see that some haven't used their graphics or music appropriately. For example, either the titles were unclear or too fast. With sound, it was either too loud so you were unable to hear the dialogue or it was too repetitive. Also, some people didn't edit to fit the audio which made it seem like the music wasn't appropriate to the opening sequence. I will try and avoid this by perhaps making changes in the music or the volume of the music, so that it creates the mood and I would make sure the titles were used correctly so they can be read and that both fit with the opening sequence well. Also, I will make sure I clearly plan and use a variety of different shots and make sure the camera is controlled. I found that in some work, the camera was not kept still, making the shot look extremely unprofessional. Hopefully, I will be able to avoid this by having smooth camera work and editing. I also found that in some work, the storyline was unclear and not interesting, meaning it wouldn't be gripping for the target audience. I also found that some film titles didn't really match their storyline. I am planning to avoid this by planning my storyline and making sure that the shots I choose to include in the opening sequence are interesting for the audience and that the theme is relevant and realistic for the target audience. 

Edit Workshop Evaluation

This is my final draft of the Continuity Editing Exercise:

This week we edited all the footage we filmed on iMovie, so we had to decide which shots to use, trim them and occasionally use the precision editor to make sure everything flows smoothly.

During filming, we faced some problems, for example we did not follow the 180-degree rule. Afterwards, we re-filmed sections to fix this problem. However, we used the 180-degree rule during conversations to ensure the audience were not disorientated and could follow the scenes easily. Also, we filmed over a couple of days, so we needed to make sure that our actors had the same costumes each day and that we were able to use the same space etc. This was difficult as we filmed in school which meant we had no control over the noise from the surroundings. For example, you may be able to see some changes on the layout of the desk as it belonged to a teacher and it changed every time we filmed.

Before editing, there was a problem with the memory card I used when filming and this meant the footage took a while to upload on to the computer and then to edit in iMovie. Also, I found that at points where we filmed towards the end of the shot, the camera wobbled a few times, making editing harder as we had to make sure that wasn't in the end product. I also found using the bell in the beginning to cover up bad language used in the scene difficult as I found I needed to edit the audio of the footage and make it quieter. 

I think that we expanded on the brief well, giving it a school theme and coming up with a script and ways to showcase all the techniques we planned too, to show an understanding of continuity editing. I think we planned well, although we made the mistake of breaking the 180-degree rule, so I think we should of spent more time referring back to the storyboard to ensure we followed every shot carefully. The editing process went well and I think the final product runs smoothly. The strengths of the work is the variety of shots and techniques I used which are listed below:

Long Shot: 
We used a long shot to show the student walking to the office because we wanted to show her surroundings which shows that she is in a school environment. Also we wanted to show her whole body and her lazy body language to the audience so it demonstrates her attitude towards school. This is the first shot we are using after the establishing shot. 



Match on Action: 
We used match on action, in two places in our sequence, on an opening door and the teacher passing the student a statement. Match on action enables a smooth transition and a relationship to be made between the two shots. We need to make sure that when we are editing that the door is in the same place between the two shots. To do this we will have to use the precision editor in iMovie.

Over the Shoulder and Shot-Reverse-Shot:

We used both these shots together during the conversation between the two characters. This is because in both different shots you are able to see the reaction to what one character says to another. Over the shoulder shots also frames the shot with one character's shoulder, allowing the audience to see who the conversation is going on between. When filming these shots, we had to make sure that we followed the 180-degree rule so the audience do not become confused or disorientated. 


Mid-Shot:
We used mid-shots, especially when showing the teacher, to show the contrast between their body languages (student at beginning and him in the school office). Also it shows the character's face and hands so they are able to express emotions so are ideal to use during a conversation. This allows the audience to see that the teacher is angry with the student, but not as angry as later on in the sequence where close-ups are used so is the most appropriate shot. 

Two Shot:

During conversations, we also used two shots, which allows the audience to see both characters in the shot and they can establish a relationship between them. Two shots allow the space between the subjects, the conversation and reactions to be seen. 




Close-ups and Extreme Close-ups:
We used close-ups to focus on the face of the teacher as he got more angry with the student to express to the audience that the mood has changed and become more serious. We used an extreme close-up on the mouth of the teacher as he raises his voice to again make it clear to the audience the atmosphere is much more tense as the student is at risk of expulsion. 

180-degree Rule:
We followed the 180-degree rule by keeping the student on the right and teacher on the left as you can see below. We found this hard in conversation as it can get confusing when filming over the shoulder shots which is where we went originally.

Rule of Thirds:
The rule of thirds means that your main focus in the shot should be on the top line of the screen. I think we could have executed this much better, but most of our shots were mid-shots therefore it is not that clear. As you can see our main focus is on the top line in the following shots:

However as you can see on this close up his eyes are not quite on the top line in the shot so I think we could have improved that if we had more time. 

Strengths- 
I think our work is good in the fact it uses a variety of different shots and our final draft follows the simple brief we were given and we came up with a suitable theme and storyline. The main strength of my work was my creativity as we were given a small brief to follow:

"A character opens a door, crosses a room and sits down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. 

The task should demonstrate knowledge and understanding of match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule."

From this brief we came up with the idea of a teacher and student scenario, which we got the inspiration from a TV show that was airing at that time, "Educating the East End." We also were creative with coming up with shot ideas to make the final draft as interesting as possible. During filming we came up with the idea to have a cross-cut, which allowed us to show a flashback and then cut back to current time. Another strength is the editing as we had several match on action shots, which I think we edited quite precisely. 

Weaknesses-
As we needed to re-film sections because the 180-degree rule was broken originally it meant the conditions where we filmed most of our work may not be the exact same in sections of the final film. Also, I think on our close ups, the rule of thirds isn't clear and if I could film again I would line it up better. The main weakness is the planning of the continuity exercise as when we looked at our first draft footage, we noticed the 180-degree rule was broken, and that there were many shots we felt could have been improved and executed better. During filming we should of referred more to our storyboard, so we could have avoided having to only film two shots again for the final draft due to the rule being broken.

Improvements-
I would make the rule of thirds much clearer in the final product and would of tried to film it all in one day as trying to get everything the exact same proved extremely difficult in the place we were filming.

First Draft of Continuity Editing Exercise

During filming, we did come up with some more ideas for our short sequence so filmed more footage than we planned. We decided to add more dialogue and different shots that we didn't use too much for example, two shots and close ups. We decided to add a cross-cut to make the effect of a flashback during our sequence, showing what the student did to be sent to the office. This happens towards the beginning of our film.

This week we also had to find any SFX or music we would like to use in our sequence. We found a school bell we are going to use, and some music that will set the scene at the beginning. 

Below, is my first draft of my continuity exercise. This is because I need to film some shots again as I broke the 180-degree rule which needs to be fixed so the audience are not confused when watching it. 

Continuity Editing Intro

This week we have been planning for the preliminary exercise called "The Encounter" that we started planning for last week. 

This short sequence must contain a range of camera shots and angles and especially show an understanding of match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. 

Our idea is set in a school, where a student has been sent to the Head of Year's office for the third time in that week and the teacher explains how she is at risk of expulsion from school if her behaviour continues. The student walks to the office and walks into a room and sits opposite the teacher where this conversation takes place. We got our inspiration for this idea from a recent series on television called Educating the East End, where the students talk back to their teachers often. We wanted our actress to play a similar student and have the same attitude some of the kids on the show do. Below you can see a short trailer for this series:

Part of this task is to be able to showcase all different shots to show an understanding of continuity editing. The shots and techniques I planned to use are listed below:

Long Shot: 
We planned to use a long shot of the student walking to the office door. This is because it will show her surroundings (the school corridor) and her whole body language, which should show her attitude towards school.  




Match on Action: 
We planned to use match on action, in two places in our sequence, on an opening door and the teacher passing the student a statement. Match on action enables a smooth transition and a relationship to be made between the two shots. The idea is to make two separate shots, look as fluid as possible and try to make the cut absolutely invisible to the audience.

Over the Shoulder and Shot-Reverse-Shot:
We planned to use both these shots together during the conversation between the two characters. This is because in both different shots you are able to see the reaction to what one character says to another. Over the shoulder shots also frames the shot with one character's shoulder, allowing the audience to see who the conversation is going on between. 

Mid-Shot:

We planned to use mid-shots, especially when showing the teacher, to show the contrast between their body languages (student at beginning and him in the school office). Also it shows the character's face and hands so they are able to express emotions so are ideal to use during a conversation. 





Two Shot:
During conversations, we also planned to use two shots, which allows the audience to see both characters in the shot and they can establish a relationship between them.








Close-ups and Extreme Close-ups:
Close ups and Extreme close ups allow you to focus on one element and are useful for a dramatic effect. We planned to use an extreme close up on the teacher's mouth so the audience understood the significance of his words.  

180-degree Rule:

The 180-degree rule is an invisible line that when filming you should not cross to ensure the audience do not become disorientated or confused when watching a scene. In our film, we have to show an understanding of this as it is important in continuity editing. 

Rule of Thirds:

The rule of thirds ensure that the characters are looking at each-other directly by making sure the eyes are on the top horizontal line when filming. 

Planning for Edit Workshop and Storyboard

This week we started a preliminary exercise entitled "The Encounter." We were given simple instructions to base the short sequence upon which are below: 

A character opens a door, crosses a room and sits down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. 
The task should demonstrate knowledge and understanding of match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

As well as the techniques described above, we must be able to use a range of camera shots and angles and show continuity in our editing.

We had to get into pairs to storyboard, stage, film the sequence, but we edit the work individually. In my group, we decided to base our sequence around a school theme, where our character would be a girl who was being called into a teacher's office for misbehaving. 
After planning our idea, we had to storyboard our sequence, making sure we showed what type of shot and angle we were using, annotations describing the shot, dialogue, duration and sound effects and stating the transition/editing between each shot. To complete the storyboard quickly and fairly, my partner and I completed half the shots each, her doing shots 9-16 and myself completing shots 1-8. After some more discussing and planning, we added some more shots, which you can see in the bottom picture. 

Here's the complete storyboard below: