Continuity Task 2 - S+S Evaluation

1) What was your role in the task and what did you actually do?

I was the director and was in charge of whether the shots were good enough and portrayed what we intended. I made sure that the script was properly said throughout filming and that the acting was believable. During shots, we would discuss what the best way was to portray the relationship between Cathy and Kush to the audience, and also what hand gestures conveyed their emotions.

2a) What factors did you have to take into account when planning?

We thought about our 80 minute time limit and how we couldn't over complicate our story. We tried not to be too over-ambitious and made sure that the shots we wanted to film were capable of being done in the time period given.

2b) What factors did you have to take into account when filming?

We made sure to film the full conversation between the two actors from 3 different angles: a LS, and from both the actor's perspectives. For filming as a point of view of the actor, we had to find a position for the camera that showed the shoulder of one and the entire face of the other opposite. We made sure to make the camera eye-line level and positioned it as close to the head of the actor as possible. For the LS, we made sure it wasn't a high angle but also made sure that when Simon waked in we could see his whole body.

2c) What factors did you have to take into account when editing?

We realised we couldn't add a soundtrack, so we had added the fades between the last few shots instead of making it a typical 'cowboy-stare-down' shot with the western music. I did part of the editing with Simon and helped make sure the shots were continuous and there were no breaks in the action.

3) How successful was your sequence? Did you fulfill the demands of the brief? Did you manage to demonstrate match-on-action, shot-reverse-shot, and 180-degree rule? Did you achieve continuity overall?

We did fulfil the demands of the brief; we included shot-reverse-shot when we filmed the conversation between Cathy and Kush. This also featured the 180-degree rule as we stayed infront of the actors and didn't film behind them; this would have caused confusion with the audience as thy wouldn't know who's on the left hand side and who's on the right. Match-on-action was seen when Simon walked in; the LS shows Simon walking off when he's finished speaking to Cathy and Kush, and then cuts to Cathy's point of view where Simon is still walking off (from the same place).

4) What have you learnt from completing this task? How might this learning impact on future video production work? (WWW/EBI?)
I have learnt that it is very difficult to have match-on-action and that even a slight difference of movement between one shot and the next, can disrupt the viewing experience for the audience. I have learnt that it's easiest to film the whole scene from different angles and then choosing the shots that i really want when editing. This allows me to have a selection of angles and it doesn't limit the choices of the final video. It would've been better if we had finalised the script earlier on, so that the actors could know the basics of the conversation, an we wouldn't have had to shoot as many takes.

The Incredibles 2 Trailer

• The first shot is an ident logo of Disney, appealing to all the Disney fans.
• Introduces the conflict between Dash and Violet straight away - creates comedy for the audience because Dash goes red with anger as Violet keeps on making him go back to the toilet to wash his hands properly. 
• The audience are reminded of the childish personality of Dash when he exclaims "Is this all vegetables?!" - this phrase anchors the stereotype of Dash being a fussy and moody young boy.
• The scene changes abruptly from 0:26-0:27 when Bob says "What elephant (in the room)?", to Elastigirl jumping onto a helicopter in mid-air. The audience are able to straight away identify what the 'elephant' is and immediately introduces the story. 
• The sound effect of high-pitched violins intensifies by the end of this scene and stops when the screen cuts to black.
• Violet's voiceover says "Mum's new job" in a MCU of Elastigirl, as she grins in her superhero outfit. Now the audience are fully aware of the main plot.
• An intertitle card is used to show that Pixar Animation Studios helped in the making of this film, appealing to al the Pixar fans.
• Loud and intense trumpets start playing as the screen cuts to black and then a low angle, pan is used to show a tall skyscraper, connoting its ominous and evil part in the plot.
• At 0:38, Frozone is introduced by creating an ice-path for a derailed train that is crashing down.
• A man in a suit is introduced and explains how superheroes need to be "brought back into the light". This will excite the audience as the previous film showed the superheroes' daily struggles of keeping their powers a secret, and now they finally have the chance to show them off to the world.
• The man in the suit challenges the gender stereotype of males always being the leader by saying "Elastigirl is our best play". This gives a positive message of females being just as strong as men, which will teach younger girls that women can do anything that men can.
• The scene cuts to an ELS of a grand, modern house surrounded by tall trees. The use of the loud, heroic trumpets, creates a majestic atmosphere and infers to the audience that this house will be their refuge and act as their 'saviour'. This is emphasised by Dash' remake: "Woahhh!"
• Bob also challenges the gender stereotype that women always look after the kids while the men go to work, by saying "I'll watch the kids no problem". This puts across a positive message that men can do what women do as well.
• At 0:59, the Disney ident is used again.
• Bob is seen frustrated by doing a maths problem, "Why would they change math? Math is math!" This comedic scene is relatable to older audiences who may understand the struggles of helping their young kids with homework. Creates a realistic father figure.
• At 1:16, the famous 'Incredibles' theme song is used with Violet's scream along side it. This creates comedy for the audience as it challenges the association of victory and happiness along with the theme song.
• At 1:20, that is when the audience become aware that Jack-Jack has powers and builds excitement as they wonder what powers he has.
• Dash' remark of "Is she having adolescence?" creates comedy for the audience, as not only does it relate to young boys who have older, female, teen siblings, but also to parents who understand the struggles of dealing with typical teenage problems. 
• Furthermore, Bob struggling to look after Jack-Jack, whilst the mum is away, creates comedy as it can appeal to women who have had children as they know how tiring it is to look after a child. This creates a realistic situation as it supports the stereotype that men struggle to look after children as well as women do. This can also be scene at 1:29 where a MLS is used to show Bob's flimsy hair, overgrown beard and purple bags under his eyes.
• Jack-Jack is portrayed as a troublesome baby who will do anything to get a cookie.
• At 1:32, an inter title card is used to show the audience that the film is coming out "THIS SUMMER"
• A shot of Elastigirl overtaking the police on a motorbike suggests the crime genre.
• A shot of Elastigirl riding a motorbike in the air suggests the action genre.
• At 1:42 to 1:43, the music stops to emphasise the thanks Dash receives from the old lady, which he saved from being crushed by a flying car.
• At 1:44, an inter title card is used: "IT'S TIME TO GET BACK"
• From 1:44 to 1:46, there are action shots of Violet using her invisibility powers and Dash running through repeated realms made by Jack-Jack.
• At 1:47, another inter title card is used: "TO BEING INCREDIBLE"
• From 1:48 to 1:53, more action shots of them using their powers; this excites the audience as it reminds of all the cool things about the superheroes.
• Edna's remark of "It means fire Robert", reminds the audience of her sarcastic character from the previous film and excites Disney fans as they anticipate her role in the new film.
• At 1:59 to 2:01, the Incredibles logo is used.
• The audience is then introduced to the villain. The music stops and then eerie, high-pitched violins get louder rapidly, building tension for the audience.
• Frozone's wife's remark of "You better be back ASAP" creates comedy as it represents a realistic situation that the wife wants their husband back home on time for dinner no matter what. Reminds the audience of her needy character from the previous film.
• It ends on a title card stating the date of release, informing the audience when the film is in cinemas: "JUNE 15". It also features a hashtag so fans can use Twitter to discuss the trailer and the film's release; this acts as free advertisement.

Reflections on Practical: TV Drama Still

My drama still

1. Provide a brief summary of how you planned your photography practical.

Before the shoot, I drew a rough picture of what my shot would contain:  the actors and any props. I also thought about what type of shot my still would be and which would be most effective i.e CU or MCU. I made a list of props that i would borrow from the media department.

Storyboard for my shot (3)

2. Analyse your chosen shot and identify in what ways it could be described as signifying your chosen TV drama genre/subgenre.
My chosen subgenre was thriller and i chose to signify this by the dark lighting and mysterious, cloaked figure. The hidden eyes and lowered face connote a threatening image and creates unease for the audience. The MCU of my character shows the emotion, but also shows enough of the figure in the background. This allows the audience to feel what the protagonist is feeling: they feel tense and scared. The hand placed on the protagonist's shoulder strengthens the audience's fear as it creates a dangerous element.

3. How did you intend the audience to interpret your still? What narrative moment were you attempting to create? What meanings were you attempting to communicate? 
I wanted the audience to feel tense as they try to anticipate what was going to happen next. The lack of information of the story creates enigma for the audience as they don't know what's going to happen next. The MCU prohibits the audience to see the setting, but can infer that its happening at night, maybe in a dark alleyway. They are also left to question why the protagonist is being approached by such a dodgy figure. The puzzled and frightened facial expression of the proatgonist builds tension and suspense. The use of two characters in the shot suggests the relationship between the two and hints to the audience whether there will be drama/conflict; in this case, yes.

4. Identify what is successful about your shot.
I captured Raph's fear from having a mysterious hand on his shoulder, and I'm happy about the angle of the shot, as the audience is unable to see Lucas' eyes - which was my intention.

5. What would you do differently if you were to repeat this activity?
I would plan the location of my shot before the day of shooting, as i could've had more time to focus on the details of my shot, rather than work out where I'm going to shoot it.

Continuity Task 1

1. Explain the story of your video
- Raph and Simon are at school. Simon realises that he'll be late to school and walks off to tell Raph. Raph panics and packs up his things in a hurry but trips up on the pavement on his way to class.

2. How did you attempt to create 'narrative flow' (continuity)?
- We tried to use a master shot in the second shot - we used a pan to establish where Raph and Simon were in comparison to each other and with the setting.
- In shot 2-3, Simon carries on walking from the same place; he doesn't magically jolt forward.
- We used different angles of Raph in shot 3 and 4 so that the audience can see how he is standing and where he is going to walk when he turns around.

3. Did you achieve full continuity? If not, why not?
- The match-on action doesn't fit together from shot 5-6; Raph falls twice.
- Raph turns his head twice in shot 3-4.

4. In hindsight, what would you do differently to improve the narrative flow of your video and tell your story more effectively?
- Simon should've run after he said he was going to be late to make it more realistic.
- He should've established that he would be late for class when he said it to Raph, that way we wouldn't have to include the scene where Simon spoke to himself.
- In addition, we should've not used cross-cuts right from the very beginning because it throws off the audience.
- I'd make sure the background isn't cluttered in the shot; remove the rubbish bags in the back.
- Shot 1 could've been wider, to establish more of the setting.

Analysis of a TV Drama still

This ELS shows a young girl standing on her own surrounded by rubble and destruction. The contrast between the high-key lighting and the dark background makes the audience focus on the only character in the shot, suggesting that she is the protagonist. Her stance is side on, almost hero-like, and her eyes are looking off camera; both of these things connote that she is a hopeful and courageous leader. In addition, her frown and her turned down eyebrows, suggest that she is vengeful and determined. However, the framing contrasts to this as it doesn't follow the rule of thirds, placing her at the bottom of the frame and making her small in comparison to the setting. This gives the impression that she is weak and vulnerable, isolating her from the rest of the world. This is further suggested by the tall, green trees, showing that she is far from civilisation. The ashy ground and burnt metal scraps connote that something bad has just happened, which strengthens the drama genre as the audience question "What caused such destruction?"