Preliminary Task 1
During our preliminary task, we had to pitch a 30 second scene revolving around the prompt :”You haven’t left the house in months, if you don’t leave today, you never will”. We pitched our idea of a zombie apocalypse style scene through a powerpoint, which we went on to present to our class. The aim of carrying out this task was to think about the micro-elements and various aspects that would go into a 30 second clip. It also allowed for us to properly analyse what these elements do and their effects on the audience, which we will need for the final end of year exam.
Preliminary task 1 Reflection
Brief description of Pre-Lim task including criteria and purpose:
To create a 30 second scene description based around the prompt: “you haven’t left the house for months. If you don’t leave today you never will.”. We had to include and analyse all aspects of the clip such as sound, camera, mis-en-scene, etc. In doing so, we had to create a powerpoint pitch, storyboard, visual and technical moodboards and a brainstorm.
My roles/responsibilities included
Designing various slides on the powerpoint, designing the technical/ information moodboard and helping come up with ideas for brainstorms etc.
what did you find challenging/ time consuming with?
I think collectively we had some struggles working as a team in the division of dividing up work and who did what. As per our feedback, I think that next time, having a slightly more creative narrative and plotline would be beneficial for our progress. I also believe that our time management, especially in the beginning stages when making our brainstorm period, as it set us behind time for the rest of the project.
what skills/ strengths did you use in this task
I think my camera angles knowledge and the other micro elements surrounding that was one of my strengths, as I was able to gather a large amount of information for this. Despite being rather simple I worked a lot on the visuals of our presentation as a whole.
give examples of feedback based on your groups pitch
One thing that was to work on was our plotline, as some felt our adaptation didn’t entirely relate to the brief provided. The layout of our powerpoint was also commented on, as some said it could’ve been more seamless by grouping related topics and elements together. There were also some spelling errors on the powerpoint that could be fixed.
based on your experience with this task what would you do differently next time?
I would firstly, ensure that I manage my time better as like I said before, this was something I think our team collectively struggled with. As based on our feedback, I would also try come up with a more original idea for our plotline, as this could have gotten us more marks. Although this wasn’t commented on, I think that we could have gone more in depth with our level of detail throughout the whole project. In our feedback it was mentioned that our brainstorm and moodboard could have used some work, so that would be something else I would dedicate more time to.
Summary of 30 second scene plot
A man is shown in a close up to show emotion, the camera then cuts to a wide show showing a run-down derelict house, with a weather man frantically looking for something. The scene then cuts between wide shots of the setting, complete black screens, and close ups of the man as well as certain objects.
what were the most enjoyable and successful elements in this task for you?
Thinking and coming up with the effects of certain micro-elements. I also researched how these micro-elements gave off certain feelings or ideas to the audience. I also enjoyed the making of the powerpoint, so it would all be cohesive, seamless, and visually pleasing. I think this was one of our most successful elements of our prelim task. I also think our labelling of sound, camera, and mis-en-scene went very well as it was something that was commented that we did well on.
what skills / areas do you need to focus on in future tasks?
Once again as I said earlier, going more in depth with the effects of certain micro-elements would be beneficial, especially for expanding my general knowledge base of these elements which would help largely, particularly come exam season.
describe how you used techniques in the scene to convey meaning/impact
- Dark grey/ cold colour grading for dramatic atmosphere
- shaking camera that follows the protagonist to imply running along with them
- intense music to add to the unknowing tone and atmosphere of the scene
- dramatic cuts between shots to make the pace of the scene faster and to create tension as well as enhancing the idea that there is such a rush to leave
- general mis-en-scene weathered setting and clothing to imply that the apocalypse has been going for quite some time which provides the audience with context
- a continuous dialogue saying “they’re following me”
- diagetic sounds such as footsteps, heavy breathing and a loud heartbeat to add realism and create more enhanced tension
- close up shots to show emotion on the protagonists face and close ups of certain objects that would be significant in the plotline later on in the film.
Preliminary Task 2
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