In our last media lesson, my group wanted to practice some of the skills we have learned throughout the second year of our media A-level course. By using such techniques, we were able to implement our ideas and acquire a general feel for what may be needed in the final horror film trailer. Below is the video we filmed:
KEY ROLES WITHIN THE FILMING AND FINALISING OF THE FILM:
Aaran - Actor & Editor
Campbell - Co Director & Camera Man
Jake - Actor & Director
Alex - Actor & Location Manager
Aaran - As an actor, one of my roles was to forget about the camera filming the scene. This is because we wanted the footage to be as real as possible without any signs that we were filming during a media lesson. I had to work with the rest of the group effectively so that every aspect of the clip looked professional and appealing.
Additionally, I was the editor for the clip which was important as this included: merging clips together, trimming clips, adding effects, and applying suitable music. For this task, I used the Apple software 'iMovie'. This is a very professional piece of software which allows an editor (myself) to easily apply sound and trim different clips. However I have learned that this piece of software will be far too basic for the trailer which we will make; it does not include enough features and would be difficult to use with very large clips. However I was still able to apply things like fast motion, slow motion, soundtrack etc.
Campbell - One of Campbell's roles was Co Director. As Co Director, he had to work in conjunction with Jake and give any inputs to the decisions made which he thought were necessary. There were a number of occasions where this was very important, because it was effective having two different ideas; this resulted in better outputs. Likewise, this also gave him freedom with his camera work as he could decide when and what shots to use.
Another role Campbell took was the camera man. This was a vital role in the filming of this clip as each shot had to be correct. Campbell had to apply an effective range of versatility to the project as there were a number of different shots which were needed. Examples include: long shots, tracking shots, crab shots, two shot and overhead shot.
Jake - Jake had to roles: the director and an actor. Like me, Jake also had to take into account the realism of the video as he tried to forget about the camera being there. He gave Alex and I the different moves to use and when to use them. This was key as we had to take each move "in turns" so that the scene didn't look too complicated.
As director, Jake had one of the most important roles in the array as he had to allocate each of us different roles. Likewise he decided on the mise-en-scene, some of the shots to use, and where each person should be. I believe that Jake was very effective as director, and if he continues, he would definitely suit this role.
Alex - One of Alex's roles was an actor. Although Alex was one of the smaller roles, he was still very important for the filming of the scene. Alex was the actor who usually allowed specific moves to be initiated; likewise he was probably one of the more believable characters; especially when I accidentally kicked him in the arm. If Alex was to work in our group, I think that he would suit the role of an actor very well as he is flexible in the way that he can change character so quickly.
Alex was also the location manager. This meant that he had to quickly and easily identify locations which could be used for the video, as well as using these with key features in the video. Overall, I think Alex fulfilled his roles successfully.
IMPROVEMENTS
Although we did many things well during the filming and finalising of the short film, there are still a few things which could have been improved and should be considered next time we do such a task.
Aaran - I believe that I could have been slightly more accurate in terms of my editing as there are some occurrences in the video where an action slightly jumps. This is because the two or more clips haven't been perfectly merged together. In order to correct this, I would have to use a feature in iMovie called "advanced timeline editing" which allows one to analyse the timeline in as much depth and accuracy as possible. Likewise I could have experimented more with the use of fade in/out, however I didn't think that this was needed for such a small task.
Campbell - I believe that Campbell could have held the camera more steady when he was filming as there is a fair amount of camera shake throughout the video. At some moments, this was intended however next time I think we should have the tripod ready as it is vital shots are steady. Likewise the amount of film time could have been increased as I found it difficult to edit clips well which were only a few seconds on. It would have been better to film too much than too little as it would allow for experimentation.
Jake - I believe that Jake's decisions could have been more direct in the sense that there were periods in which he didn't really know who was going where and when different things should have been happening. Additionally his awareness of the camera could have been improved due to high amount of times where he would smile at the camera after acting a certain part of the video.
Alex - Finally, I believe that Alex could have taken more of a lead role as the locations manager. When we put our ideas across for where we should film the scene, he agreed but didn't really add his ideas or thoughts. However I do believe Alex was very successful at everything else and succeeded very well with the acting in the video.
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