1. AS Media Preliminary Evaluation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L
07jYvqPtzw
By Amber Needham

2. What have I learned during the making
of my preliminary task?
Technical Aspects:
Tripod:
Me and my group had never used a tripod before the task, we
quickly adapted and after being shown quickly by our teacher
we were able to go outside to our filming location and set it
up to the appropriate height. We used the camera when we
were filming many off the walking shot, so me and my fellow
actor Jake walking through corridors and outside. It was easy
to manage, and Georgina and Ellie ( who were primarily the
ones to use it ) didn’t have any issue moving it from place to
place.
Camera:
Using the camera was not complex for me, as I own my own
Fujifilm finepix and often film things when I go over to visit my
dad in Australia. The camera we used was quite basic, which
made it easy to just film what we needed to, for our main task
I would like to use one where I can adjust the aperture and
focus, so I can blur out backgrounds when I am converging on
a particular character and their emotions

3. Editing:
On the first day off editing, I was the one to put all the
clips together as I knew I would be missing 3 editing
lessons due to work experience, therefore I tried to do
as much as possible. I used the Premier Pro software
which at first seemed daunting and complex, however
after my teacher, Mr Welch, showed us how to work it,
it became much simpler. I am used to using Windows
Movie Maker, as it was commonly used in my GCSE ICT,
and I thoroughly enjoyed editing and trimming videos,
and adding sound in the programme. Therefore I knew
that Premier Pro would be exciting to use, and as I
started to add all the clips together in the correct order
after importing them, I was able to do this within the
hour. I then deleted clips that were no longer needed,
and sped up clips that were proving to be too slow. I
thoroughly enjoyed my time editing, and know that if I
got carried away I could do it for hours.

4. How to manage time:
Time was definitely a key point when making my
Preliminary piece, as one of the people who ‘starred’
alongside me was only available on certain days. Jake,
kindly volunteered to be in our piece however was only
available on 1 of our Media lessons a week, therefore
all the scenes with him in had to be filmed during them
lessons. We also had to inform him, and myself to wear
the same outfit on that day, to avoid bad continuity,
which slightly irritated him but fortunately he agreed
and we kept our piece as smooth as possible, with no
obvious mistakes with continuity.

5. Group Work:
I found working in a group much easier than working on
my own, as we all had various different ideas to
contribute about where we would film and what shots
we would use. I was worried that, working in a group, I
would snap at my group and cause them to become
agitated and annoyed. I often become very focused and
involved in my work, for example when I was younger I
would make music videos with my friends, and I was
always the person who would say “Right next part!”
causing people to become annoyed, that is the only con
to working in a group, as I get frustrated when the work
is not being done. I enjoy working with my friends
however, as because I see them a lot, we can discuss the
project in a more relaxed environment but still make a
lot of progress.

6. Storyboarding:
Upon writing our storyboard we came up with some good ideas for shots, however
our biggest mistake in my opinion is that we didn’t stick as clearly to it as we should
have done. We included shots of my feet however, which worked out very well, see
below.

7. Continuity issues:
The only continuity issue we found was that one of the actors, Jake, wore his hair in a
different style, so halfway through the piece, it clearly has changed. We only were able
to realise this afterwards, so we could not do anything about it, however we have
recognized that next time we must write down details so that if we film on a different
day, everything is the same. See the change below.

8. Areas of success:
Finished version:
When watching the finished version back, their are certain aspects that
I really feel like worked well and looked fitting with the film. For
example, one thing i noticed was that the music fits in very well with
the walking sequence, and although it is perhaps more upbeat than
sad, it suggests mystery and the unknown as it consists of the same
beat throughout. I also think that the title was placed in exactly the
right part, to make the film run as smoothly as possible. If it was
placed at the beginning the film wouldn’t flow as well, so the idea to
place the title in the middle of the film was a good one as it makes the
film more unique as well as keeping up with the pace of the piece.

9. Planning stage:
When planning our movie we thought carefully about the sort of shots we wanted
to include and what we wanted our film to be about. We quickly fired ideas about
the kind of camera angles we wanted to use, and due to all of our concentration,
we became one of the first groups to start filming. We knew how crucial planning
was to the piece, therefore we focused on it and managed to complete our
storyboard to where we were contempt with it. Then we were able to capture high
quality recordings using the shots that we had planned out.

10. Group Dynamic:
As I worked part of a team of 3 with Georgina Brough and Ellie Lester, I
am proud of how we all worked well together and managed to get the
appropriate shots. There was no arguments or fall outs, and we all
contributed in different ways. I definitely think they were excellent to
work with, Georgina took on the challenge of editing whilst I was away
and she made an amazing job of the finished product. Ellie also helped
with this aspect, and they both managed to choose appropriate music, and
send it off to be uploaded, i was happy to be in a group with them.

11. Effective shots:
The shots that I am predominantly pleased with took time and patience to get, for
example the shot of my arm sliding up the staircase, I personally felt was effective,
as it showed mystery, and didn't give away any emotion as to what was happening.
As well as this, I felt that it showed the calmer side to the piece, as hands are soft
and intricate. Another shot I thought was effectual was the mid-shot showing me
and Jake, as he is about to sit down, this reveals the setting and also the distance
between us, showing that we are not friends but merely acquaintances. See both
stills from these shots below.

12. A final shot that i was very pleased with was the Over the shoulder
shots used between the conversation of me and Jake. This shot I found
effective, as each time the other was talking it would show their
emotion, then cut back to the next subject who began talking. It moves
the audiences focus on to the person who is speaking, dragging their
attention to the key conversation taking place. See the insert of stills
from the over the shoulder shots we took during filming.

13. Areas for improvement:
What went wrong?
In our piece the main areas I am disappointed in, is first of all that our storyline was
not very strong, therefore it was hard to film appealing shots, the dialogue was not
very attention-grabbing, as it was unplanned and improvised on the day. In future i
would definitely plan it. As well as this I wish we could have got a few more shots
during the conversation scene, such as using the 180 degree rule more, perhaps
using a few more match on action shots as me and Jake walked into the room to
show a different perspective of us entering the room. I feel like throughout filming
the characters weren't portrayed any differently, Jake could have been portrayed
more mysteriously, perhaps with what he was wearing but also through shots, so
we could have filmed camera shots of his feet, and slowly worked up until we saw
his head, just before he walked through the door. This would have represented his
character better. Next time I have learned that the planning stage is crucial to
planning shots and portraying the characters.

14. How did we meet the brief:
• We used a match on action shot at the beginning of our piece, as I
walk through the corridor and then come out the other end
• We also used a shot/reverse shot, when the conversation between me and Jake
was going on.

15. Others feedback:
Brandon Hoults feedback on our peice:
3 things I enjoyed:
The use of music was interesting, and really fit well with
its purpose
The over-the-shoulder shot shows clearly the folder on the desk,
revealing the reason the characters are there well.
The use of scene changes to show both characters getting to the
location at the same time. It shows linear time, and is cut very well.
3 things that could have been improved:
The audio wasn't clear when the characters were talking
When there was a close up shot of Jake stood still it didn't make sense
The continuity mistake of Jakes hair changing when the characters
are in the room talking

16. My contribution to the group:
Within the group my role was to act in the film, as I
was the only one of us three willing to do this. As
well as this I edited, and helped with some of the
camera shots when we were filming Jakes entrance.
I feel like I made a valid contribution to the group,
helping whenever I could. I was flexible when it
came to filming, however we planned out our
filming schedule so we could film on a Tuesday,
when both me and Jake we’re free. From our
preliminary task, I feel i have learnt a lot about
getting effective shots, what works and what
doesn't. I also think that I got an insight into the
editing process and that I will really enjoy editing
when it comes down to our real task. Our group
worked well together, and I have no complaints
except some work ethic was more obvious when it
came to filming and editing, however I don’t know
whether this was only due to the fact that this is
only a preliminary and the work ethic would be
stronger if it was the real task.