Preliminary Task Write Up

We were tasked with creating a preliminary video, which we had to plan, film and edit in our own groups. We had to include certain techniques in our video such as different camera shots, editing effects and plans. Particularly, the task involved filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue.

We had to plan out exactly how we were going to film and direct our video. We had to create our own floor plan, which detailed where, and when the characters would walk and speak. We also had to create a storyboard, where we could create our own script and story or we could take the script and story of a TV show or a movie.

One technique that we needed to particularly focus on using was the 180 degree rule, which is where you're only allowed to film on one 180 degree side of a person or object. We achieved this during the conversation that we filmed for the task but at the very beginning when we had one of the characters walking, unfortunately we broke the 180 degree rule.
Our teacher (Mr Seal) may have made us do all of the planning ourselves because he wanted us to be independent in the making of our film so the end product fully reflected what us students were capable of instead of what the students and the teacher was capable.
Some extra planning that may have been useful would be the memorisation of the script. his would have made it easier to keep the filming continuity going.

We used different camera techniques such as tilt shots, ECUs, medium shots and over the shoulder shots. We used them to make the video more sophisticated instead of a bland and boring video.

The main learning points from the task where that we need to work in a group to get the most effective results and that we al need to reach a conclusion quickly about what techniques and scripts we are using to make sure that less time is wasted.

Preliminary Task

How do directors film a conversation?

Throughout the clips provided, all clips use extremely similar techniques to film the conversations within them. The clips that I looked at were: Breaking Bad Coffee and Cigarettes Lord of the Rings
In Coffee and Cigarettes, there are different techniques which are used across all of the clips, but specifically in Coffee and Cigarettes, these techniques are used extremely well, especially considering that there weren't as many examples of these techniques used during the time period of film making that Coffee and Cigarettes was made in.

The first technique is the 180 degree rule. This means that the camera can only film on one 180 degree side of the characters or objects that are in focus. By using this technique, the clip constructs of balance between the two characters: Iggy Pop and Tom Waits, despite a lack of physically appearing opposition. To accompany the 180 degree rule, the director uses a very small amount of cameras. From using a small amount of cameras, the director constructs a sense of focus on only what is happening in-between Iggy Pop and Tom Waits. Sometimes, using too many cameras constructs a sense of idleness and distance from what is actually happening in the movie. Another feature of Coffee and Cigarettes that is well used is the "quirky" angle. The angle in particular is the high shot that looks directly down onto the table. The shot still follows the 180 degree but it doesn't construct the same feeling that the normal shots do. During the quirky shot, if focuses mainly on the coffee in the middle of the table, so it might be suggesting that the coffee is one of the main factors of the scene and maybe even the movie itself considering "coffee" is in the title of the movie.

In Breaking Bad, all of the same techniques are used from Coffee and Cigarettes. The 180 degree rule applies, the director uses a small amount of cameras and there is even a quirky shot. The only way in which there are different in terms of techniques is that Breaking Bad uses over the shoulder shots whereas Coffee and Cigarettes doesn't. By using over the shoulder shots, the director re-enforces a sense of opposition between the two characters. However in Coffee and Cigarettes there appears to be no or extremely low opposition.
Again with the Lord of the Rings clip, it uses the 180 degree rule and small amounts of cameras. Throughout all 3 clips, the techniques all construct the same sense on the audience. However, lie Breaking Bad, there is one technique which is only in the Lord of the Rings clip. The use of shot reverse shot. By using it in the lord of the rings, the director is able to establish the difference between the two different characters of Gollum.