Evaluation With Single Camera Productions - 'Tracks'

Taking The Script Into Production

Once our group selected a script we all sat down and read it through, asking any questions whilst reading. Looking at the script and at the logistical side of things, we all sat down and altered anything in the script that would be impossible to film, weather it was where the location was set or what budget we had. Either way we were able to work around these issues and finally had a 2nd draft of the chosen script. I was very happy with the chosen script and felt really optimistic and excited to shoot it.

Shooting Manually With A DSLR

Shooting with a DSLR was a new experience as some members in my group were new to it. When using a DSLR in manual for each shot became really tedious but was understandable once looking back at the footage. I found that creating the correct exposure (altering ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture) for each shot would help in reducing the footage being either under or over exposed. Having the experience and training in using manual DSLR filming, meant that I didn't run into any issues.

Coverage

When shooting the whole group made sure that we had a master shot to come back too just in case we had any issues like continuity, sound, exposure, etc. Filming cutaways was also important in our production as we noticed that it helped with solving some of the issues like continuity and sound. Also in every scene we filmed numerous amounts of times with different shots, like close-ups, medium shots, long shots, etc to make sure we had enough coverage for editing. This would then make it easier to cut between each shot in the editing stage. It also helped in emphasizing emotion like anger or fear.

My Own Sequence

The scene that I directed and edited was the beginning scene at Reedham train station. When filming I made sure that I looked at all possible shots we could film so that we could effectively use all of the location. This would then create some interesting shots, making it a more enjoyable film in terms of visual pleasures. I made sure that I filmed every part of the character's body but the face at the beginning as it created a sense of hidden information. It said 'who are these characters and why are they running?'. In the end you see who these characters are why they are running, they are late for their train. I made sure I filmed from both sides of the platform to create a range of different shot types (long, medium, close-up etc.).

Finished Product

Mise-En-Scene: From getting my feedback from the class, I have found that most people liked the use of props and setting quoting that they worked "well" and that the "diamonds looked real". We were trying to aim for a realistic setting and look to the film as it would add to the realism of a busy and crowed setting. In terms of props, we wanted to make sure that the diamonds look as real as possible which required a lot of internet shopping. However one candidate did quote that the newspaper was "poor" and looked like a piece of A4, which to some degree I agree with. Some candidates got "confused" when the scene changed as they knew the areas and knew they were not close to one another.

Camera: When looking at each scene, we needed to understand what kind of feeling the scene was going to portray, weather it was fear, tension, action, excitement etc. This was decided in pre-production and on shoot. This could be portrayed through camera movement. Through feedback, some candidates commented that the camera work was "good" in the "running, tracking shots" as it helped in creating a "good action feeling". The shot types were commented on quoting that there was a "lovely close-up in the toilet". However some people did say that some shots "didn't match up", which I do agree with and will need improving. Also some candidates quoted that some shots were a "little long" and were "unnecessary".

Editing: When it came to editing we wanted the scene transitions to be quick but wanted to make sure they worked well with the genre of the film, which was Drama. For example once a scene was finished we use a simple cut-to-black transition to make sure it then went onto the next scene in the correct amount of time. When obtaining feedback some candidates said that the editing "could of been tighter and some took too long". The title at the beginning was also commented on, saying that it was "too hard to see" and that they "missed the credits" (which were removed due to spelling errors). However some did quote that the "editing was good" and that it created "good suspense".

Sound: Sound was largely criticized with most saying that the sound was "too quiet" or "non-existent". This refereed to music and dialogue. Sometimes the lack of sound made the scene seen "unnatural and flat". This will need to be touched on thoroughly when improving the work. However some thought that the soundtrack worked "very well" and that it was "chosen nicely".

Conclusion

Personally I don't believe this is one of my best pieces of work because there was a lot of problems that required re-shooting, which caused us to rush for the deadline. This was very stressful and frustrating.

However there were some good parts of the production. For example I thought the actually filming on location went very well and nearly everyone worked efficiently. It was exciting working on public locations and was a challenge to work around continuity errors. Also it was a learning curve in terms of filming in front of the public.

The one thing I've learnt and that I will do next time is try and film more coverage for a scene as it will help me in editing in the post-production stage. It will help in reducing the problems with continuity and sound, especially if I'm filming in front of the public. From collecting the feedback I will also try and focus more on sound by making it easier to hear, as well as correcting the audio levels for music / soundtracks. Another thing I might try to improve is the focus and exposure of some shots as having some over or under exposed shots can ruin the entire film.