Filming

We began filming by shooting the second scene as this was in a different location to the rest of the film. This made the continuity better during the rest of the filming as it meant we didn't have to move the camera between shots 1 and 3. Ashufta filmed most of the clip whilst Rory and I were in the film, however we both had a go at filming and I was the main 'director'. I set up the camera for each shot and helped with how to film each shot as I had experience with the camera we used due to owning the same camera (The Nikon D3100).

The first shot was filmed by me so I could have a go at filming. The first attempt wasn't the best due to camera not auto-focusing when we zoomed in. To overcome this I focused manually during the shot. We tried this a few other times and although the outcome wasn't perfect, it shows us what we need to practise before filming our thriller.
After filming this we moved location and the rest of the filming went without a hitch, meaning we changed very little when it came to the storyboard we did. We did miss out one scene of using a CCTV camera to film the addict walking into the room. This was due to lack of time but is something we are going to practise before implementing it into our final thriller.

The last scene was filed by myself in a handheld camera style. We had to do this shot several times to make it work correctly for a variety of reasons. However, once shot to our satisfaction, it was the best shot in our prelim task.
The things we decided we needed to practice more were lighting and dialogue as I feel we could have improved on our lighting to add to the verisimilitude. The dialogue wasn't very clear during this task so we would need to look into the possibility of using a microphone during our final filming.

Planning

To begin the planning for our preliminary task, our group created a mind-map of possible ideas to fit the brief.

We then selected our favourite ideas and came up with a rough storyline for the characters along with ideas
for camera shots and filming techniques.

The next step was to finalise our story and create a storyboard showing the shots we decided to use.




After we did this, we came up with a script to fit the brief.
[Sitting at the table]
Addict: You got the gear?
Dealer: Gimme the money first.
[The exchange takes place]
Addict: What is this shit?
[Rory gets angry]

Addict: Get on your knees! I wanna hear you PRAY!

The effect we created using the script was of a stereotypical 'gangster' this fit in with our story.

We also discussed the props we were going to use and where we were going to get them from. For our scene we needed; 'Drugs' (aka flour in a little bag) brought in by Rory, a Gun which we borrowed from the drama department and lighting and camera, which we borrowed from media.

We also talked about costumes. For the prelim, Rory was to wear baggy clothes to make him look very skinny (like a drug addict) And I was to wear black to look like a big drug dealer. The effect we were trying to create was a stereotypical drug dealer and addict.

Lastly, we went location scouting and decided that an inside location would suit our needs best. We then looked at the schedule for rooms and booked the one we deemed most suitable for our needs. We found a dark room with lots of open space to film. This was the best for us as it allowed us free movement for where we were going to film and enabled us to create an effect of a dark and mysterious room.

Research and Understanding.

In order to begin our prelim task, we needed to have a basic understanding of certain concepts.
We watched a video about filming a shot reverse shot correctly.

The video explained the main aspects of a shot reverse shot and had an example of a good one. It showed us how to establish a relationship between characters and how to show emotion during the shots.

I also did some further research into the 180° rule. I watched a video clip explaining what it is and how to do it right.

 By watching these videos, it helped me to gain greater understanding of filming and how to film conversations using different techniques and how to use the way we film a conversation to create different effects for the audience, for example breaking the 180° rule to disorientate the audience. The 180° clip also showed how the rule works when applied to 3 people, which will become useful when doing the filming for our thriller.