What I've Learnt

The Preliminary task taught me:

• How many takes a few seconds of footage requires.
• How many positions films are shot from to get the different angles required.
• About how much planning there is required before the film even begins.
• The effort required to learn the lines.
• How hard it can be to find the location .
• How difficult it can be to get everyone together at the same time for filming.
• How to communicate with other group members.

It also helped a great deal towards making the second film.

The end result ! : Bully

In the end I am rather happy with the outcome of the preliminary task as it was our first attempt at making a film ,I believe it went rather well.

The making of 'Bully'

The film was easy to make and filmed within the space of just under two hours. It was filmed in a quiet, upstairs part of the library, and the intro filmed just round the corner in a corridor. Our costumes were simple, we just wore what we thought the characters would wear. We ran the lines of the script a few times and began filming. We used a mixture of mid shots and close ups, to show the emotion going through the characters. We used one extreme close up on the books after the victim throws his books to the floor.

Rudi helped with most of the editing but the overall decision made entirely as a group. I'm very pleased with how the film turned out, especially as it was our first ever attempt at making a film. I believe we made the best film we could with the knowledge and equipment we had , although if I had another go at it, I would most likely change/ include.

A music soundtrack - After taking more time and watching more films in depth I have noticed how power full a musical score is to a film. It truly enhances viewing. It can help cause emotion as well as build up to a dramatic scene.

Professional actors - I believe we did the best acting we could, I have a certain amount of acting experience but I don't think Tom had any. With real actors I believe the film could have been better. As well as the challenge of directing the actors.

More rehearsal time - We only had a few minutes to actually learn the script, due to groups being changed and the limited time we had to film.

With all these changes in place I believe the film could be improved. In the next blog I will include the video of our film 'Bully' !

The first film project !

Before being assigned the task of making a 2 minute movie we originally had to create a smaller 30 second - 1 minute long film. To help us get to grips with making a movie. It was a very simple task, it had to feature someone entering a room through a door, sitting down on a chair or at a table and engage in a few lines of dialogue with another character.

Because of the strict limitations, as well as the lack of a budget and short amount of time we had to make the film, we decided to work with the surroundings and props we all ready had. We created a film simply called 'Bully'. Me, Tom and Rudi created the idea of a character being bullied in a classroom within the college. The bully entered the room and ordered the victim to complete his work by a certain time. Or else.

We decided that if the victim stood up for his self it would created a more interesting story. I wrote up a script but we didn't have the chance to act it out before the first ( and only!) day of filming.

When the victim stands up for himself we decided to use a low angle, to show a switch of power within their relationship. We also used handheld camera to record the beginning of the film, where the bully enters the room. The constant slight jogging of the camera is used to represent the characters un- ease. As well as his threatening intentions.