Original Storyboards
Location:
- Beverly Park, New Malden
This location was appealing to us due to its levels, which allowed us to film several different and refreshing angles, such us the opening establishing shot (0:01) from a small hill, and the two shot (0:56) from a lower outpost. However, it was not without its limitations; the small ledge was barely spacious enough for the two actors, let alone a cameraman and equipment. Overall, we were pleased with the location, which created a natural mise en scene, plenty of opportunities for juxtaposition, and allowed us to do more creative things (see camera shots and angles).
Characters/Actors:
- This short sequence contains three main characters:
Jakub plays the antagonist; a 'gangster boss' character who dominates the scene. Contrasting this, Harry portrays a small-time henchman, who is without power; subordinated in front of his employer. Finally, Sam is the 'sign', a second peon of the leader with an even smaller role.
As this was only our preliminary task, we didn't take too much care for props, costume or makeup. However, we reminded ourselves of their importance in composing meaning; using stereotypes as shortcuts, creating interesting juxtaposition or even just helping the audience to become immersed in the narrative and diegesis of the film.
Camera Shots and Angles:
The sequence opens with a wide establishing shot of the primary location where the exchange takes place. Despite being still, Jakub manages to become the focus of the (largely empty) frame, drawing the audience's attention in, signifying how his character is the primary malevolent antagonist. The scenes of Jakub waiting are cross-cut with Harry's journey to build tension, developing the two sequences in parallel. This is a technique we went on to use in our final sequence.
Harry's lengthy walking sequence allowed us to implement a variety of unusual angles to sustain interest, such as the shot through the bushes and the one from the tree. We were able to time one of the shots with a passing train, moving the opposite direction. This was used to signify how Harry was going against the implicit norms of society with regards to his life in petty crime. We used the tree shot to juxtapose the rural setting with the typically suburban crime by utilising an angle typically seen by modern audiences as akin to that of a CCTV camera.
During the short exchange sequence between Harry and Sam, we made two serious and unforgivable errors. The first and most obvious was an unnerving violation of the 180' rule during the shot-reverse-shot. This gave a disorientating effect for audiences, alienating them from the diegesis. As well as this, we made the error during filming of later not being able to match the dialogue/action of the two srs shots. The only way we found to get around this mistake was to mess with the sound levels of the two clips, and to experiment with different cutting points until we found one that was the least conspicuous.
The main conflict of the scene was between Jakub and Harry. When they are introduced together, we used a low angle shot from behind Jakub to signify his power, and also to obscure his figure from the audience, creating tension and fear using a basic technique. It is framed with his leg dominating the side of the shot (almost the entire right third), demonstrating his ownership and influence in their conversation.
We used high angles of Harry to show his subordination and, conversely, low angles of Jakub to show his dominance in the scene. The match-on-action cuts (particularly 0:47, but also 0:18 and 0:30) were products of careful frame-by-frame editing, but demonstrated to us the mellifluous effects achievable.
However, there were two (somewhat less significant) errors in this sequence too. We thought so much about shot composition and different, appealing angles that ultimately the end sequence contained not a single repeated angle. Although this led to an interesting scene, it resulted in none of the expected continuity achieved from conventional shot-reverse-shot techniques during similar exchange sequences. We also found that lighting was a problem; however, working outside with a minimal budget and little equipment gave us but two options: film conservatively, always taking into account the light, sacrificing possible shots for engaging continuity; or work relentlessly and inconsiderately. We chose the latter.
- We learnt a lot about the practical side of filmmaking, such as the placement of the camera and limitations such as fences.
- The correct sort of ratios for footage filmed vs footage used.
- That we need to film the entire sequence from every angle (especially closeups!)
- Basic use of Macs and iMovie software.
- That we can change our ideas on the day (although it is of course imperative to have an original plan), especially when locations or other factors limit previous ideas.
- The importance of stability when filming.
- Practical application of 180' rule (see above)
- However, one thing we did not consider was sound. We did not add a soundtrack, and did not edit the levels of ambient sound/dialogue. Therefore, the final sequence has changing voice/wind levels which really draw attention to the edits, disrupting the otherwise continuous style. As a result, this was something we spent a comparatively long time perfecting on the main task.