Preliminary sequence: feeding the fish

Preliminary sequence: Feeding the fish- analysis

The process: 
-Initially we came up with the idea of cooking the fish fingers covered in chilli powder as we felt it gave a comical edge to the sequence. This was counterbalanced by the serious nature of the conversation between boss and the employee. We decided to follow it with the end also being comical with the next task being to kill 'Nemo'.
-We met up one lunchtime and began filming the sequence. We tried to use different rules of continuity editing such as shot reverse shot to establish the conversation between characters. however, as we had a limited amount of time this proved difficult to incorporate all rules and do them effectively.
-Next we met up in class to edit the sequence. This was predominantly done by myself and group member Theo. We came across some difficultly when editing including the fact we had we had filmed some things in landscape and others in portrait. This was an issue as there was a black rim around all the portrait shots which we could not change. Furthermore, we could not effectively create a seamless visual as we had not filmed enough footage, therefore continuity was not great, but we now know to take as many shots as possible to eliminate this problem in future filming.

What went well:

-Moving with characters in the frame. For example, when the employee was asked to sit down by the boss (At 0:27)

-A variety of different shots were used, for example mid shot- used when both the boss and employee were in the frame (0:28-0:33), shot reverse shot- when the boss and employee are having a conversation (0:37-0:47) and close ups- for the fish finger scene.

-Good mise-en-scene, in particular the costumes, which were themed around the Mafia. 

What could be improved:

-When filming shot reverse shots we needed to stick to the 180degree rule, as the eye lines didn’t match for the first shot (0:34-0:36) If we had more time to film we would have made a conscious effort to adhere to the rule.

-Some of the shots were too long and didn’t flow as well as they should have; for example, the shot of the employee walking through the door (0:13-0:18). This could have been avoided by using cutaways to give the shot a smoother, more natural feel. It would have also added to the mise-en-scene, as it would have identified the setting more.

-Some of the shots were shaky and this could have been avoided by using the tripod more, however we had a limited amount of time and therefore had to work as quickly as possible. We have learnt from this though and will always use a tripod or steadicam to ensure a smooth, steady film.

-During editing we came across some difficulties as we had filmed some thing in landscape and others in portrait. However when it came to turning the portrait to landscape in editing, there was a black rim around it because the framing was wrong. This problem can be overcome by using a different editing system or by using only landscape shots. 

Conclusion:

To conclude I feel if we had more time we could have eliminated the issues stated above which would have made the film a lot better. However, as this was an introductory task it allowed us to make mistakes now and learn from them. For example, I’ve learnt to use cut always to make the filming more fluid as well as the importance of the 180degree rule.