Evaluation Question 8 - Looking back at your preliminary tasks, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the final product? - James Bolton

From our preliminary tasks that we have taken part in throughout our project we have been able to learn from mistakes made when it came to filming our main production. Probably one of the biggest things we have learned is the importance of continuity. In our practice pieces we had issues with continuity, such as seeing reflections of the camera in windows or glass doors. In our main production we took this issue very seriously in order to limit mistakes. We filmed each shot at least 3 times and in the case of some shots up to 10 times in order to get them right. One thing we learned is that you have to think while on set in terms of where actors put their hands, where they stood, where props were etc in order to get every shot correct. We have learned that these continuity mistakes can’t just be fixed in the editing suit and post production. However, while big continuity problems such as bags in the background, one of the mistakes we made in an earlier task, we can use iMovie software to solve continuity errors such as placing hands in different places on different shots. We therefore were able to cut shots together so they flowed and error was no longer visible. Although, this was only possible for us as we had so many versions of each shot to choose from.

Another thing we learned was time is a huge issue. It is crucial to give yourself enough time for your shoot and having everything prepared when it comes to props, make up and necessary equipment. Something we learned in a preliminary task was natural light plays in a big part in the outcome of your film and you have to give yourself enough time for a shoot than can last for upto 4 hours as ours did.

Something else we have learned is that you have to think on your feet when filming and while its important to stick to your shot lists and storyboards, some shots may not work when you get round to it, so you need to be ready to improvise and come up with new ideas to replace things that don’t work.

If we were to film our production again, I would look even closer for continuity errors to totally eliminate any possible problems when editing.