Pre-Production (Planning the Prelim)

When planning our prelim pieces, we had to demonstrate we we able to use match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. In order to plan our prelim we created storyboards so that we knew exactly what shots we wanted. By doing this, it ensured we would not forget an vital shots and the audience would understand what was going on. Our storyboard consisted of quick sketches of the shots showing a girl walking down the stairs, across the room then bumping into a boy in the corridor knocking his paper out of his hand. It then shows the two characters having a confrontation then the boy walking off. Next to each sketch we also included information on how long each shot should last, the choice of mise-en-scene, the locaton of the shot and lighting chosen. By creating the storyboards, we learnt it is important to plan the shots we will take to save time when it comes recording the shots.
Once we had finished creating our storyboards, we were each assigned a Year 13 to explain the basics of the camera settings. We were shown how to turn the camera on, how to insert a cassette, how to record, and how to watch back the footage we have recorded. We were then shown how to connect the camera to a tripod. We were advised to use tripods in order to keep the shots steady.
As part of the pre-production task, we viewed examples of Prelim tasks in order to pick up erorrs and good examples of effective filming from which we could learn from. From doing this, it stopped us from making the same mistake they had made. For example, we ensured we would use a tripod whenever was possible so that our shots were steady. We also learnt to keep the storylines simple and not to be too extravagant with ideas. It is important we understand how far our skills will allow us to go.