Blog Post #8 Preliminary Exercise

 

My Preliminary Exercise

For my preliminary exercise, I did not make a complex clip, but I made one that focused on camera movement and immersing the audience. For my short film I must gain the necessary skills to create scenes that revolve around one character that stay immersive and entertaining at the same time. This simple test was to see how well I could piece together a scene chronologically using a combination of diverse camera shots. I used a steadicam/ establishing shot of the school hallway, A tracking over the shoulder shot of Cole turning the corner, A close up of Cole looking down, and then an eye-line match/ POV shot of Cole picking up a pen. I believe this actually came out pretty good but I definitely do need to polish my skills for the final short film. My establishing shot was not very well framed, and could have definitely covered more of the set, and it also should have lasted abit longer so audiences can process it before the action of the scene. My close up shot of Cole could have been closer to his face, and his face is not completely on the rule of thirds line ether. The framing of the eye-line match showing Cole picking up the pen could have been framed much better, it doesn't properly align with the rule of thirds, and the angle almost comes off as canted/dutch (which may be something I aim for in my short film to create an uneasy tone), the shot of Cole picking up the pen could also be cut down; it shows Cole's hand entering the frame, picking up the pen, and then leaving the frame, I should have utilized ether ellipsis or action match cuts.

My skills using shots to create a chronological scene are dynamic and immersive, but before I shoot my short film, I must further refine my skills so that I can create a consistently entertaining and chronological film.