Preliminary Task (Editing)

• What did we intend to represent?

Unfortunately, we did not have a clear idea regarding what story we were trying to tell through our sequence. This happened because we did not communicate enough in the beginning of the project. Nevertheless, we had clear in our minds that Celine, because of her overpowering personality, was going to be the lead, while Emma would be an intimidated, younger character who mumbled and did not say her words as convincingly as her counterpart. Other than that, we did not know much about what input was the best one nor we had enough time to give it deep thought. Moreover, we were told several times throughout the process that the Preliminary Task was not intended to stand out for its inventiveness. What they asked us to do was to apply the skills we had learned during the first Studio sessions to achieve an understandable media text with all the characteristics that makes it work to some extent.

• How did we do it?

When it was time to edit, Adri and I had to face the daunting task to put together coherently a bunch of images which did not bear much resemblance from one another. We tried to do this as well as we could, following the guidance that had been given to us previously. This means that we began with an establishing long shot to present the space. This was followed by a mid shot to draw importance to the person who is speaking. Next, we included an over-the-shoulder shot to give variety and help orientate the audience towards the other person, the one who talks now. And back to the other one. We wanted to keep a constant alternation but the camera remaining more time with the main character, Celine, to endear her with the audience. There is a strong, sharp cut in the middle of the dialogue, which is obviously a mistake due to the lack of time and also lack of effort and concentration from behalf of the actresses when shooting. They constantly moved and did not do the same scenes in the same spots, no matter how well organised and insistent we, as the camera crew, were. 

We eventually come back to the mid shot, as to re-establish the scene and clarify that everything looks the same way as it did in the beginning for the most anxious viewers. Many times we were following the storyboard, but we also tried to innovate. In the end we decided to give it a touch of comedy almost as an excuse for the non-professional result we had achieved. Viewing it lightheartedly as an audience would help to render a better overall impression. Comedy achieved by the prolongation of the close-up to Celine's shoes demonstrating her anger by stepping on top of the script, which portrays an almost caricaturist approach of the scene. 

We end up with a mid shot of her feet walking away, and then we draw everyone's attention to the closed door and to the torn papers in the floor, as a dramatic suspension which works as a contrast from the previous action. 

• Were we successful?

The mise en scene was nothing to boast about. Of course, the setting was perfect because it rendered the image of a normal living room where the sort of action we were asked to perform could perfectly happen. However, the costumes were not prepared beforehand and there was no clue of who were our characters and in what sense the dialogue was delivered. Furthermore, as I said in the previous post about the filming, Celine was holding her script all the way through so it destroyed whatever realism we had managed to implement in the scene so far thanks to the setting and our effort to perform a proficient job as camera women. I am glad we came up with the idea of stressing out that showing the script was something done on purpose and to make the audience laugh instead of just being there as a cheat sheet.

• What have I learned from the process?
  
  

The lesson I take from this experience is that with practice, willingness and time, everything can be achieved in Media. However, if one of those magical ingredients is absent, the project is bound to be a failure. At least, the technical side worked out really well and there was not any any single image out of focus. We represented a story which can be appreciated and interpreted in different ways but has a specific tone and dialogue which, from my perspective, are understood perfectly. I can't say much about the editing process; just that, if you don't have good material, the edition is not going to work wonders —at least not in the stage we are, maybe a very experienced professional can make a masterpiece out of a sequence like ours—. I am excited to keep working and improving, this can be taken for granted, but crossed fingers for a better group next time.

The result can be watched below:

Preliminary Task (Shooting)

This week, we have been given a scene with a simple storyboard which made it possible for us to be quite original due to the various options to shoot it. Nevertheless, it required at least five different shots to make it effective and realistic: 

• A wide short first. It is always safer to do this in the beginning because if an unexpected issue makes the rest of the filming difficult, at least we can tell the story. (1)
• An over-the-shoulder shot from one of the characters' back and vice versa. (2,3)
• A close-up of one of the characters' face and vice versa. (4,5)

I was in a group with Celine, Emma and Adri and we were assigned the studio as the venue where we would record the scene. We were extremely lucky because we already had a set prepared as a consequence! Adri and I soon got in charge of the technical aspects of the sequence, assembling the tripod and camera as we had been taught some days ago: meanwhile, Celine and Emma went on learning the script, though in the end they decided to be spontaneous and read the actual pages in front of the camera... Not that I didn't object, but one gets tired of fighting with a group of people who are not willing to work. So yes, the acting could have been taken much more seriously so it wouldn't involve as much work as it is going to require in the editing process. We are definitely going to see the storyboard through the screen, and the actresses laughing a couple of time though, no matter how much we crop the frames. 

On the other hand, I am very satisfied with the job that Adri and I did. We performed our task with the utmost efficiency, recalling all the pieces of advice that Matt and Paul had given us about the use of the cameras. We carefully planned the order in which we were going to get the different shots and, each time we changed position, we focused the camera as we had been taught previously. Moreover, we extended or lowered the tripod depending on which person or object we were going to film to make it look smoother, and we used the appropriate terminology to get everyone prepared for a new shot. 

We did all the shots that were compulsory for the actual completion of the task in 10-15 minutes, and then we decided to explore a bit further during the time we had left —half of it—. We did close shots of the door, a piece of furniture which appears both in the beginning and in the ending of the short sequence so it conveys a feeling of familiarity but also of the superficiality of the action that takes place inside the room. We also carried out the scene from the floor, recording the pieces of script being torn by Celine and stepped on as well —more drama—. 

At all times, we respected the 180 degree rule, which establishes an imaginary line between the characters in a dialogue that we shouln't cross, and we tried to encourage our actresses to match their actions each time we recorded the whole scene again from a different angle. Honestly, I don't know what we will encounter when we have to edit this, but I hope that we can achieve continuity throughout the whole video as well as getting a funny result, at least.

My biggest regret is not having played a bit with the lines and transformed the basic story into a gripping one with some effort and creativity. I heard that many other groups came up with brilliant ideas for their tasks even though we all have the same storyboard. Themes as varied as pregnancy came along the way, in fact, thanks to the versatile lines that we were given. I have learnt, anyway, that I need to be more firm next time we film and implement energy and work ethic among my peers. 

Another important lesson that I took out from this practice was that, in any media text, people in front and behind the camera have to work with coordination and cooperation in order to get a good result, while before shooting the Preliminary Task I thought that actors and the rest of the crew, other than the director and producer, would barely talk during the process of making a film. Communication is key!