Preliminary task

The preliminary task was to film and edit a person opening a door, walking across a room and then sitting opposite another person. There had to also be talking between the two characters. 

Planning 

In my group we planned to shoot the footage in the Ark. We used a floor plan to see where we would position the cameras and then set up the cameras where we drew them and if they didn't seem right we would adjust them accordingly. We set up cameras in many different angles to ensure we got the right angle for the scene that was being acted out. In my group we made sure that the 180 degree rule was not broken by not rushing the set up of the cameras and planning where the line of the 180 degree rule would be. We used a storyboard to plan where the shots should be from in each scene, however our storyboard did break the 180 degree rule a few times to we had to improvise to make sure everything was fine. It was all organised effectively and we used a tripod to ensure that the shots were smooth and it could be edited easily. The only other thing I could of done is make sure my storyboard had more detail and didn't break any rules.

Techniques

In my group we used many different techniques to ensure that we make it look as smooth as possible. We used shot reverse shot when i put my hands on the desk and that angle was a shot where we were both in shot. Then we got a close up of Cody from a different angle with him looking down at my hands. We then edited it so that it ran smoothly and looked as if Cody was looking at my hands. 

Other techniques used were the rule of thirds. In the shot above you can see that Cody's face is in line with the rule of thirds as in our scene his character it tied up but still is in control and is not worried about his situation. It can create a sense of power for the character as they are not in any trouble. 

We used continuity editing to make everything flow and we did this by editing the shots so that it looked like me or Cody were still doing the same action or saying the same line. We used nose room and head room. the Nose room in the shot to the right is very little as there is little power imbalance in the two characters and they are not isolated at all. 

We used a dip to black to show where the scene ends and make it flow more. 

Main learning points

From this project I have learnt that I can edit effectively and understand the software that we used to edit the short film. I have learnt that setting up cameras properly and making sure you plan properly for example finishing the story board. Also I have learnt that it is important to incorporate many different shots and angles to be able to have a lot of shots to choose from and then it is easier to do continuity editing. I was able to find out how to dip to black and select parts of a clip to put into the short film. 

EDITED: How do directors film a conversation?

Some of the main rules in a conversation are the 180 degree rule, shot/reverse shot, rule of thirds and nose room/head room. The 180 degree rule is that when two people are having a conversation there will be a imaginary line between their eyes where the camera shoots them from. Shot/reverse shot is when you have a character looking at an object then a shot of the object and when the camera is back at the character they are still looking at the object. 

The rule of thirds is when there is 9 boxes across the camera and the characters eyes and face will be in line with the lines or sometimes jot in line, this will crate a sense of that character is off the rails. Nose room is when you have space in front of a character so they have room in front of them. Head room is how much space there is above the character and if there head has been cut off or if it is fully in shot.

Tips for filming a conversation are you have to have shot variety so that the viewer doesn't get bored with the scene and have a lot of ECU's and other shots like that to show emotion in the conversation. Another tip is to have a over the shoulder shot to show people are talking to each other.

In the clip, Gus and Walter are talking and at 1:04 Gus has been given a lot of nose room because it shows how cautious of Walter he is and how he doesn't trust him. At 1:32 Walter has a lot of head room and nose room. This shows how isolated he is at the time as he is begging to work with Gus and has no power at this point. 

In this clip, Dexter is talking to a police officer about the crime scene they are investigating. Throughout the scene even though dexter is waling around there is still a 180 degree rule as the camera always stays the same side of them. At 0:41 Dexter has lots of nose room as he is the one in charge of the situation and he is the powerful one in the scene.