Evaluation of my Continuity Sequence

The Package Evaluation 

Mise-en-scene is everything in the shot, things such as props, costumes and lighting. It is used to allow the viewer to immerse into the film, to believe what he/she is seeing on screen because it is backed up with everything else in the shot. In our short I feel that we succeeded in this in some areas with others being a little weaker, partly due to the short time we had to complete this assignment. One shot I feel we effectively used mise-en-scene was in the shot reverse shot sequence. The sequence was without any dialogue and I feel we fleshed out the two characters effectively with the use of costume and facial expression. One shot I feel we could have used mise-en-scene to better effect was the POV shot with the character holding out a gun. I feel this shot would have been more effective if we could have seen the other character's face. As this would build tension and show an insight into the characters reaction to this.

Lighting can be used to give mood to the shot as well as clarity of the action. It allows us as a viewer to see what is most important in the frame so that we focus on that. In our short I feel that we could have used lighting to better effect with most of our lighting being more what the location had to offer as opposed to what we wanted to connote. Although a shot that we had to cut out as it broke the continuity used lighting effectively. In the shot our main character was walking out of the shadow into the light but the shadow still cast a diagonal line across his body, with half being lit and the other half being in shadow. I really liked this shot because it signified that he has self conflict. A shot I feel we could have better used lighting in the shot where the two characters are standing 5 feet apart. If we had used a low light to cast long shadows of each person I feel it would  have added to the depth of the characters.

High or low camera angles can be used for a multitude of things. It can be used to show class or power; to make the viewer feel anything from uneasy to comfortable. This can be used for lots of reason such as building tension or relieving it. Although we did use a few low camera angles in our piece it feels more like ticking boxes than using them to affect the mood or build tension.

Different shot distances can be used to establish location, put the viewer in the heart of the action or create intrigue. It is also vastly used to maintain the viewer's attention to the piece. We varied out shot distances but mainly just to add some variety to the shots in order for it not to become boring.

Camera movement can be used for all manor of things from following action to adding a sense of paranormal. In our piece we used a dolly shot to add variety and interest into the piece. The shot is aesthetically pleasing but I think we could have used our only camera movement to add more to the tone of the short.

Fades and dissolves are used to show time passing or distance passing. They are often used to ill effect as when done badly it un-immerses the viewer. In our piece we did not use any fades or dissolves as we did not have a use for them.

The continuity system is a group of shots, techniques and ideas that allow the film maker to portray a believable set of events on screen even when the narrative is completely illogical. One of these ideas is the 180 degree rule in that in one scene if you take the camera past 180 degrees it makes the shot look wrong and noticeable to the audience. We followed this relatively well in our short but should have pre-planned for it so that we would not have had to flip any of our shots.

A shot type used to maintain continuity is an establishing shot. An establishing shot is used to give the audience a sense of location and an idea where they are. We did not use any establishing shots in our short as we didn't establish character or plot, We only portrayed a journey and an exchange. If we were to shoot this again though I would include some establishing shots in order to help the audience from feeling lost.

Match cuts on action is a technique used to show continuous time in film. It is where you verify an assumption made by the audience by inserting another shot showing the action of what the last shot inferred. I feel we used match cuts effectively in our piece although they could have been smoother as I feel some of the shots could have been cut away earlier to make the piece less tiresome to watch.

Eye-line match cuts are used to show what the character is looking at. It is done by a shot of the character looking at something off screen then a cut to the event/item the character is looking at. We failed to do this in our piece. We were unsure as to what an eye-line match cut and didn't research it.

Point of View shots are used to see through the eyes of the character. These can be used to make the audience feel as if they're actually in the action. In the creative stage of our short I had the idea of a PoV shot of the gun being pulled. Although we did this we didn't execute it well because I was unclear on my vision of the shot and failed to do a storyboard for it so we ended up with a shot without the other characters face in it which would have added the reaction of the other character as well as building tension.

Shot reverse shot is often an example of an eye-line match shot because it is a technique in which a character is show looking at another character. The other character may be off screen which is the instance where it is an eye-line match shot. Alternatively the shot may be looking over the shoulder of the character. This is the type of shot reverse shot we used in our short. We used it to show the stare off between the two characters.

During the production of this film I have learnt how to use the continuity system which is used is most films. I have learnt the basics of recording on DSLR although I do not feel competent enough to shoot a short that I would like to show off. I have also learnt of the importance of storyboarding as even with description the shot people see in their head can be radically different. I really enjoyed the creative side of the piece, especially coming up with shots to use. I find this very rewarding, although if I could shoot what I see I would find that even more rewarding.