60 Second Sequence

For this short video my group used Oscar's hair and beard to our advantage, making a video featuring Jesus. I used a range of shot types to connote different things when shooting this video, which incorporated everything we'd been learning about film and sound.

Firstly, it opens with the sound of someone urinating which leads the viewer to wonder where the sound is coming from and who is creating it. Then the first shot is shown (A long shot) and you're introduced to James, which matches the sound with the visuals. The second shot is a close up of James face, which firstly shows the character in more detail and secondly shows his shocked emotion, leading the viewer to believe he can see something. The third shot is another close up, which keeps the level of intimacy and is a point of view shot because it's what James can see. After this the dream sequence starts, showing inside James's head. It uses some clips shot on a black screen, and one shot of James lying on the floor, with the camera looking down at him. I chose this shot because isolates James as he contrasts with the light floor.

When James is waking up from the dream,  I chose to use a long shot to establish the new location and the figure stood behind James. Because it's so wide, it also looks dramatic and helps to build the dramatic tension. To further build the tension, I included a buildup sound effect. We also chose to use a stabiliser in the shot that moves towards Oscar, so that it was smooth and looked intense and cinematic. The last shot shows a close up of James's confused face for comedic effect.

Overall, I think that this video is fairly good, however if we had more time to film and plan it then it would be more effective. I also used audio from the camera footage as dialogue at the end, which should have been recorded separately. What I think went well were the shot types I chose to use and how the tension changes throughout the video.

Peer Assessment

Why do we do peer assessments?

We peer assess each others work which involves giving constructive criticism in order to help each other improve. By giving an opinion about a peer's work, you can identify any problems you thought you saw, and give them a review from a different persons perspective as people see things differently.

The peer assessment can help the individual being assessed to improve and try new things, suggested by a peer.

Today I peer assessed Curtis's Silent Film: "The Thief"

It is a very funny short film which contains some great use of slapstick comedy, a common convention of silent films. Some points I identified to improve on were the titles, as the font used isn't that old looking and as it is the first thing the viewer sees, it needs to set the tone of the film. Another point is that there is a moment at around 10 seconds in where the shot changes to a close up which is at an angle. This doesn't follow the style of silent film as all shots were medium/long and completely flat. Lastly, there are no text frames to show dialogue, which can help to put across the story better.

Overall, I thought this was a brilliant attempt at a silent film, following most of the codes and conventions commonly seen in old pieces. It had good acting and slapstick comedy, a fitting soundtrack and was of course in black and white.