Introducing Jimmy: Complete

So this is the complete version of my media group's mini-movie, 'Introducing Jimmy' in which as a group my friends and i used LiveType to make and select the most appropriate title and credits and then put them into the movie. As a problem the credits are quite quick and therefore difficult to read; i think to address such a problem the speed needs to be adjusted, a thought of which will be considered carefully when it comes to actually making the thriller movie that is essential to the completion of the AS course.

Mini Movie- 'Introducing Jimmy'- With Music!

To further improve the short movie my group and i made on Digging Deeper Day, we have been required to add certain features such as titles, credits, text overlays and music. The video in this post is the same movie we did previously however it includes the music to which we have decided will act as the soundtrack to the mini movie. (N.B. As a group we have decided to name the video 'Introducing Jimmy'. The titled and credited version will soon follow in an additional post).

Digging Deeper Day- Mini Movie Task

On the same day as the task in which we had to make a video of camera shots, we were briefed to make a mini-movie. In doing this we had to produce several shots showing the process of a person walking into a room and the said person would then exchange brief dialogue with another person in the room. With my group of 4 people (including myself) we collectively worked at creating the film; two people specifically filmed it while myself and another group member acted as the people in the video. Along with these roles, i helped with the management of the filming in terms of suitably delegating different camera shots to different acts (which i discussed about with the group before filming was underway). First, we made a plan for the different shots we would use for the scene and by what story the move would tell. Once sorted, we found a suitable room where we shot the movie using several camera shots and strongly adhering to the 180 degree rule. We tended to shoot the different shots longer than we wanted so we had as much footage to work with as possible.

If the work was to be improved  i think that at least a higher quality camera could be used. Alternatively, if the group had access to a camera dolly it would be useful in using it to follow the person into the room, creating a more personal effect on the viewer.

Digging Deeper Day- Camera Shots Task

For our first task, my group, consisting of 4 people including myself, set upon making a video which would show the different types of camera shots that are often seen in many modern movies to date, along with any recorded footage for purposes such as marketing on TV or online. Our brief therefore was to set out and take multiple shots of around 5-10 second videos using a tripod and video camera which were both supplied by the school.

We went about such a task through positioning the tripod at a distance to our object (a member of the group) and taking the shots from different lengths of proximity. We didn't zoom into the shot because doing so resulted in reducing the quality of the camera shot. When it came to the 'worms-eye view' shot and 'birds-eye view shot' we had to raise the tripod and also shorten the legs so as to create the shots. What's more, when it came to creating shots with lens movement, such as panning or tracking out we couldn't use the tripod and instead had to create the shot whilst trying to keep the camera as still as possible. This is one of several flaws of the video we've curated. Since the camera was hand-held during camera movement shots, the quality of the video is lower because there is some shaking involved in these shots, causing them to look unprofessional. Furthermore, many of our earlier shots are quite short. If audio was important, then our video is a bad example to take inspiration from because often you hear background noise and voices that add to making the video seem unprofessional. Another problem with the video is that the member of our group acting as an object tended to move about a lot whilst standing, creating a slight sense of indecorous professionalism.

If the group and i were to improve the video i believe that we would address these issues through ensuring there are no loud background noises/voices and also making the shots longer. Moreover, if possible, we would ensure that we could use a camera dolly for the lens movement shots. The person acting as an object would have to be more scrupulous with their movement.

List of camera shots (in order):

• Establishing shot
• Extra Long Shot
• Long Shot
• Medium Long Shot
• Medium Shot
• Medium Close Up
• Close UP
• Extreme Close Up
• Worm's Eye
• Low Angle
• High Angle
• Bird's Eye
• Pan from left to right
• Tracking Out
• Crab from right to left

Hey!

Hi my name is Wilhelmina and i'm an A level Media study currently taking part in the first year of a two -year course. I chose media because i am passionate about the topic and it is a very influential part of my development. Media encompasses a wide market ranging from music, to film of which is an area i want to go into for a career. Prior to the course i was fundamentally interested in taking Journalism but through my development in the course i am considering taking courses encompassing mixed medias. I'm most looking forward to the coursework element of the A Level whereby i am required to create a thriller trailer lasting no more than 2 minutes. This blog will show my progression in to the creation of the thriller trailer, as well as my interaction with new technology that previously, i 'd never attempted using before e.g. Apple Macs, LiveType, FinalCutExpress etc. I think the most challenging element of this course will be the the post-production of the film because it will be one of the most time-consuming tasks involving greater manipulation of technology.