In terms of working in a group, I found it much easier in the final task rather than in the preliminary task which I thought unusual as there was less people to help. I found it easier as it meant that no decision would be made without me first knowing about it as there was only me and my partner. Although, having a smaller group meant there was a lot more work for both of us to do as we couldn't share the work out between more people. This meant that we were always hands on with our film and there was always something we can do. For example, we found it very difficult to film when we wanted to/ in the time we had as having actors outside our project meant we had to wait until everyone was free to actually start filming. So instead of just wasting time and waiting for our chance to film, we could make sure our planning was up to scratch and think about if we wanted our film to have certain things in it. I think this shows improvement from the preliminary task as I could get more involved in the planning, whereas in the preliminary task it was hard as we all had so many ideas and so we had to cut a lot of it out.
I learnt a lot about how to operate a video camera during the making of our final product. When we were making the preliminary task, one member of our group had had a lot of experience using cameras and so he insisted he was in charge of the camera. This time I was in charge of the camera the most I think, and it really impacted on how you think to direct it. As you're seeing it from behind the camera and not just by the side, you can start to imagine how it will look when everything's added together and so you re-film shots, sometimes in the same spot and sometimes from somewhere else at a different angle. I also understood the importance of the use of hand-held camera and how it can create a more intimate feel. For example, when the camera follows Harriet down her landing it feels as if the person watching it is there with her as she gets ready on that big day. I wouldn't have been able to research and try out this in the preliminary task due to small use of the camera.
My knowledge of camera and filming techniques also expanded during the making of Time's Up as we had to make sure it looked as professional and cinematically correct as it could be. We did this through the use of techniques such as the 180' degree rule and 'match on action' shots. We made sure that our actors were always on the same side of the screen/we always filmed from the same side as this ensured it didn't appear to the audience that our actors were constantly moving which helped the continuity of our film. We weren't sure at first how to include a 'match on action' shot but then we realised that the perfect opportunity to apply it was in the cafe (shown below). In the preliminary task we still applied these techniques but it didn't have the same amount of effect as we didn't know how to do it whereas in the final opening sequence it looked more professional and more though out.
In the making of the final product we applied everything that had learnt from the preliminary task and elsewhere to make sure we made the best product possible. We planned everything from each individual piece of clothing to what we wanted our characters to express on film. Due to this sedulous planning, we were able to make sure that nothing was left untouched and that everything that was shown on screen was due to our decision to put it there. We shot scenes multiple times to make sure we had the perfect shot and practised before we even began filming and if we did a shot wrong then we would stop filming and go over with the actors exactly what we wanted them to do and guided them through it. We learnt a lot between the making of the preliminary task and the making of our final product, but it wouldn't have been made possible if not for the support of others and their opinions which would help construct what we wanted our film to look like as their feedback gave us an idea how an audience would review it. After all the planning, filming, editing and evaluating, I can say that this is a film I'm proud to be apart of.
