The preliminary task was the first filming assignment in the student's AS media course. To complete the task, students had to learn about different camera angles and filming rules. The student's group used a match on action cut between shots of the student walking through a door from different perspectives to show continuity. They followed the 180 degree rule by keeping the camera on one side of an imaginary line between characters. Shot/reverse shot technique was also explained, showing characters looking at each other during a conversation.

1. Preliminary Task
By Chloe Pilgrim

2. The preliminary task was the first task which we did in our
AS media course. For me, this was the first time I had ever
had to film anything. In order to complete this task we
needed to learn about the different camera angles used
within media and the rules when filming.

3. Match on action
A match on action, also known as a match cut, is a cut in film editing between
either two objects, spaces, people etc to help show a strong continuity of
filming and links the two different shots
1 The match on action which my group
and I used in our preliminary task was
me walking through the door (picture
1) and appearing on the other side
(picture 2).
In order to do this we filmed from one
2 side of the door a mid shot of me
walking in and then filmed from the
other side of the door a long shot of
the same action from a different
perspective.

4. 180 Degree Rule
In film making, the 180 degree rule is a guideline which you follow regarding an
imaginary line between one character and another. The means that at all times of
filming you must keep yourself on one side of the line. If the camera passes over the
axis it is called crossing the line or jumping the line.
From these pictures/screenshots
you can see that the camera is
always on one side of the
invisible line.

5. Shot/Reverse shot
Shot/Reverse shot is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another
character and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character.
Most of the time Shot/Reverse shot is filmed using an over the shoulder shot whilst
a conversation is happening between two characters.