The student completed a preliminary short film task, meeting the requirements of techniques like the 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot. While overall pleased with the film, feedback noted the music could have been quieter during dialogue. The student had to change their film idea and genre last minute from action to drama, rushing filming and editing. For future tasks, they would plan better, choose actors that match characters, film more footage, add effects, and include more examples of techniques like match on action.

1. Preliminary Task – Evaluation
Overall I am pleased with how my preliminary task as it was my first attempt at creating and
editing a short film. I completed all the requirements for the film, including 180 degree rule,
match on action and shot reverse shot and I also followed the plot of someone walking
through a door, sitting down and exchanging a few lines of dialogue with the person sat
opposite. Therefore, as a whole I believe the short film was quite successful. I also liked how
the music which ran over the filmwas very fast-paced, which helped to build tension and fit
the genre of drama. However, the feedback I received from my class was that this could
have been slightly quieter when the actors were talking to ensure they can be clearly heard.
If I chose to add music to my next film I will ensure it is not too loud and overpowering.
I was a little rushed when filming and editing, this is because I completely changed my
original idea so had to re-plan my film. Originally, I wanted to create an action film, but I felt
that the actors I had available would not be able to effectively fit this genre. For example, I
think it would have been better to have a male actor to play the angry character but it was
easier to use my friends who were with me in my lesson. This caused me to change the
genre to drama which caused me to have to re-plan and re-schedule filming, which was very
time consuming. Therefore, if I was to repeat this task I would plan in advance and ensure
the actors I chose match their character’s personality, I feel that this would make the overall
experience much less stressful and rushed. Furthermore, I do feel that my film was slightly
short as it only lasted just over 30 seconds, therefore if I was to do this task again I would
film more footage and perhaps add effects such as slow motion. For example, I think it
would have been good to create a beginning scene which explains why my actors are in such
a rush and where they have suddenly gone. I also received feedback which suggested that
my examples of match on action were very limited, therefore if I was to do this again I
would ensure that I include many examples to ensure the rule is definitely included.