Taking Part in a Film Competition

Towards the end of the year some of my school friends studying media were asked to create a short film for a nation-wide competition. I was mainly in charge of writing, the script, but I also assisted slightly with camera work and editing. 

Storyboarding Exercise

 To introduce us to the concept of storyboarding our Media Studies teacher first showed us a clip from Psycho and then showed us a storyboard of that clip via a site called Studiobinder.

Therefore, I understood that a storyboard is an effective way of helping you map out your film and organize your sequences so that it is much easier to shoot. By deciding on each shot according to the scene in advance, you have a far better-organized production.

The activity that we were then given was to draw a storyboard of our own, making our way backwards through the process by first analysing a film opening and then creating a storyboard of the opening itself. The film opening that I was assigned to make a storyboard of was Scam 1992 which is an Indian TV Drama. The opening sequence is attached below:

We were told to research the films and shows that we were given, to give us a better understanding of what type of content the show consisted of and why certain shots, movements and mise-en-scene elements would have been used within the openings. For example, Scam 1992 is a biographical thriller, which is why it uses many different fast-paced shots and gripping visuals such as the stacks of money falling from the sky and the chains wrapping around them. The first few shots happen in quick succession with fades to black in between, giving a flickering effect that helps to give the viewer a sense that the show is a thriller.

Furthermore, the story itself is about how Harsad Mehta became a bigshot figure within the financial sector and then shows how he fell from his high position. This sequence of events is figuratively shown within the two-minute sequence, portraying Harshad as a large and powerful figure, standing atop a skyscraper ad looking down at the city before him. Close-ups of his sleek silhouette and watch and car are shown. 

Then, suddenly the buildings start to crumble and slowly break apart and Harshad begins to fall as large stacks of money and chains fall from the sky, the stacks slowly overtaking the cityscape he was observing. This portrays Meta's eventual fall into disgrace after his sins are discovered, and the resulting loss of his financial kingdom. 

By understanding the reasons behind why certain shots and placements were used, I was able to attempt to create the storyboard of the opening, which is shown below.

Introduction to Premiere Pro

 To familiarise us with using Adobe Premiere Pro for editing, our teacher instructed us to take some videos at home, which had to be compiled into an edited sequence. This is the list of shots that we were asked to shoot at home:

1. Wide Shot
2. Medium Shot
3. Close-Up Shot

We were then instructed to edit the footage using Premiere Pro and add music that fit the sequence as well. My final sequence is included below. 

I struggled with getting good-quality footage using just my phone camera, and it was also slightly difficult to navigate using Premiere Pro for the first time, which can be seen through the quality of the final sequence since I didn't know how to export the final footage in a way that ensured good quality by using a format such as mp4. However, I was quite happy with the music I chose as I felt it fit the sequence of the video well.

Camera Shots, Movements and Angles

 To learn the different types of camera shots, movements and angles we were assigned a task that consisted of making a presentation which featured our own shots of the various types alongside a small description of when and why the shots, angles and movements are used

A few examples from this task are included below.

Stage 1

• Shots:

Medium Shot

Extreme Close Up Shot

Close Up Shot

• Camera Movements:

Pan

Zoom

Tilt

• Angles:

Low Angle

High Angle

Canted/Dutch Angle

Introduction

Welcome to my AS-level media studies blog! My name is Yeshiah Peries. I live in Sri Lanka and I will be attempting the Cambridge Media Studies exam in May 2023.

For my AS exam, I have chosen the film task, where I will be making a two-minute film opening. Therefore, the production process of both my film opening will be chronicled within this blog to show you, how I evolved my media skills through the course of my AS Level Studies and how I achieved the final product of my film opening.