PRELIM

In today's lesson, we filmed our prelim to practice continuity editing, understand match on action, shot-reverse-shot and the 180-degree rule. For our prelim, we didn't have much time to plan. Our task involved filming and editing a character opening a door, facing another character, with whom he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. 

Continuity editing is the process of creating a smooth and seamless narrative experience for the audience. It is combining several related shots, or different components cut from a single shot, into a sequence.

Match on action is an editing technique for continuity editing in which one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action of the subject in the first shot. It creates a sense of continuity of the same action rather than matching two separate things.

180-degree rule is a filming guideline that participants in a scene should have the same left or right relationship to each other, with filming only taking place within the 180-degree angle in which this is maintained in a conversation, for example. 

Shot Reverse Shot is a continuity editing technique used in conversations. A shot showing what the character is supposedly looking at either a point of view or over the shoulder shot. Then followed by a reverse angle shot of the character themselves looking at it, or the other character looking back at them. It often ties with the 180-degree rule to retain continuity.

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What I have learned

• shooting in reverse order
• having a shot list makes everything quicker
• no confusion
• the bigger the cast the harder it is to have everything under control (people talking, noisy etc.)
• the director needs to make clear instructions
• body language is also important to make the mood/message clear
• has to decide what to include and exclude
• important to try manual focus too
• always have multiple angles/shots from the same scene so you have more to work with or choose from during the editing process
• shooting in low light could affect video quality
• natural lighting could be used for shadow (made it mysterious)
• we had a tilting shot, panning shot, low angle, tracking shot, close up, medium shot, Dutch angle, over the shoulder shot and worms eye

What I have learned on FCPX

• relink files when they are missing
• create favorites using F
• divide clips into categories using keyword (cmd + K)
• create a new library

What we didn't have

• tripods
• props
• stabilizer
• mood board
• call-sheet
• microphone