The Exchange

This is my second filming exercise video. The objective was to film a series of shots that introduced two characters and an exchange of an item, in our case this was an envelope. The sequence had to have a thriller/Noir style to the shots and should have included props etc to increase the look and mood of a thriller or Noir.

Evaluating the Exchange
The objective of the exchange was to make a 1-2 minute film that shows a sequence with an exchange in it. It had to be shot in the style of a thriller and had to appeal to a target audience of 15-25.
The Exchange exercise made us practice our camera skills and introduce us to the idea of pre-production work. We all had to fulfil certain tasks in the Exchange to make sure that the finished product is of a high standard.
Some of my earlier roles included: risk evaluation sheets, risk reduction sheets, location finders checklist, storyboard, synopsis, treatment and my individual ideas for the shoot. I also had an input on the final storyboard and some of the props and locations used.
I think that most of my pre-production work was to an acceptable standard, like the call sheet and location finder’s checklist, but my contribution to group discussions and effort levels need some improvement.
I feel that I have gained some more experience on the camera and I have gained an understanding of the pre-production work I will need to do for my film noir opening. I think a wider variation of shots on the filming day helped me to gain better skills on the camera and a better idea of what shots work well within the style of thriller. My theoretical skills do need some improvement; my initial plan was altered at the last minute due to change in location, which made me have to think of some alternate options. This made me aware that I do need a backup plan in case of sudden changes. I feel that overall I have gathered skills both practical and theoretical from this project.
I think some of the shots we used were of a high quality and suited the style, but our continuity could have used some work. Some of our shots do not match, and so we had to cut them short in the edit. I feel our editing went well but we should have got more shots to make sure that it all worked well. I liked our use of sound as well; it fitted the film perfectly and had lyrics that related to the content of our film.
The audience feedback confirmed what I believe went well and what didn’t go well. The comments we received are as follows: the shots are good but their could be a bigger variety, I like the use of props and your location is good but I think you need to work on the match on action and the images work really well at telling a story but some of the camera work needs improving. I hope to be able to take this feedback and apply it to my next filming piece.
Overall, I believe this project was a success and the perfect chance for me to improve my skills on and off camera. I think if I could do the project again I might change the shots I used, get more shots to make sure I have enough to make it work, make a back up plan in case things change at the last minute and contribute more to the group sessions.