Match Cut (Short practice film) Task.

On the 08/02/10 we were given a practical task to create a short practice film worth 15% of our final coursework grade. This short practice film could be any genre revolving any situation as long as it contains two characters and includes one character entering the scene as part of the clip. Before preparing for the task we were given a sheet explaining what specific shots we had to include, we had to include a shot reverse shot, a 180 degree shot and a match cut shot. I personally found the shot reverse shot the most simple to apply as the position of the characters allowed the shot to flow effectively.

To prepare for the practical task efficiently and ensure everything would run smoothly we began by creating a story board showing exactly what happens, when and where. Myself and my group found this stage of the task quite simple as we all had a lot of ideas to include. After this step we had to decide where we was going to include the three various shots during our piece, we attempted to apply these shots in the most appropriate places creating an impact.

I found it quite difficult trying to apply the three shots in a symbolic way because I wasn’t as familiar with the shots as I thought, I only realised this whilst trying to plot the shots appropriately. As part of the completion process for our piece we had to edit our short film, I initially found this stage difficult but as I got the hang of it I learnt how to edit smoothly and understand the editing process thoroughly. There were only some simple problems whilst editing such as selecting where the input and output should be placed on a clip and getting the clips to flow altogether but watching the clip in detail and shorting and lengthening the durations of clips made it less complex.

This task overall was very useful and allowed me to gain a good understanding of different shots, editing, story boards, and camera techniques. This practical task also showed me what to expect when working on our thriller title sequences.