Self-Evaluation: Jade

I think that our preliminary task fits the brief very well, whilst still being original and unique in its format. I am really glad that we decided to create a production in the style of a Teen Drama, as experimenting with this genre was relatively new to me and completely contrasting to what I have done in GCSE (with my two practicals being Thriller or Horror based).
I am particularly pleased with the three, edited 'match on actions' as I think the shots knit together really closely and produce a seamless-looking, professional outcome. (This is also a skill I have perfected whilst filming this preliminary task, as although I had attempted it in GCSE, I had never been able to pull it off as well as I have done in this task)
But my favourite shot has to be the insert of cans rolling across the floor after they fall from Rachel's bag because it creates an interesting elipsis of time (Rachel scrambling to her feet-which would have been timeconsuming to film and boring/irrelevant to watch) which is fluent with the shots surrounding it and so doesn't look awkwardly placed.
I was surprised after watching our pre-preliminary task back just a few weeks later because I was shocked at how much our execution of continuity, shot/reverse shot and general editing had progressed in such a short space of time. This just proves how vital that practise was to highlight 'areas of concern' as it made us really focus on the things we weren't doing right and make sure that we improved.

However, there are parts of our preliminary task that I would improve on, especially in parts where the continuity doesn't flow as well as I would want it to. The shot/reverse shots during the dialogue are slightly jumpy at times (I think this is mainly to do with the fact that it goes from a very kinetic, hand-held track to a static, fixed shot) and I feel that this is a technique I need to practise further in order to increase the quality and professionalism of the production.

WHAT DID I KNOW BEFORE?
I knew how to use all of the importing and editing devices on the Macs as I learnt this in year 10. I also knew that different camera angles and movements can convey subliminal meanings to the audience and also construct representations of the characters, events and locations on screen.
I also knew of the technique of match-on-action, but had never the understanding and expertise of how to use the camera and editing to pull it off until now (in this task we included THREE!)
This shows how dramatically my skills in using the equipment have improved since the transition from GCSE to A level.

WHAT DO I KNOW NOW?
It seems to be the group's collective decision that the one major thing we learned was how to use GarageBand to create our own score. i am so glad we got to use this programme as it will make our future coursework pieces much easier as we already have a basic understanding.
Other techniques I have learned is the 180 degree-rule and the use of eyeline match. Understanding this made our shot/reverse shots of dialogue look much more naturalist and fluent within the production.

PS. I am also really pleased at how well our group has bonded and worked together. Creating this preliminary task has not only been a steep learning curve, but great fun as well! :)