Continuity Task 1 (BLK)

Explain the story of your video?

Characters A and B are doing their work in a classroom and are joined by character C, who enters the classroom through the door. Character C then walks past characters A and B, but in doing so he trips over himself and falls to the floor. He then slowly picks himself up, after which point Character A is then shown to be very shocked and alarmed at character C's accident.

How did you attempt to create a 'narrative flow' (continuity)?

Narrative flow was achieved through the use of different camera angles which build the audience into the narrative and through the use of camera movement; one of the shots panned and tracked character C as he walked past the camera.

Did you achieve full continuity?

No, we did not achieve full continuity and I think that this was due to the lengthiness of shot 1, the delay of the reaction shot (shot 6) and the unnatural look of the fall/accident.

What would you do differently to improve the narrative flow of your video and tell your story more effectively?

Narrative flow is about continuity for audience so the action/shots are seamless. With full continuity a story can be told more effectively. To improve this I would have…

• shortened the length of shot 1 as it slows down the pace and goes past the point of a strong anticipation
• started filming shot 2 when character C is out of frame so there is no chance of the shot starting with a stationary character, and also so character C is shown opening the door and entering the building which looks more natural
• used 'match on action' by cutting down the link between shots 2 and 3
• shown the object that character C trips over, to remove the question of 'what did he fall over on?' from the audience's minds
• swapped shots 5 and 6 so that the reaction shot (6) is not delayed. This means that the reaction of character A is shown immediately after the accident.

Below is the edited version of our story with an improved narrative flow, and a more seamless feel:

My Film Still Analysis BLK

In this shot, the lighting is very abstract. Through the particular positioning of the lighting equipment, we were able to create a very eerie and sinister atmosphere within the still. Both the camera lights were positioned at a low angle to the character, at the side nearest to the camera (to the left of the still) the many shadows that have been created are effective as they cast a shadow on the character (me), making it seem like he is further restricted by more lines/cages. Furthermore, the rest of the still is dark which further enhances this eerie atmosphere, as we are not aware of what may be lurking in the background. 

The signifier in this still has to be the shadows which come together to connote the desired genre of horror. The audience will initially be puzzled as to what is going on and questions will arise such as Why is he behind the bars? What did he do to get there? Is there something wrong with him?. Following the attempts to comprehend what is going on in the shot, I expect the audience to begin to sympathise with the character as they may potentially imagine how it would feel to be in that situation.

In my opinion, the most successful aspect of this still has to be the use of lighting to deliver the desired effect to the audience; the lighting is responsible for the shadows seen all over the character. As well this, I believe that the positioning of the character adds to the eeriness of the still, as the characters right hand casts a large shadow on the right side of his face.

In order to better showcase the desired genre, a more suitable/relevant clothing should be worn to perhaps portray a current issue, such as blood on shirt to suggest an unknown injury.