Camera Exercise Evaluation

Due to joining the Media course late, I was unable to film the camera exercise myself. As a result of this, I was asked to do an evaluation on another camera exercise made by a group in my class.







Plot

The story is about a girl who is in class, and she begins to dream about an adventure she is having. The pencil case falls off the table, and she gets up and goes to get it. However, she is unable to get it as it is constantly on the move whenever she tries to pick it up. This adventure takes her all over the school which includes down the stairs and even outside onto the grass. When she is on the grass, we see her looking round trying to find the pencil case but this fails as she is unable to find it. Shortly after, we learn that she was sleeping and she dreamt the whole adventure and the teacher slams the pencil case on the table in front of her to wake her up. This is how the film ends. 

Shots Used

I think that this camera exercise was done very well as this group used a variety of different shots and used them effectively. For example, the film starts off with a medium shot of the girl and the environment that she is in. This is a good use of camera because it is the start of the film and it sets the tone for the film. For this one shot, we can see the activity that is going on and the setting. We can see that she is writing in a classroom and using the medium shot makes this clear. The next good shot used is a point of view (POV) shot. This is a shot where the camera is placed into the position of where the character is so we can see what the character is seeing. This is a useful shot because it places the audience into the characters shoes so they can understand the situation that the character is going through. The next shot is a long shot which again is used to show the environment and what the girl is actually doing. We can see her and we can see the pencil case which is achieved by using a long shot. The next shot used is an over the shoulder which again is used to make the audience feel like they are in the characters shoes. The next shot used is a tilt shot in which the camera moves down. This is to show the girl looking down the stairs and seeing that the pencil case is there. The next shot used is a tracking shot. This is used when the girl is walking and trying to get the pencil case. This is used effectively as it shows the struggle of the girl trying to get the pencil case but being unsuccessful. Another shot used well is the close up when the girl is outside. This is good because we get to see her facial expression which clearly shows that she is confused and is worried about her pencil case. Another shot which is used well is the crane shot. This is used when the girl is outside looking for her pencil case. This shot is used well because it makes her look small and vulnerable and makes the audience see how bad the situation is for the girl as she is unable to find the pencil case. 

How to Improve

There a few ways in which this film could of been made better. For Example, it would of been better if there was no errors in the film. A big error that I saw was at the end of the crane shot in where the camera wobbled. Another way to improve the film would be to use a few more different types of shot. An extreme close up would be my recommendation. 

Overall 

All things considered, I think that this was a good short film as it included many of the shots that a film should have. They was also used effectively. The storyline was good and only a slight error was made with the camera.