Key:

Green - Improvements

Red - Peer Assessment

Pink - Teacher Marking

RAG Rating: I rate my understanding of a single camera production as RED.

I think that a single camera production is when you make a piece of work using only one camera.

Wiki: A single camera production is a piece of media that is shot with only one camera.

Pros and Cons of a Single Camera Production

Using a single camera is more cost effective. You only pay for one camera, tripod, etc.

Using only one camera means there is less equipment to maintain.

There are less continuity errors.

Making media products with just one camera is more mobile.

You have to take different shots separately with a single camera.

Using a single camera can be more complicated when shooting a sequence with multiple angles. It takes more time.

If all the footage is kept on one device the risk of having to re shoot everything is higher if something goes wrong.

Continuity Errors

When using a single camera to make a media product it's easier to make continuity errors that ruin the consistency of a sequence as each shot is taken at different times.

Examples of continuity errors may be to do with props moving, lighting changing or character appearance changing. If a sequence is being shot outside and in one shot the sky is clear but by the time the next is taken the clouds move this would make the sequence inconsistent. In order to overcome potential continuity errors we will have to take extra special care with our shots and make sure that all the footage we record is consistent with each other. To do this we will make a clear filming schedule that considers the weather on the dates we film.  

Pre Production 

Brief

For this unit we had to make a drama titled "Released". The specifications were that it was to be shot with a single camera and be between 5 and 10 minutes.

Storyline

The story of our drama follows the life of two best friends called Hugo and Stevie. Their friendship is tested when an old school bully known as Trevor comes between them and murders Hugo, leaving Stevie with the blame. Stevies sanity and trust are put to the test when he becomes locked in what he thinks is his bedroom with the ghost of his now dead best friend. He must come to terms with the death of his friend and prove to a detective investigating his case that he is sane and innocent. 

Characters

Stevie (Bailey Finnie) - Alive one

Hugo (Lewis Hall) - Murdered one

Trevor (Tom Hordle) - Bully

Detective Lance (Brandon Frost) - The person who is investigating the suicide

Locations/Environment

Field Walkway - LeAF Playing Fields

Alleway - Duck Lane to Play Park

Interrogation Room - Office at LeAF

Bedroom/House - Peers House 

Equipment/Assets

Because the specifications of this unit are to use a single camera the equipment needed should be minimal

Nikon Camera (D3400) - This is the single camera we used for the film.

Tripod for Camera - This is what we used to keep shots still when filming.

SD Card for Camera - We used this to save all our footage.

Adobe Premiere Pro CC - This is the software that was used for editing.

YouTube - This is the media platform that will be used for sharing the footage. 

Props

Watch

Knife

Files and Folder

Pens and Paper

Food and Tray

Computer

Phone

Evidence Tray 

Cinematography

Seeing as in this unit we are only going to be using a single camera the cinematographer working the camera in our production will only have to focus on using the one camera and any other single equipment that comes with it. Because our story in this unit will heavily be showing two sides of one character the different scenes and personalities will most likely be identified by two different camera or editing techniques. For example depressing scenes at the characters home may have a darker lighting choice whereas scenes where the character is at school may appear brighter. 

Character Descriptions

Stevie Green – Played by Bailey Finnie

Blue eyes, brown hair, aged 17

Stevie has always been very close friends with Hugo since a young age as they have always been together. While he often has to cover for his friend who gets into trouble for things such as not doing his homework he doesn't usually mind as he cares about him deeply. He has always felt different to Hugo since they were kids and during his pre teens he realised he was gay but decided to keep it a secret from his best friend as he didn't want to risk their friendship. While he is seen by his best friend Hugo as a brother he looks back at him and sees only how much he wants to be romantically involved. 

Hugo Dalton -  Played by Lewis Hall

Blue eyes, blonde hair, aged 17

Stevie is an outgoing fun loving guy who’s not afraid to speak his mind and say it how it is. He’s not a serious character and can be quite immature at times but he does care about his best friend. Stevie can often get mixed up in his own problems and forget about his friends feelings but they've always been close so he doesn't overthink it. Stevie is a confident person and is quite sociable, he is liked by most girls as he is attractive. He sees his best friend as a brother and has always relied on him whenever he gets into trouble. 

Detective Inspector Lance – Played by Brandon Frost

Brown eyes, blonde hair, aged 30

Detective Lance plays the role of solo interrogator to Stevie. Being a solo interrogator means that he has to play the role of good cop and bad cop. He comes off as quite stern towards Stevie but respects that even though Stevie is the prime suspect, that he and Hugo were good friends and still respects his loss and the shock that he is in. 

Initial Group Ideas

Script

Risk Assessment

Shot List

Gantt Chart

Management of scene takes

Scene 1

Take 1: This was of the main characters walking along a path and talking. When we first filmed this the shots we used were very basic and quite boring. After we had filmed the entirety of this scene one of the actors later dyed their hair, this meant we had to refilm on another day in a different take so that there were no continuity errors. The character to the left was supposed to be depressed about being outside in the script but in this shot he can be see smiling which isn't a good representation of depression.

Take 2: During our second take of this scene we used a lot more intercuts showing the individual characters in conversation and the environment around them. We used an image of students playing football to set the scene of the park that they were supposed to be walking through in the script. This scene is heavily reflective of improvements based on the mistakes of the first take, however we did feel that the character on the lefts clothing may not have been ideal as it displays LeAF Studios logo which we felt could be a continuity error as in the production this character doesn't go to school. The acting, shots and overall feel of this take were quite improved compared to our first take but not thinking about what clothing the actor on the left was wearing was a let down. 

Review of shots

Character body language

This is a medium high angle tracking shot of the characters walking towards the audience. The reason we decided to use this shot is because it gives a clear view of the characters body language to the audience. Obviously the audience haven't seen the character descriptions so it is important that the characters personalities are clearly shown to the audience through their acting.

As we can see in this shot the actor on the left who plays the depressed teen is looking at the ground, this is a representation of someone who is depressed as they often look at the floor when walking due to insecurities of making eye contact with other people and because when you're sad you tend to look down rather than up. Furthermore the fact he is looking at the ground is a representation of depression itself as looking at the floor means the character can't see ahead which is how depressed people feel because the can't see a bright future for themselves.  

The body language for the character on the right shows his personality of caring for his friend which was specified in his description. The reason that the audience can tell he is a good friend is because he is looking at his depressed friend in a concerned way. Furthermore his hand closest to his friend is raised higher than the one on his left which represents him offering his hand as a good friend. 

Dialogue close ups

These shots were selected so that the dialogue of the individual characters could be focused on more specifically whenever they were talking. The way that these shots were edited together was in the form of intercuts, the reason I did this was so that the audience didn't become bored. The way that editing these shots in this form prevent the audience becoming bored is because the speed makes it easier for the audience to focus on what's important. If a shot was used from a distance when characters were talking then the audience are more likely to lose focus on what's being said if the shot has too many other points of interest such as a people playing football in the background.

Foreshadowing 

This shot is a side view of the characters walking along the path. Under closer review you can see that the character who commits suicide in the production is on the side closer to the sun. This is a foreshadowing of his death that is to occur later on in the film. The reason him being closer to the light represents his death is because often when people think of death they associate it with walking into a light at the end of a tunnel. Furthermore the light could also represent heaven as that is depicted as being a place of light. 

Another foreshadowment of death in this shot is the fact that the character who dies is partially hidden behind his friend. This foreshadows his death because later in the film his character comes back as a ghost and can partially be seen behind his friend during interrogation scenes.  The partial visibility of the character in this shot represents him being a ghost later on because ghosts are commonly depicted as being transparent which is another word for being partially visible.