HW3a - Continuity task evaluation (BLK)

The video above is a continuity task I helped to create, The task brief was to show an accident using 6 shots that are all cut in the camera (E.g only one shoot of each scene was allowed.) The story of the video consists of a character wearing headphones (Played by me) walking down a hallway and pausing behind a door due to his headphones unplugging. The girl walking down the corridor behind him is too busy looking at papers to notice that he's behind the door and she pushes it into him, causing him to fall and hit the wall before collapsing to the floor. The girl then helps him up.

We attempted to create continuity by using similar shot kinds - mainly Medium long shots and Long shots - and by attempting to start each shot with the characters in the same place and position as they were at the end of the previous shot. We also made sure to keep props, locations and lighting the same in order to make the video seem like a real event.

However, the continuity could have been vastly improved for many shots. Due to similar framing of each shot many of the cuts are jump cuts, which was not my intention. It detracts from the video because it makes the cuts extremely obvious, ruining immersion. Also, actors didn't always start a new shot in the same position as they ended the previous shot, meaning that when the video is played in full the characters jump position and repeat actions such as pushing opening the door in an unnatural way.

In hindsight I would definitely make a storyboard for this scene, as this would have improved the flow of shots and made sure that actors were in the same positions between shots. Additionally I would vary shots more, using different shot types and positioning the camera in more varied angles and locations. Also, I would add in a shot focusing on the headphones unplugging from the phone to make it more obvious that this had happened, considering it is a major factor in causing the accident. Other narrative changes I would make include the boy not falling to the floor after hitting the wall, as this is unrealistic.