Coursework Preliminary Task

For this task I had to show someone opening a door, crossing a room and have a few lines of dialogue. I decided to stage a job interview for this.

I decided to use a job interview because I felt it naturally fit the specifications, and the white transition i used is commonly used in flashback sequences, therefore, it isn't a single piece, it could be part of a bigger picture. By using a mid-shot you can begin to see some of the surroundings. The background suggests it's set in an art gallery or somewhere similar. The phone type used in the section shows that it is set recently.

The reverse zoom of the door handle as Josh opens the door was used to show certain things, such as the hand (in order to show a lack on continuity errors) and it could be seen as an insert.
The match on action I needed to include is in the next bit, where Josh walks out of the hallway and into the hall. For me this seemed to be the most natural place to put this transition, as it is the only change of scenery i used in the piece. Josh's walk is quite short, but you could count the opening shots as 'walking across a room'.

I used a Shot-Reverse-Shot for the conversation because it could fool the viewer into thinking i filmed this in an office, rather than a classroom. I had to keep to the 180 degree rule in order to keep this illusion, as if i changed the angles I used then objects only really found in classrooms could be seen. Here we have two props: a piece of paper, and a phone. The paper is meant to represent an application form or CV, but in reality is the script. Steve gets away with reading from the script, as it appears that he is going over key information. The phone is used as an intercom, to show that Josh is not the lonely candidate, and that many people are being interviewed, and the reactions add character. For instance, Josh is seen as a quiet person while Steve as a typical successful businessmen.

The shots remain the same throughout for each character (long shot of both sitting) is done because the lines are filmed at the same time, all of Josh's and then all of Steve's. This allowed me to keep the shots as similar as possible and therefore the continuity and 180degree. The actors left enough time between lines to keep editing a simple task.

The clothing worn is important. Although it is very different to what would normally be worn, Steve's chequered shirt is smarter than Josh's hoodie, and provides a contrast, as he seems unlikely to get the job based on what he is wearing.