Filming a short film with the use of the 180 degree rule

After learning about the 180 degree rule in filmmaking, we got a chance to practice breaking the rule by filming a short scene/ film with an assigned scenario.

Before getting into the real project, we familiarized ourselves with the rule first by filming a short clip. The time given to finish this video is only about 20 minutes so we had to come up with a plot, dialogues, and film it very quickly. Therefore the requirements for this video is lower, allowing us to have fun with the plot and within the process. Although we had to film in a haste, I was satisfied with our product and the overall filming progress. Besides, it also prepared me for the real project ahead.

*The attempt video

After being assigned with a group for the real project, we encountered a hiccup trying to think of a plot. The scenario our group chose was about making an experimental short film and being able to freely cross the 180 degree line . This is a very wide topic, which although allows us to utilize our imagination, also provides us with too much choices. Thus we didn't know where or what to start with. So with the movie Schindler's List as an inspiration (The scene of the Jewish hiding underground was used by our teacher as an example of bending the 180 degree line), I came up with a kidnapping scene that uses the same filming technique as the scene we watched.

But after sketching out the story board, we decided it was too complicated to film and switched to a simpler plot still using our previous idea of a kidnapping scene. We proceeded to film right after we were done with the planning. The process was fun and there were no difficulties since we already visualized what to film through the storyboard.

I played a small part in the short film, as the kidnapper number two. Apart from that, I'm also the editor of the group. After filming, I went straight to editing. The app I chose was Capcut since it was one of our teacher's recommendations. There weren't much challenges because before filming I've already thought about how I want the video to look like and what music to add. The soundtrack plays a very important role in the short film since we were trying to minimize the amount of dialogue and needed something to fill the void. The music I chose is a section of the piece "The Four Seasons" by Vivaldi and it did very well in building up the tension and adding a dramatic effect due to the use of string instruments and fluctuating scales. About the color tone in the video, because we wanted to create an ominous and eerie feeling, I lowered the exposure and added a greyish-green filter to the video. Furthermore, we used a lot of cowboy shots - enough to show different details without leaving out too much negative space.

One of the things we did well was choosing the filming setting (the school yard). Not only it was vacant, the building behind it also unintendedly shone a red light behind the characters which added perfectly to the dangerous and tense atmosphere we wanted to present. Besides, we worked very efficiently together so we finished filming in only 30 minutes, leaving us plenty of time to edit the video. However, also because we filmed very quickly, there are some faults we didn't realize until after filming. For instance, some of the shots we filmed had too much headspace, so it showed less of the subject we needed to focus on. Additionally, a few of the shots are a bit short so it's hard to make transitions and the audiences may not have enough time to process the information presented.

Overall, I think our group worked well together and although there are some points we could've fixed throughout the process, i'm happy with the final product.