Foundation Portfolio (AS) assessment questions to help you with blog entries

Preliminary Task

· Does your film use continuity editing so that the sequence of events are clear and easily understood by the viewer?

· Have you followed the directions in the brief? (A character opens a door, crosses a room and sits down in a chair opposite another character. An exchange of dialogue occurs.)

· Have you used match-on-action?

· Can you explain what a match-on action involves?

· Have you used shot/reverse shot?

· Can you explain what shot/reverse shot involves?

· Did you observe the 180-degree rule?

· Can you explain the 180-degree rule?

· What role did you play in the making of the preliminary task? (e.g. filming, acting, editing, equipment organisation etc.)

· How would you assess your contribution to the group?

· What have you learned from the process of making your preliminary film?

Main task

Research

• Which existing films did you research?

• Why did you choose them?

• How did these films inform your planning?

• Did you analyse the films in terms of camerawork, mise-en-scene, editing and sound?

• Did you analyse the titles of the films?

• Did you consider the conventions of your three films?

• Did you research the role of a film distributor and production companies (institutions)?

• Did you find out which companies distributed your three influential films?

• Have you taken screenshots from the films to illustrate your analysis?

• Have you found out who distributed your films, researched those companies and found out what films they typically distribute?

• Did you use a focus group to give you feedback on your ideas and influential films?

• How did this help you?

• Did you consider the audience for each of your existing films and how they target their audience? (The films’ classifications may also be of use to you.)

• Have you used any other form of audience research, such as questionnaires and interviews?

Planning:

• Did you brainstorm your ideas?

• Did you create a pitch for your potential film?  

• Have you stated your target audience and thought about how you will attract them?  (A 'typical audience member' profile is a useful way of identifying audience clearly.)

• Have you drawn/photographed storyboards?

• Have you created a shot list?

• Have you created a shot schedule?

• Have you typed a script in the appropriate format?

• Have you planned your titles based on your textual analysis?

• Have you completed a location survey with photographs?

• Have you made an equipment list?

• Have you created a simple call sheet for your actors?

• Did you obtain permission to film in any public areas?

• Did you complete risk assessments for any potentially dangerous activities?

• Did you obtain parental consent for filming young children?

• What other logistical planning did you do? (e.g. budgets, equipment forms, travel etc.)

Construction:

• Are your shots steady? Did you use a tripod?

• Did you frame/compose your shots carefully?

• Have you used a variety of shot distances?

• Was the material you shot appropriate for the brief and the intended style/genre of your film?

• How did you pay attention to mise-en-scene? (e.g. lighting, objects, setting, costumes, performance etc.)

• How did you edit your film so that meaning is apparent to the viewer?

• Did you use any shot transitions other than standard cuts? If so, were they effective?

• Did you use any visual or audio effects? Were they successful?

• Were you happy with your use of sound (including dialogue) in your film?

• What music did you use and where did it come from?

• What titles did you use? How did you create them?

Evaluation:

• In what ways does your film use, develop or challenge the forms and conventions of existing films, such as the ones you were influenced by?

• How does your film represent particular social groups?

• What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

• Who would be the audience for your film?

• How did you attract/address your audience?

• What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this project?

• Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the main task?

• How did you create the electronic evaluation for your film?