Planning Preliminary Match Cut exercise including storyboard

In this media lesson we where given a quick yet rewarding task of predicting how a director would depict a scenario using camera shots, this exercise would allow us to think and understand how and what the director would have to do to convey his own message or to create his own feel to the scene. The synopsis for this scene was;

''East London. 3pm. A man chain smokes as he sits at his home PC, he copies confidential files and plans to a CD. He packages the and is seen posting them.''

We filled in a grid sheet which provided us with space to be specific about the camera shots including whether the shot was internal or external, camera shot type for example panning, arial shot, close up, long shot etc. the most significant gap we had to fill was what was actually happening on each shot. After having done this we where shown the clip and where able to see some similarities with the predicted storyboard, for example the stubbing out of the cigarette in a close up shot was guessed correctly. Also we where able to predict the smokers puff, in extreme close up which allowed us to learn how the director would portray coolness.

After having finished the exercise we then had to make a storyboard of our own clip in which we would explore the prime factors in making a good match cut scene. We were immediately informed of the '180 degree' rule, which was simple not to catch the proceedings on the camera lens from angles that brake 180 degrees, this would avoid confusion with viewer as to where and in what direction people are going. Our group made a quick yet effective synopsis which would hopefully allow us to use different types of camera shots,

''A girl is sitting in a room waiting for her friend, she is clearly not the best of friends as we quickly find out she is with the same guy that her friend is with. There are a clash of words, nothing serious yet with a lot of suspicion.''

When the character was to enter the room, there was to be a close up of the door handle, then quickly as the door opens from the other side we would catch the door opening right after a shot where you see the door closing. All of the camera shot where to be smoothy match cut together to give it a sense of reality and flow. Also an arial shot was to be taken of the two girls sitting along with a shot reverse shot while they communicate.