Demonstrating 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot

The 180 degree rule states that the camera should stay on one side of an imaginary line, known as the axis. This ensures the continuity between shots. If the individual breaks the rule in over-the-shoulder shots, it can seem the characters aren't looking at each other.

Shot reverse shot is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen). The other character is then shown looking back at the first character, as the characters are shown facing opposite directions, the audience assumes that they are looking at each other and so it is important to make sure their eye-lines match.

The activity consisted of of demonstrating the 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot through a given scenario in a short scene. My role in the activity was to direct the characters in the scene, making sure they were facing the correct way and i also helped to remember their lines. I also was part of  editing the footage once uploaded onto iMovie, the editing process consisted of cropping scenes, and making sure the different clips were put into the correct order so the scene flowed like a normal conversation. Also, I slowed down some images when needed for different effects, an example of this is slowing down the image of '15 minutes later' and the clip of the empty chair so the audience are aware the other character has left. 

During the activity I controlled the use of the camera by using a tripod to ensure the footage we were to film was at a straight angle and got the particular shot needed and so everything necesssary was included. However, the framework and mise-en-scene is an evaluation point which needs to be taken into deep consideration when next filming, this is because when editing the footage I came to the realisation that there were things included in the shot which were unecessary for the scene, also the use of the the table (props) needs to be taken into account on what the audience are able to see when looking at the other characters, in my case, when the camera was at the male character his hands/arms were on the table but when the camera was based on the female character his hands/arms were no longer there...to overcome this, I cropped the scene of the the female so only part of the table could be seen. To make sure this doesn't happen again I will make sure everything is taken into consideration so the same mistake isn't made, it would also help if everyone involved was allocated to different aspects to ensure nothing goes wrong.

Furthermore, the editing helped to make the meaning apparent to the reader because we were able to make the scene look like a proper conversation whereas it was filmed with just the male character first and then the female character and due to the editing the audience is unable to identify this because the conversation flows well. The 180 degree angle and shot reverse shot was demonstrated thoroughly well which is the reason the conversation was able to flow correctly and the characters looked like they were speaking to each other throughout the scene.

Next time when filming, I will take into account the miss-en-scene so there is nothing unnecessary in the shot, I will make sure the camera only captures what is relevant and so this way I won't repeat the mistake.