Homeland Continuity Task

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwLc0tJU9

1.       What was your role in the task and what did you actually do?

My main role in the task was to write the script. For this I watched some clips from homeland episodes of interrogation scenes, after we had decided this was the kind what wanted to create. We then came up with a brief storyline of how the scene would go and what it needed to include. I then wrote a script, tying to include familiar styles of speech we hear in the show and that would be appropriate for the story line. I used the usual kinds of question “where were you?” “Who are you working for?” etc. to closely follow the conventions of this type of scene. During the shoot I also acted in the scene. My role was that of a CIA Mole who was being interviewed after being discovered. I tried to copy the style of acting I saw and create a character that would fit in around this.

2.       What factors did you have to take into account when planning, filming and editing?

The main thing we had to work around was logistics. Time constraints and budget meant we had to use things that would be easily accessible to us in terms of location props and costumes. When planning we had to communicate often to check each idea, script, storyboard, direction etc. all fit in with the same vision and were all on the same page. When filming, we had to make sure we were getting enough footage to edit with and that we were sticking to the plan. When editing, it was important to make sure the scene flowed and there were no continuity errors.

3.       How successful was your sequence? Did you manage to demonstrate match-on-action, shot reverse-shot and 180-degree rule? Did you achieve continuity overall?

Although it took me a long time to make sure each shot matched up, I think I achieved smooth continuity overall. I included all the shots listed, as evidenced in the video below. I think the sequence is reminiscent of a scene from homeland in terms of camera work. The idea of an interrogation scene proved a successful one also as it meant there was lots of different shots needed for example the shot-reverse-shot between the two characters in the interrogation. We took care in filming to stick to the 180-degree rule which meant I didn’t have any problems with it in the editing room.

4. What have you learnt from completing this task?

I have learnt that there is a lot more work going into filming a scene than I thought, for example having to repeat it over and over from lots of different camera angles. However, I really enjoyed this task, particularly the editing and it has solidified the idea I had of choosing the video task for my coursework.