In the week one practical class for true to form, we went out and took shots of an ‘action’ in small groups. ‘Actions’ could’ve been anything, from sitting to fighting to doing push-ups.

In week 2, we reviewed the shots as a class and pointed out common mistakes found in most the shots.

First common mistake – exposure. Many students failed to get the correct exposure for the shots. It was a sunny day, so having a high exposure would leave the shot washed-out, while an underexposed shot would create dark shadows, possible rendering the footage useless. Paul stressed that getting the correct exposure every time you shot was an extremely important step in creating a great shot.

Second common mistake – framing. Many students, including ourselves – had the problem of leaving too much head space above the subject within frame. The purpose of framing is to lead the viewers eye to a certain point or action in the shot. Failure to do so can create confusion within the viewer. As such, when too much head space is left, many viewers will tend to not focus on the person walking or doing the action since they are not the central focus. To add to the issue of framing, many students forgot the fundamental rule of thirds while framing their subject, leaving the eye of the viewer to wander.

Third common mistake – white balance. Although Paul told us not to worry about white balance, I still believed that white balance should of been adjusted before we took the shot. Because we set up cameras inside the classroom – where the lighting comes from fluorescent lights, some shots did not capture the correct colour when taken outside under the sun. I specifically remember one shot turning out completely blue due to failing to white balance.

These are the mistakes that I and many other students made without realisation. So now, I can take this experience that I gained and apply it to my own films.