TEA extract practice and worksheet

Although kind of chaotic (I wrote these considering it as planning), this is my extract practice and TEA worksheet. I did them both with a time frame in mind. Information on TEA is provided in the previous blog. As for the practice, I found it a bit difficult as I didn’t see much of the other methods of film besides camera shots, angles and movements.

TEA Extract Essay

The director designed the extract to be somber and intense. The atmosphere, set in a medieval setting, had no lightheartedness in this film-- though it does in a sense seem a bit mystical. Though the Game of Thrones extract theme overall does not seem to be pleasant, but rather interesting nonetheless.
In the first scene, which shows the two travelers' voyage to the bank, is a stage setter for the scene to come, although it does show some of the themes within it. For instance, the props and the setting (location) displayed when the aerial shot occurs give the mystical image I described as well as clarify the setting and time period that the film was made. The lighting on the ship ride reflected the waves; cold and harsh, using mostly cool tones. These tones reflect the tone of the extract. The score also reflects the mystical feel-- the nature of the music was climatic and somewhat upbeat, but also felt kind of surreal. The zoom that went from the travelers to the aerial shot gave clarity to the situation, but also was a key element in setting the pace for the next scene.
The next scene was much more clear in its vision and delivery. The props yet again convey the time period through the chairs and furniture in the iron bank, but also through the attire worn by the people of the iron bank. The lighting is also more obvious-- the same cold and somber overtones are highlighted on the faces of the people inside as well as on the walls. The dialogue was a key element in showing the tension between the two parties (Stannis and Davos and the Iron Bank). It shows the context of the arrival and the reasoning behind it.The shot-reverse-shot highlights this-- the dispute between the two parties is heightened with every shot reverse shot, showing each side’s visual response to the other’s statements. Lastly, the low angle of Davos when he stood up for Stannis was a very evident tone enhancer. It showed his frustration and discontent with the Iron Bank’s statements.
To conclude, the tone of this extract was tense and somber. In order to convey this, angles, lighting, location, shots, movements, editing and sound all came together to compliment one another in a certain way. It was because of these things the cool tones, high and wide shots, and tense dialogue why the director was able to achieve this mood. 

 

This is my essay that I wrote for the TEA extract assignment. I chose Game of Thrones as my extract, and followed the Cambridge procedure prior to the essay as practice, which I will post after this. In case the definition of TEA was not known prior to this blog, here is the definition:

                T-Terminology (vocabulary)

                E-Examples (How the Terminology is used.)

A-Analyze (Why is this example important to the overall message of the extract?)

Final Video CCR

The CCR wasn’t as bad as anticipated. Usually, this assignment is the part that that frightens me the most. This time around, however, it wasn’t so bad. The format was in interview form and it was to be recorded and edited just like our films were. I liked this method because as opposed to worrying about the amount of slides or pages I took up, I was able to focus on the content of each question.

For my group’s CCR, we broke the workload into sections. Aaliyah took question one, I took question 2, Lauren took question 3, and Jahrvia took question 4. Despite this, we still attempted to have an understanding of each question. Perhaps it was because we approached in this method that I was able to analyze and understand my question to the extent that I did. I’m sure each of us felt the same way, as all of our presentations are two minutes or more. We also brought a host. She wasn’t from our school, but Lauren knew her from before and had a good enough relationship to ask her. I feel like the CCR was well structured and organized.

Final Video

The final video was a challenge. The length as well as the story line and vision made it difficult to plan and to execute. Additionally, issues arose that hindered the process quite a bit throughout pre-production, production, and post-production. My group tried our best to achieve the feeling and story line we aspired to portray, and the final product comes close to it. Of course, our knowledge and understanding of the filming process was superior to before, a major contribution to the improvement of our product.

This project displayed our best utilization of angles and movement yet. Although there were a few pans and tilts in our previous assignment (music video), none of them were able to truly convey meaning. In this video, each angle and movement played a part in conveying meaning to the film. We were also much more diverse. We showed people from high and low angles, and used things such as close ups and tracking shots. However, there were many problems that we faced in order to even get to that place. The storyboard creation was a struggle in itself, but a huge issue was transportation and timing. Every member in our group has their own independent lifestyle and schedule, and it wasn't always compatible. Additionally, how to get there was an issue considering none of us could drive. We were able to film the entire thing, but it was rough and poorly constructed. This called for re-shooting, but a problem quickly surfaced after corona came into play. Nevertheless, we overcame this obstacle in order to create what we have now.

Music Video

This music video was a great improvement compared to our last assignment. It was a moment when we were able to truly apply our knowledge to an assignment. We gained a lot of knowledge nonetheless, but we were able to do better after learning from our commercial. In this video our angles, shot lengths, transitions and lighting were better catered to suit the atmosphere of the audio; which is likely why it was such a personal feat and accomplishment for us, despite getting a lower grade.

We learned more about the process in this video (pre-production). In the commercial, our recording was almost impromptu because of the lack of clarity  in our story board. Even though the images were established, we had no idea from what angle or perspective. However, the storyboard for this video was clean and clear; it was easy to comprehend and realistic. Production was also an improvement since our time wasn't limited-- we were able to record in different areas for as long as we deemed fit. Although there were issues with consent as far as recording goes, we were able to overcome and create something we felt was accomplished.

Commercial Video

Re-shooting blog 1- corona

Corona, a pandemic that has been causing major issues as of this month (March), has been a major hindrance to most school activities. Club activities cancelled, academic plans ceased, school delayed. This has also impacted the productivity of our group. Should things have gone as planned, this blog would’ve been completed at the very least earlier this week. However, the inconvenience has resulted in otherwise. Nevertheless, the project must go on. We continue to work towards complete the project. It was agreed yesterday evening that we would attempt to reshoot. However, the time was not specified, a major issue in my strict household. Consequently, I was not able to attend when the filming process was proclaimed to begin at 5 pm today. This was not a major issue considering I was not casted in the film at all and am more useful for the editing process. Filming went on as planned without me. 

Although my group mates did not disclose whether or not they finished filming or not, it is imperative that they redo every present time scene. This is because a lot of them were sloppy or poorly executed in our eyes, but Aaliyah cannot recreate them the same way due to the change in hair. This means that we must recreate every present time scene. I’m sure my group, very confident and productive, was capable of accomplishing this feet. Hopefully when they meet up to begin editing, I will be able to accompany and contribute.