Continuity Sequence Evaluation

What technique did you try to use to aid the narrative flow of your sequence?
The first technique we used was an establishing shot of the building. It's purpose was to introduce the audience to the setting and to act as an anchor for the other shots, so that the audience would always understand where the action is taking place. The shot panned to the right, followed by a shot of Mario running to the left. This was to close the distance between the two shots. The next shot shows Mario noticing the water. We tried to make the cup of water a focal image by positioning it in the foreground, with Mario walking towards it from the background. We used a close-up to show the happiness Mario was experiencing after seeing the cup of water with some indication that he was picking it up. Furthermore, we were effectively able to match what Mario was looking at in-between shots. Our penultimate shot was of Mario tripping, accidentally dropping the water in front of him. The shot panned down to keep the focus on the action. Our final shot acted as a response to the accident, showing Mario's disappointment and frustration towards his blunder. We kept Mario's positioning the same in order to sustain a flow from the previous shot. In conclusion, I feel as though our sequence had a clear narrative flow and contained some very effective shots, such as the establishing shot, the close up and the shot before it.

In hindsight, what could you have done differently to aid the narrative flow of your sequence?
Although there are strengths to our sequence, it is not without it's weaknesses. The second shot did not lead on from the establishing shot very well, as there was little correlation between the location in the second shot and the establishing shot before it. The third shot suffered from the same problem, as it was unclear how Mario reached his location near the building from the field in the previous shot. The next shot is fine, but the shot does not end quickly enough and you can hear some background noise. However, this is something that can be fixed during editing, so it should not be a problem when I am able to do so. The shot after has one issue; Mario's positioning changes slightly and his body is angled differently. This breaks the continuity. The last shot should also have something to differentiate it from the previous shot. These are the changes that I would make if I were to repeat the sequence.