Preliminary Task in comparison to

Opening Sequence

Tripod

During the Preliminary Task, we filmed with no equipment whatsoever just our phones. We had to hand held the entire way through, which was a significant disadvantage as some of the shots came out shaky. In comparison, to our opening sequence we used a tripod along with a shoulder rig, which gave us the control we needed and also provided a smooth clean shot, which rendered his OCD personality that was really crucial to achieve within our film.

During the Preliminary task we didn’t consider how each scene would flow into the other. Therefore, when it came to the editing process, it was tricky to make the scenes appear seamless. However, with our opening sequence we aimed for the continuity to coincide with the narrative. Therefore, when it came to filming we tried to use camera movements as effectively as we could to create a smooth continuity! Luckily, to our advantage when it came to the editing process the scenes flowed into one another without the need for transitions – which was our aim.

Continuity

When we were filming our preliminary we just used what we had at hand which was an iPhone camera. Although it had a video camera, the quality wasn’t the best it could be and the microphone picked up a lot of the background noises. We also didn’t have a tripod to fit with the iPhone onto, so the camera work was hand held – this was a huge disadvantage as some of the shots came out shaky. However, when it came to shooting our sequence, we used the Canon G12, which shot the footage in HD.

Camera Quality

During the editing process, we didn’t add in any music to coincide with the footage, therefore the tone and the emotion behind the sequence wasn’t portrayed as clearly as we could have. However, when it came to the opening sequence it was a lengthy process to decide what music would best suit our film. Once we found the suited soundtrack it allowed the footage to transition subtly and set the tone of the film well!

Music

When we were editing our preliminary video, we didn’t add in any post production sound effects to enhance the quality of sounds within our sequence. Instead, we kept in all of the sounds, which were picked up by the phone: some, which came out, muffled and distracted you from the content. However, with our opening sequence, Foley was something, which we wanted to include - enhancing the level of realism. We did this by using the phone microphone to record some of the sound effects such as: brushing teeth, footsteps etc... Additionally, for some of the sound effects which we couldn’t create we found them using Final Cut sound effects and free hosting websites which provided a wide range of sounds to choose from. This was effective, as the scene attained a level of realism, which is common within the drama genre.

Foley

Shooting our preliminary task, it was difficult to maintain a clear focus with the iPhone camera, in particularly with the sunlight coming it – it was difficult to maintain clear shots due to the auto focus. However when we shot the opening sequence, the camera had a manual focus which allowed us to control the video ourselves. We were able to make sure everything was in focus and clear throughout!

Focus

We didn’t have a long time to plan out the storyline for our preliminary, in fact we found ourselves making it up as we went along. This wasn’t beneficial as it took up unnecessary time and there were faults in the narrative. However, in our opening sequence we spent weeks planning out our ideas and how each scene should be constructed we even made ajustements and improvements along the way, so that when we filmed we knew exactly how to direct the actor and maintain a clear narrative.

Storyline

When filming for our preliminary task, we shot the scenes in one take without evaluating what we had shot. However, when filming our opening sequence, many of our shots required re filming. We even added in a new ending after evaluating our shots to create a clearer narrative!

Shooting