Q7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in

the progression from it to your final production?

Research and planningThroughout the coursework stages I feel I have made a huge improvement

to my work with practice on software such as Photoshop and final cut which has really boosted my editing abilities which have had really positive

outcomes on my final product. I compared my work a lot throughout the process to professional examples (within my chosen genre) in order to make my work seem more professional and better quality compared to prototypes, as well as this I know I’m still successfully appealing to my target audience as I stick to the popular familiar pleasures of thriller. I balanced my time out

very well between each department of work so I didn’t fall behind at any stage of production. I did rough plans of everything I did so I could follow a basic guide or had some kind of idea of what I wanted my product to look

like, this enabled me to have a more secure product and I worried a lot less than I would have if I had not planned it out.

Construction

When comparing my prelim task and my final product, it is clear how much improvements I have made technically in work, I shall compare different elements and explain how I improved and what has changed.Prelim task - https://vimeo.com/162539635Final Product - https://vimeo.com/158607988

Shot CompositionFinal Product Prelim task

Shot Composition

When comparing the two, its clear to see the massive improvements that have been made. Firstly, we only had a camera for the prelim task and a rough idea of different shots, as we progressed with the task we learnt about different shots and the effects of framing which I incorporated in my own work in order to tell a story better rather than just filming randomly. Overall, shot composition became a lot more structured after this task, as well as the use of other equipment such as tripods helping out with clearer shots.

Holding a Steady shot

In the prelim task there are many shots that are shaky and unstable making it look unprofessional, in the final task I used a tripod for establishing shots making it look a lot more professional and still so that it is much clearer.

Lighting

During the prelim task we had no control over lighting and we just filmed randomly without putting any thought to what the lighting would connote. Compared to the final task in which I woke up early purposely so it would appear gloomy just like a real professional thriller film and connotes mystery or gives a sense of disequilibrium.

Location

For a basic prelim task we just found an empty spot to film around to gather footage so we just picked a random corridor. When creating my opening I picked all different spots bot urban and rural to tell more of a story and so that shots looked way more appealing rather than boring and simple.

Actors

For the prelim task we were partnered up into a group randomly and just filmed from there with no character building or development in our piece. From what you can gather its just 2 people doing a photoshoot and no more. In my final task I made sure to give my character more development and so the audience can remain wondering about them, in other words make them more interesting.

Intertitles

We didn’t even consider adding intertitles in our prelim task, all we did was gather footage and put it together using Final Cut. In my final task titles were important as they gave my opening a more professional look about it compared to my prelim.

Sound

For the prelim task all we had was dialogue (picked up on the handheld camera therefore the quality wasn’t great) and annoying background sound, in my final task I learnt how to use Garageband and proceeded to add music and sound effects to make it seem like a real film opening for a thriller.