EDITED 31/03/2017: Question 7- Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Why did we do the preliminary task?

- So we can make mistakes

- Practise the use of the cameras

- Practise editing

- Teamwork, communication and skills

The initial differences between the preliminary task and the thriller opening task possess many contrasts, but many similarities when broken down. The demands for the two were different; one asked for a thriller opening based on the knowledge you have about thrillers, and the other asking you to film a conversation. The complexity has quite clearly increased as so has our breadth of understanding. The time frame for the thriller was much longer than the preliminary task and we were able to spend more time on it. We were also encourage to use a large, diverse range of location and we were also held responsible for growing our own knowledge of thrillers in lesson and outside of lesson too.

Pre-Production

In the preliminary task we weren’t needed to research much prior to the shoot. We wrote down all of our ideas and plans in our books or on paper and they didn’t provide much of a use in terms of complexity. Doing the thriller opening, however, enforced us to research a much greater amount and also create a much more in depth plan and a much more in depth vision as to how you were going to shoot your film. We had to create a shooting schedule to pinpoint when exactly we were going to film and what we were going to film on that day. We also had to use a storyboard that plotted out exactly what shots we would use and when in the opening they would go. The precision needed for the thriller opening highlights the difference of the two tasks and also the change in complexity. Another thing we had to do was study other thrillers and their openings. This was to understand the different techniques used to open a film and how other directors established different themes in their openings. All of which show a progression from the simplicity of the preliminary task.

Preliminary storyboard

An example of 2 of 5 storyboards from the thriller task

Production

Before the preliminary task, I had no trained skills within media breadth of needed skills. For example, through doing the preliminary task and the build-up of knowledge before and after this, through lessons and research, we gained a wide knowledge of the skills and techniques behind camerawork. We developed an understanding of the 180 degree rule. I was able to transfer the way I used this rule from the preliminary task to how I used it in my thriller opening. I was able to transfer the shot-reverse-shot technique with using the 180 degree rule from where I had used it in my preliminary task to my thriller.

Preliminary task 

Thriller task

We were also able to use skills that we established through creating our preliminary task, in our thriller, such as the different angles to use and which angles portray what. For example the use of close-ups to really highlight a key object. Which we used to show the importance of the ring in our thriller. In production we also looked at the basics, such as work with a tripod and the steadying of the camera; the correct techniques that have to be endured in order to enhance the professionalism of the film. Since the preliminary task, I have developed my skills behind the camera. The simple development of my camera skills has been massively prevalent in the contrast from my preliminary to my thriller. Although I did use some similar skills from my preliminary task- I have always like the idea of symmetry in shots and used this in both tasks.

Preliminary Task- centre shot

Thriller task- better centre shot

However, I feel as though my skills that were shown in my preliminary task, have grown in terms of understanding and efficiency. There was a lot of things I learnt from doing my preliminary, in terms of mistakes and further, from lessons and studying different films- taking shot ideas and the use of camerawork/editing in other films. My preliminary highlighted the issues that can come with not using the camera correctly. My peers I and unintentionally didn’t film what we needed to as we had a problem with correctly using the record button. Thus we were lacking in film. This was used a tool for progress in our thriller as we were much more focused on making sure we had film and making sure we had backups just in case. Another problem we encountered was sound difficulties and the necessity to record sound separately due to background sound in loud places. We took this on board and had a shot to just cover the dialogue of the two characters talking. We were then able to synchronise the sound to the shots we took after. This allowed for the dialogue to be much clearer and much easier to hear.

After we filmed our preliminary task, we started to study different thrillers which helped develop my breadth of understanding over the way that thrillers are filmed and the techniques that are used to portray different feelings and convey certain emotions and tensions.

We based this shot on how they revealed the different objects in The Disappearance of Alice Creed.

When studying media studies you start to watch films with the intentions of taking ideas or studying that director’s use of camera work and editing. After watching different films and different directors, I’ve started to take ideas from them. For example, in the shots of the paintings, I tried to use the symmetry and obscurity of the shot similar to how Wes Anderson uses symmetrical stills in his films. This came after a development of understanding through the build up to the preliminary task and the thriller opening task.

Wes Anderson's film

Charlie O'Brien's film

The symmetry of the shot and its position on the screen creates a non-naturalistic setting and establishes a more eerie atmosphere where the audience can be unsure as to what is about to happen. Since the preliminary task my observance upon films has grown and my understanding has helped to develop that and take ideas.

Editing Through the preliminary task, we had to use Premiere Pro in order to edit our film. We had to edit many shots together in order to make it look real and professional. The task we were asked to complete was to film someone walking through a door and a conversation. In order to complete this we had to use editing skills such as continuity editing which we used in our thriller. When the boss hands over the money, we use two different shots of it, so we have to make sure that the continuity of the shot allows for the action to flow and look believable. Likewise, in our preliminary task we had to film someone opening a door and furthermore walking through it. This skill is a very transferable skill and we were able to bring the piece more to life by including this.

Within our preliminary task, although it wasn’t specified, I included a soundtrack in order to accentuate the mood. This however proved fairly ineffective in this piece because of the ill-professional manner. Therefore I took from this the difficulty of it and how easy it was to get it wrong. When introducing a soundtrack into our thriller, I made sure the music fully suited the atmosphere of the piece and furthermore was edited in with precision and professionalism- for example, the point where the music plateaus and the lights turn on. This synchronicity of the music and the edit was a skill developed since the preliminary task and something that I hoped to develop over that time.