Evaluation: Question 7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

What was the preliminary task and what were its main aims?

The Preliminary task was a 30 second video which we could practice using the camera, making angles and movements and editing. Its aims was to give us a taster of what its like to film a scene and it would give us the advantage of already knowing what to do before we start filming our final product. It helped us with operating the camera for the first time, how to film on action and it helped us experience cinematography. It benefited our group a lot and saved us a lot of time for when we start our thriller.

Improvements in Film and Editing:

Filming: It is clear that I have improved in filming as I have used a variety of cinematography (shots, angles and movement). When the 2 victims are in bed, we used a high angle shot to make the audience feel like they are looking down on them. This has improved from my preliminary task because we didn’t use angles in our preliminary task so this shows us being more versatile in cinematography.

 

Filming: I have also improved in filming as I was able to take close up shots of iconography that was significant in the narrative. We learnt how to operate the camera when zooming slowly into the main focus of the shot. Although we used a close up in our preliminary task, this shot was more stable and the zoom was a lot smoother.

 

 

Editing: Another thing I have improved on is placing transitions in when necessary. In our preliminary task our transitions weren’t very smooth and the shots were cut at the wrong places making the overall narrative unclear and it didn’t flow as well as it should have. We used the flashback transition to show him reminiscing on his relationship, which showed a clear difference between present, past and future, making it a necessary transition.

Editing: Lastly, in our final product we learnt how to change the shots colour and add effects onto it. For this shot we added the “Camcorder” effect to show a recording of the couple (which they recorded themselves). We also changed the colour of the shot which looked the same as the other happy moments of the couple to show that this is in the past.

 

 

 

Write about the three images that is comparing:

1) Over the shoulder shot – This was improved as when we did the preliminary task, our over the shoulder shot showed a lot of unwanted space on the characters side. This showed poor filming which we did improve in our final product as our over the shoulder shot had no unwanted space and was focused only on the character in the shot. This kept the audience engaged as there was nothing to distract them from the actions played by the character.

2) Two shot – I improved on filming the two shot because in my preliminary task, again, there was a lot of unwanted space around both of the characters. This was improved in my final product because we created a two shot for our two victims which was much more focused and with less irrelevant background that will distract the audience.

3) Transitions – Lastly I improved from my preliminary as my transitions were a lot sharper and cut at the right times. The dissolve that we used in our preliminary was not necessary to the narrative, however, in our final product the transition/effect that we used was much more sufficient. This is because it was fitted into the right scenario of the couple arguing in a very aggressive manner. The effect we used was flashing to show anger.

Sound cloud: Planning became essential after the preliminary task because we had to ensure that all conventions, shots and editing would be at its best in an organized way. We made sure this was possible by firstly, dividing roles in our group, I played the roles of the producer, story boarder and sound maker because I am very organized person and creative when it comes to sound. Secondly, we storyboarded our final product. This helped because it organized our thoughts and helped us structure our cinematography, making it easier when it comes to filming. To finish off our planning, we created pre-production paperwork which allowed us to gain consent from our cast members and other people involved in the making of our thriller, for example, the location. The risk assessment for example, ensured safety throughout filming. This planning meant that our progression increased from our preliminary task to our final product as we knew what to avoid.

Personal Reflection:


I believe I did make a successful thriller which shows and interesting storyline. The thriller is successful because it has good editing, cinematography and sound. The edits are smooth making the overall flow of the thriller smooth. The shots were used sufficiently and a variety of movements, angles and shot sizes were used. For example, close ups were used to show particular shots like when the antagonist was rubbing the gun preparing to kill the victim. Another example, is the panning shot when the victims are peacefully sleeping, when they have no idea what is coming for them.

Personally I enjoyed making the soundtrack for the thriller because it helped me be very creative in making different sounds for the parts of my thriller. Also, it helped me develop my knowledge on the software to create sounds and I found this very interesting.

One improvement that I wish I could have done was spending a little bit more time on the soundtrack because I felt that the amount of time I had wasn’t enough. With more time I believe our thriller would have had a more accurate soundtrack.

Over the whole process, the main things I have learnt is how to edit a 2 minute thriller in a short period of time using the format final cut pro. I also learnt how to use the software logic, which I found very difficult but managed to do and use it very well. I also learnt how to work in a group and widen my communication skills.