MEDIA EVALUATION – LOOKING BACK AT YOUR

PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE

LEARNT IN THE PROGRESSION FROM IT TO

THE FULL PRODUCT?

Planning differences◦ Through completing our production of a film opening sequence with credits, I feel that I have learnt a

lot since making our preliminary task. I now understand how important research and planning is in order to create a successful video which flows well and makes sense. The preliminary task was an important part of the coursework as it enabled us to become familiar with the equipment we would be using and practice filming and editing a short sequence.

◦ Looking back at our preliminary task before we filmed we decided to create a storyboard to help us plan what we wanted to happen in our sequence such as shots, actions and narrative. However we did not go into much detail and some of the camera shots were not included for example we would have written ‘180 degree rule’ but no specific mention of where the camera should be placed e.g. long shot/mid shot etc. Towards the beginning we made mistakes as we were unsure which shots were effective, however after research and practice we would think about why a certain shot may be more appropriate than others. In comparison, in our main task we took a lot more time to create a plan of ideas and storyboard these ideas effectively, myself and my group all worked together to create this storyboard and each of us contributed concepts towards the story. We also did not film until we were all certain that we were ready for example we created prop and equipment lists. I think that it was important that everyone in the group knew exactly what we were aiming to film in our time and due to this we actually followed our planning materials step by step when we filmed. This saved us a lot of time because in our preliminary task we were thinking more on the spot and we had to improvise at several points which meant we forgot some of our shots which could have improved the sequence.

Preliminary task storyboard

Main task storyboard and planning

Research and planning (continued)◦ In the preliminary task, the first thing we did was sit down as a group and discuss some of our ideas,

we then wrote up these ideas and created a mind map. We also did this for our main task as it is a good way of getting everybody's creative ideas in one place. We needed to take into account that we had to film inside school and within our scheduled media lessons which lasted an hour, therefore we did not have very long to film.

◦ In my opinion I feel that we tried to do too much in the time available, our brief was just to create a video which showed basic filming techniques such as match on action, the 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot. However because we tried to film It all in one lesson it meant that we missed out crucial elements and it didn’t flow as well as we had originally hoped. We learnt from this mistake and for our main task we spent a lot more time planning to ensure we used our limited time effectively. We filmed at King Alfred’s tower which is about thirty minutes away from where myself and my group live, we all met up on a Sunday morning and firstly filmed in Sherborne and then moved onto Alfred’s tower. Initially we thought that we would get all of the footage filmed however we had not accounted for events such as the camera running out – which it did and the public getting into our shots. We managed to film everything we needed from Sherborne but only got about half of our film from the tower. Therefore we had to arrange a second filming day, luckily on both days the weather was very similar and due to us filming in the early afternoon the lighting did not vary and you would not be able to tell from watching our sequence that there is two lots of footage. On our group chat we discussed the specific shots we needed from this extra day and we reminded each other to wear the same costumes which they did last time to ensure the sequence had continuity.

Research◦Everyone in the group constructed detailed research on our chosen genre – psychological horror, we analysed existing psychological horror films openings such as The Black Swan, The Shining, The Machinist etc to see how they are created in terms of mise-en-scene, camera work, editing, lighting and sound and then applied this to our own sequence. I especially found this research useful because I don’t enjoy horror films so I rarely watch them, therefore I needed to find out the typical technical elements which makes them effective.

Production skills – Camerawork ◦ In our preliminary task none of us had experience or knowledge in using a video camera so we were

learning as we went a long. I think that this came across in our short film because some of it was shaky and the dialogue was not clear. Because I was acting in the sequence I also did not get a chance to use the camera so when it came to our main sequence I made sure that I was able to film parts of the sequence so that I could develop skills which would help me in the near future. In our preliminary task we stuck to the basic shots so that we could establish and feel confident in those and then we could improve our camera work from there, this made the video quite repetitive. Compared to our main task we experimented and used a lot more varied camera shots, angles and movements such as extreme close up, pans and over the shoulder which made the sequence more interesting and engaging for the audience. In our shot of Katie’s eye where the audience look ‘inside’ her memory into the wooded location we were required to film hand held so that we could go extra close to her, this needed a very steady hand to make it look professional however overall I think it went very well. On the other hand our first shot of a clock was also hand held but this didn’t come out steady, we had organised to film It again but unfortunately we just ran out of time. I am also more confident using the tripod as I am able to change the height immediately allowing the camera to capture various shots and sizes, for example, I have captured a long shot which presents clear view of the castle surroundings as well as the main protagonist allowing the audience to gain more knowledge about the narrative.

Production skills - EditingOnce we had all of our footage we used Premier Pro software to edit the sequence and make it flow well. For our preliminary task we used limited editing techniques and did not add in any transitions, some of the shots also jumped quite quickly which didn’t look effective. We didn’t have specific roles in our group and I feel that each of us contributed equally to each process including editing – whether that be operating the software or giving advice on what would work the best. In our first task we used background music and diegetic dialogue but in our main task we also included a voice over, we had several layers of sound and these all merged well together and made the sequence interesting. We incorporated several transitions and effects into the sequence including fades and cross dissolves, these increased the continuity and made the cuts less jumpy which gave the sequence an overall more professional look. To make the sequence fit with the typical technical elements of a film from a horror genre, we edited certain parts with various tools for example to make the lighting less bright which could be connoted as happiness we added a hint of dark blue to the footage using the colour wheel and reduced the brightness to make the setting look mysterious. I also learnt how to title a sequence as we made all of our credits and aligned each one in the right position with the same font and size, something we did not include in our preliminary task.

Areas for improvement◦ Although I have improved my editing skills since the preliminary task, I still feel

like this is an area I could continue to develop in as I would not feel comfortable if I had to edit without the help of my group. However I know that editing is a large part of the Media studies course and I would like to feel comfortable in this aspect. Ideally I would like to learn a greater variety of editing effects and the basic techniques to making a sequence flow well.

◦ For my next filming task I will also use more realistic locations for example for our therapists office we used a dance studio, we managed to get a desk and used props to make it appear office like, but it would have been more effective to use an actual office so that you cannot see fire exit signs or things which wouldn’t be in a regular office.