Evaluation Question 7

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

Preliminary task

❖ At the start of the year we were instructed to make a short, 30 second to a minute film. This was to show our current understanding of how to produce films. Our aim was to include a variety of angles, camera movements and shots. Our narrative was simple, it consisted of a student being told off by a teacher, we felt this simple narrative led to opportunities of presenting a power balance or shift.

Storyboarding

❖ For our preliminary task we made a 10-15 shot storyboard, this included type of shot (for example CU, LS XLS) length of shot, camera movement, edit, titles and dialogue.We did this also for our final production,however we had around 50 shots and did more drafts, and edits.

Shots❖ For the majority of our preliminary film we

used basic shots that constructed a basic narrative, we used long shots, medium shots and several close up shots. With very limited camera movement. For our main production we used a wider variety and more advanced shots, such a several POV shots, worms eye view shots, over the shoulder shots, extreme long shots. These created a more suspenseful atmosphere and showed our film to be more of a professional standard.

❖ We used the POV shots to show an emotional connection between the characters, it helped give a wider perspective on the characters by letting the viewer see what they were seeing. One example of this is the XCU of the planning board, so the viewer could get a feel for the intentions of the antagonist.

❖ In our preliminary film we used several zoom shots, however due to them being unsteady we decided not to use them in our final production.

Editing❖ In our preliminary film we used basic cut and continuity editing, with no

transitions or jump cuts. The cuts were slow paced, to represent the narrative. However in our final production we used several transitions, jump cuts and faster paced editing. We used a fade transition at 1:03 to show the movement in time, and we used an advanced transition at 0:29 to emphasise the dual narrative. We also used faster cuts closer to the end to give a preferred reading of danger and create suspense for the viewers.

Titles and credits❖ In our preliminary film we used titles,

however they were on a black screen, and the typography and the animation did not fit the narrative. However, we have since progressed our skills in LiveType and for our main production we managed to have the text appear over our film, as well as having typography and animation that suited the narrative.

❖ Furthermore we increased the number of title and credits that were relevant, in our preliminary film we used 2 credits and 1 title. However in our main production we used 7, including a our films title that faded in from back and had suitable typography and style. Our main production had more of a professional feel, as we followed the conventions of films we had researched we included more credits such as , Director, Studio and Music. By increasing these, adding animation and typography that suited the narrative we made a large improvement on our preliminary films titles and credits.

Ident

❖ The ident we used at the start of our preliminary film was very basic and reflected the narrative of the film. There was no sound or movement, this is unconventional for idents. As our skills were limited in making these it did not have the professional standard we were hoping for.

❖ Further into our production we had become more experienced using LiveType and Premier Pro we managed to make an ident that we felt was as conventional as we could make it. We added two parts of animation, as well as sound. The ident also acted as a sound bridge into the narrative.

Sound

❖ For our preliminary film we used basic sound and sound techniques, we used “Open your eyes” by snow patrol to have as a soundtrack, this music was easy to find and suited the narrative. Furthermore we increased or decreased the volume when the characters came to say their lines. The sound was also cut abruptly as our skills on Adobe Premier Pro were not up to our current standard.

❖ In our main production we found a non-copyrighted track called Toscine Hell we felt this track suited the narrative as it gradually builds up to a climax end, which we faded out. We also found a free sound effect online on a ticking clock which we added to to the film, due to the fact our opening has a strong sense of time we found this to be necessary and effective in creating a suspenseful opening. We also found a stretching sound effect in which we added to the ident to create a more professional look.

Equipment and software❖ For our preliminary film we used a Flip camera, as these

are easy to operate as well as easy to store and move footage. However they do not have great picture quality and this was apparent in the quality of the picture in our preliminary film. However in our final production we used a panasonic HDC-SD700 camera, which films in HD and had better features, therefor making our film look more professional.

❖ Due to our preliminary film having several unintentional shaky shots, we decided to use a dolly and a tripod for our final production. We found this made our film look more professional and easier to watch and work with.

❖ To edit our preliminary film we used Final Cut Express which allowed us to do what we needed for our preliminary film however for our final production we needed Premier Pro because of the more effects it offers, such as filters. Premier Pro is of industry standard and was used to edit Gone Girl. It’s easy and simple layout made it easier for us to edit, we took advantage of the filters to create our preferred atmosphere and feel of the film.

❖ For our titles in both our final production and preliminary film we used LiveType, this was an easy to use software and we developed our skills throughout the process and managed to create more conventional and industry standard titles and credits.

Team work

❖ Due to the prolonged filming as opposed to the short filming chose a different cast from our preliminary film to our final film. Our cast for our final production we thought would be more reliable outside of school, as the filming took 3 days as opposed to 2 hours. We needed better communication as well as a call sheet to help keep both cast and crew on track. We also used Facebook messenger and iMessage to communicate between cast and crew throughout the filming process.

❖ Overall we found we worked well together in our group and split the workload equally and to our strengths to try and make the best production possible.

To conclude…

❖ Overall, we believe that our practical production skills have greatly improved since our preliminary film, we used different equipment to create a more industry standard feel to our film. As well as using a wider variety of shots and editing techniques. Our narrative was more complex and enjoyable to follow for the viewer.

❖ As well as our production skills we have also learnt how to manage time efficiently as well as how to work well in a group towards deadlines.