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

Rubi Ali

Preliminary vs Final Product

HAVING WATCHED MY PRELIMINARY TASK AFTER PRODUCING MY FINAL PRODUCT MAKES ME REALIZE THAT I HAVE LEARNT VARIOUS DIFFERENT SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES IN THIS SECTOR OF MEDIA. SOME OF THESE SKILLS ARE EDITING SKILLS, FILMING SKILLS AND THE ABILITY TO IMPROVE THE PRODUCT TO A GREATER EXTENT BY RECOGNIZING WEAKNESSES WITHIN IT. ALSO WHILST DOING MY PRELIMINARY TASK, I WAS LESS AWARE OF THE SEVERAL EDITING APPLICATIONS THAT WERE AVAILABLE TO ME, WHEREAS EDITING FOR MY FINAL PRODUCT MADE ME DISCOVER NEW SOFTWARE I HADN'T USED SUCH AS MOTION, LIVETYPE AND QUICKTIME PLAYER.

ProductionTHE PRODUCTION OF MY PRELIMINARY TASK WAS QUITE POOR AS ME AND MY GROUP WERE NOT AS ORGANIZED DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE DID NOT PLAN WHEN ALL MEMBERS WERE FREE TO FILM. THIS RESULTED IN A WASTE OF TIME BECAUSE WE COULD NOT FILM THE TASK WITHOUT OUR FULL GROUP. HOWEVER, LEARNING FROM THIS, I DECIDED TO WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO SHARE THE SAME FREE TIME AS ME TO PRODUCE A FINAL PRODUCT. I UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO CREATE A FILMING SCHEDULE AMONGST EACH OTHER SO ALL MEMBERS AND CAST KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING AT WHAT TIME. IN TERMS OF BEING PREPARED FOR MY PRELIMINARY TASK, I HAD NO PROPS, NEITHER DID I CONSIDER CREATING A MISE EN SCENE AS I ASSUMED IT DOES NOT MATTER. ME AND MY GROUP MEMBER DECIDED TO DO A SHOT IN HAVERSTOCK SCHOOL WHICH LITERALLY SHOWED SOME SHOT TYPES AS THIS WAS THE CRITERIA. THOUGH WITH MY FINAL PRODUCT, I GAVE THE CONCEPT OF MISE EN SCENE, PROPS AND COSTUMES A GREAT IMPORTANCE BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE EFFECTED MY FILM OPENING GRANDLY. THE FINAL PRODUCT HAD TO HAVE A NARRATIVE BEHIND IT, WHEREAS MY PRELIMINARY TASK WAS ONLY AIMED TO SHOW FEW SHOT TYPES.

Shot types & Mise en sceneI LEARNT THAT CREATING A SUITABLE, EFFECTIVE MISE EN SCENE IS CRUCIAL BECAUSE IT PLEASES THE AUDIENCE MAKING THE FILM LOOK MORE REALISTIC AND APPEALING AND HAVING A STRONG MISE EN SCENE ALSO DRAWS IN MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE SEVERAL SHOT TYPES.

HAVING MENTIONED SHOT TYPES, I LEARNT TO INCLUDE MANY MORE SHOT TYPES IN MY FINAL PRODUCT AS MY PRELIMINARY TASK ONLY HAD A TRACKING SHOT, SHOT REVERSE SHOT AND A MID SHOT OF BOTH CHARACTERS. HAVING PAID MORE ATTENTION TO MOVIES, I SAW THAT IT IS VITAL TO HAVE MORE SHOT TYPES FOR AUDIENCE TO FEEL MORE CONNECTED TO THE FILM AND TO GET A REAL SENSE OF EACH CHARACTER AS WELL AS THE NARRATIVE. THEREFORE, I DECIDED TO INCLUDE SEVERAL SHOT TYPES IN MY FINAL PRODUCT LIKE EXTREME CLOSE UPS, CLOSE UPS, TRACKING SHOTS, HIGH AND LOW ANGLE SHOTS AND POINT OF VIEW SHOTS. THESE SHOT TYPES WILL BUILD AN UNDERSTANDING IN AUDIENCE FOR CHARACTERS AND THIS WAS NOT SOMETHING I THOUGHT OF WHILST DOING MY PRELIMINARY TASK.

Equipment & LightingANOTHER FACTOR THAT I LEARNT SOMETHING IMPORTANT IN WAS EQUIPMENT. FILMING FOR MY PRELIMINARY WAS A HASSLE AS EQUIPMENT WAS OF POOR QUALITY, I HAD A BROKEN DOLLY AND TRIPOD WHICH WAS THE CAUSE FOR OUR SHAKY FOOTAGE. I IMPROVED ON THIS FACTOR IN MY FINAL PRODUCT BY MAKING SURE ALL EQUIPMENT WAS IN FULL WORKING CONDITION AS A BADLY FILMED FOOTAGE WOULD NOT BE OF A GOOD STANDARD EVEN AFTER BEING EDITED MAJORLY.

ALSO, ANOTHER CONCEPT IN FILMING WAS LIGHTING. I NOTICED THAT THE LIGHTING IN MY PRELIMINARY TASK WAS OF BAD QUALITY BECAUSE I HAD FILMED INDOORS OPPOSITE TO A BIG WINDOW WHICH CAUSED THE SUN TO DARKEN MY FOOTAGE, ALSO LEAVING A LIGHT ON MY CHARACTERS FACE. HOWEVER, EVEN IN MY FINAL PRODUCT BECAUSE OF MY LOCATION BEING A SMALL BEDROOM WITH SMALL WINDOWS, MY FOOTAGE DID NOT HAVE GREAT LIGHTING BUT IT WAS TO AN EXTENT WHICH COULD BE EDITED ON MOTION AND FINAL CUT PRO. I LEARNT HOW TO EDIT LIGHTING MAJORLY IN THESE TWO PROGRAMS AND ALSO LEARNT HOW TO ADD MORE LIGHTS IN CLIPS USING MOTION.

LocationsLOCATION WAS A PROBLEM FOR MY PRELIMINARY TASK BECAUSE WE WAS NOT ORGANIZED SO I HAD TO QUICKLY FILM IN SCHOOL SITES AS I HAD NO TIME TO FILM ELSEWHERE. THIS WAS A FLAW BECAUSE I COULD NOT GET A STRONG SETTING AS I ONLY USED THE SCHOOL CORRIDORS WHICH HAD NO MISE EN SCENE OR PROPS INVOLVED. HOWEVER, FOR MY FINAL PRODUCT, I DECIDED TO CHOOSE A SUITABLE EFFECTIVE LOCATION BECAUSE I LEARNT THAT IT CHANGES THE WHOLE OPENING IN A MASSIVE WAY FOR EXAMPLE, HAVING A HORROR MOVIE TAKEN PLACE AT SCHOOL WOULD NOT BE EFFECTIVE AND SUITABLE.

Titles & MusicI DID NOT INCLUDE MUSIC IN MY PRELIMINARY TASK AS IT WAS JUST AUDIO AND I WAS NOT VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE SOFTWARE USED TO CREATE MUSIC. ALSO, I ASSUMED THAT MUSIC WOULD NOT NEEDED FOR THE PRELIMINARY TASK WHEREAS FOR MY FINAL PRODUCT I WAS AWARE THAT MUSIC WOULD BE A VITAL CONCEPT BECAUSE IT WOULD TRIGGER THE GENRE IN MORE DEPTH. WITHOUT MUSIC, A HORROR FILM OPENING WOULDN’T BE AS DAUNTING AND OF HIGH QUALITY. THEREFORE, I TAUGHT MYSELF TO USE GARAGEBAND AND ITUNES TO CREATE MY MUSIC.

TITLES ARE A MAIN FOR FILM OPENINGS BECAUSE IT ALLOWS AUDIENCE TO KNOW THE CAST AND CREW AS WELL AS IMPORTANT PEOPLE SUCH AS PRODUCERS AND DIRECTORS. AT THE STAGE OF DOING MY PRELIMINARY TASK, I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO CREATE TITLES ON LIVETYPE OR MOTION BUT LATER ON I LEARNT HOW TO SO I CAN USE IT IN MY FINAL PRODUCT. I LEARNT THAT THE FONT, COLOUR AND EFFECT YOU CHOOSE TO GO WITH YOUR TITLES IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE SUITABLE TO YOUR GENRE.