Evaluation Question Seven

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

Screenshot of editing in final cut for the preliminary task and the final opening sequence project - for the preliminary task we didn't use title slates or use colour grading.

Screenshot of the sound editing in garage band for the final opening sequence project, we didn't use garage band to edit/add sounds for the preliminary task.

Above is our preliminary task and 9 frames from both our preliminary task and our final project, in our final project we included title slates and edit it with colour grading which gives it a different feel to the preliminary task as it looks more thriller like as it has a colder, more mysterious and eerie feel to it. Some shots in the preliminary task have items/people in the background as we were unaware of them and didn't think about moving them as we didn't fully know the importance of setting up the shot to our correct intentions. Also the shots in the preliminary task didn't vary as much as they do in the final project as we were able to expand our knowledge on shot types and was able to experiment using the proper cameras - using the cameras we were able to learn about 'pull focus' which we used twice in our final project. The shots used in the final project were a lot more focused and steady and we planned the shots which included the positioning of the actors a long time before filming the final project as we put a lot of time into the preparation of it so it looked of a higher standard and quality and looked more professional compared to the preliminary task that didn't have very much planning at all. In addition our preliminary task was shot in a irrelevant location to the story, we chose the location as it was the easiest to get to and was the only room available at the time of filming, however when filming our final project we had to find an appropriate location and get permission to use it, this involved a long process of searching all over London and our local area - we learnt, when doing this, just how important the location is for the whole project to work as it helped to create the right atmosphere for our sequence and also helped to explain our plot.

Jack: Since shooting the preliminary task for our thriller I have learnt a lot about the process of creating a Thriller. I have learnt when filming you need to first of all pick a secure location that you and the public are comfortable with you filming at. This helped us to shoot our film much more efficiently. I have also learnt that it is important to use many close ups in the film sequence. This makes the narrative a lot easier for the viewer to follow. I have learnt to ensure I am always following the 180 degree rule and the rule of thirds otherwise this can confuse the viewer and ultimately ruin your film. During the editing process I have learnt that it is very hard to create a good narrative and it is important to learn this skill as otherwise your film will not have the basic needs a thriller needs to create mystery and suspense. The use of match on action can really add to your thriller and I feel that since we filmed our preliminary task I have learned how to effectively incorporate match on action into our opening sequence. This ultimately helps to create mystery and suspense in our thriller film and helps to create the enigma code questions needed to entice the viewer. As you can see in the preliminary task we did not use colour correction at all. Whereas in our final film we used the colour correction to create a cold feel to the film. The makes the film look much more professional but also helps to create a certain mood to the film. When filming the control of background noise is very important. In our preliminary task there is the faint sound of people laughing. This not only ruined the sound for our film but also put off our actors. The control of this noise would have made the film much more focused and concentrated especially when we cannot dub the speech in the film. In our final task we ensured the surroundings where silent to give the most clear audio we could. We have learnt how to incorporate foley into our film to enhance the film but also to create suspense by using sounds such as footsteps and door slams. One of the things we struggled with during the preliminary task but also in our final task was mes en scene. We had to ensure our actors wore exactly what we wanted so we provided a shirt for our actor and also used make to make his face look dirty from running away. This was important to us as we wanted to do our best to make our actors look and feel the part to enhance our performance.  

Ellis: From shooting and editing the preliminary task to creating our final thriller opening sequence project, we have learnt a number of things. When shooting the projects the shots should be more than a few seconds long as we found out that if they aren't, the video jitters when being edited and doesn't look very professional. Also as the preliminary task was filmed on our phones, we learnt how important it is to keep the camera steady and level as it makes the sequence flow better and looks professional, when filming our final project we used proper cameras which ensured that we kept the camera in the correct sturdy position which made the project look a lot better and of higher quality than the preliminary task. In addition when we were able to use the proper cameras that we would use for filming our final project I learn about 'pull focus' which we then incorporated twice into our final project. I also learnt about the rule of thirds when carrying out the preliminary task, as in some shots the focus in the shot was not correctly positioned using the rule of thirds, however in the final project we were able to plan the shots following this rule and when filming we were able to make sure the shots turned out correctly. In addition I learnt about the 180 degree rule, which if not followed can confuse the audience and not allow your film to flow smoothly and can ruin the continuity. During the preliminary task we also learnt that we have to make sure our shot is clear of any items or people that are not supposed to be in the shot, and it is very important for continuity as in one shot a random item might appear but in the next its been moved. I learnt more about sound and how to add titles to sequences when editing our final project, we did not add titles or sound in our preliminary task as we weren't very experienced with the software and didn't have the knowledge to do so and also we didn't understand how important that part of the editing process was. In addition we learnt about colour grading when editing our final project which we were unaware of when editing our preliminary task,we used colour grading in the final project as it helps to add a mysterious and cold effect/atmosphere. I also learnt that sequences require several layers of different sounds, and we learnt how to blend in the different sounds by changing the volume and length. In addition learnt about foley sounds and how they are important for a sequence - foley sounds are the sounds that can't be picked up when filming on location but would be heard in real life e.g. footsteps, breathing etc. 

Leah: When we first started our preliminary task, we had very limited knowledge on things such as terminology, how to hold a camera and also how to use a camera. From shooting our first preliminary idea, to the finale filming of our Thriller film 'The Sacrificial Lamb' we have learnt a large number of things within media. I learnt that we mustn't start filming our shot from where the scene actually starts; but we should in fact use several words before we start commencing filming. These words would be 'rolling' then a few seconds later 'action' then the scene would commence. The benefit of this was to make it much easier for the group when it comes to editing, because at least we would have more footage than less. However our preliminary idea filming involved being less professional as it was filmed on our iPhones instead of professional school video cameras. We learned how to step up from filming on an iPhone to filming on a professional video camera; the video camera involves taking more care and precision, making sure shaking would be as minimal as possible if free hand and also monitored if it was place carefully and correctly on a tripod. One of the most crucial things I personally learnt was terminology and then applying it to the shots I filmed. Adding to this, without learning how to use a professional camera, we wouldn't have been able to film our Thriller with a high definition device. From filming our preliminary idea, I remember being completely unaware about the 180 degree rule and it took myself a while to understand the point of this; more understanding involved me practicing with devices whilst filming the preliminary idea, test run and also our actual final film. Adding to this, if I hadn't understood the 180 degree rule; it would of meant I would have filmed incorrectly as I would have been unaware of the purpose of the rule. Due to filming on our iPhones for the preliminary task, it meant we were limited for the amount of camera techniques we could use - so because we used professional cameras for the final film, we used a much wider variety of camera techniques which enabled us to gain higher marks. During the preliminary task, we noticed that even the quietest background sounds were crucially noticeable and affected the sound levels and overlapping layers for our sound. As we learnt that everything had to be as silent as possible, we took this on for our test run. However this test run still challenged us as we made the mistake of filming it outside; and afterwards when we watched it back we realised natural background sounds were noticeably heard in the filming, meaning we realised we could not use the same location for our final film. This lead us on to filming our final Thriller film in the basement of a bingo hall; ensuring background noises were minimally noticeable. I have learnt what a pull focus is and also how to practically do it; which is a technique I applied in our final film. My main task besides filming for the final film was to apply the sound on top of the footage. I learnt so much from this as I had never properly used Garage Band before until we practiced with our preliminary task. I learnt that certain sounds in real life premiered films are not just live sounds from the actual filming, but they are however edited sounds placed on top to enhance the noise with the pitch, volume, speed and length. From watching films after realising this, I picked up and noticed the edited sounds to add an effective response from the audience.

Below you can compare our preliminary task with our final opening sequence project: