Final Post

We have now come to the end of a long but very enjoyable process, (I can't believe it's actually over!). Overall, the sequence looks almost exactly how I pictured it when we first began, although the issues with dialogue have let us down, and I've learnt so much during the process. Even though the project has been hard work I've really enjoyed it.
I've loved working in a group with Alice and Aarti - thank you both for being so great to work with. Also thank you to all the media staff and other media students.

This blog is now closed.

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

Preliminary Brief:
‘A continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule’

Responses:
- Had a clear picture of what was expected from us
- Had to ensure that specific criteria were in the sequence
- We knew that it didn’t have to be perfect and weren’t too worried about the result, we were more concerned with including the criteria
- Didn’t have to worry about plot
- Spent a lot less time planning

Final brief:
‘A two minute opening sequence for a fiction film, including titles and a soundtrack’

Responses:
- Had to decide on a plot
- Weren’t told exactly what to include, so had to decide that ourselves
- Aiming for perfection
- Needed to spend a lot of production

Pre-Production:

Preliminary Exercise:
- No chance for research
- Quick location recce – the location had to be within the school grounds so we didn’t have much of a choice.
- We wrote a quick script
- We came up with a quick, rough storyboard
- A quick shooting script
We learnt how useful preproduction is, including the paperwork as it comes in very useful during shooting.

Final Sequence:
- Carried out research
- Spent a lot longer on planning
- Well thought out scripts
- Well thought out shooting scripts
- Well thought out storyboards - we changed these over and over again until we got it right

Production:

Preliminary Task:
- No test shoot – although we had a quick walk through and no reshoot
- Time limit of one hour to film – this meant we had to ensure we focused on a small number of shots
- Both these factors meant we had to ensure that we got every shot right, which inevitably did not happen, and we couldn’t experiment with shots.

From the preliminary task we learnt:
- The test shoot and opportunity for reshoot are very important - in case there are any mistakes with the shots that are hard to notice while filming
- You need to ensure that you take many more angles of shots than you think you need - they will more than likely come in useful
- You need to make sure that the shot goes on for longer than you want it to so you have plenty of overlap
- We also learnt that there is a specific process to follow when shooting (Camera ready?... Sound ready? ...)
- We learnt about the roles that people should play (director/camera operator, P.A, sound)
- We learnt that teamwork is essential when putting together a sequence although occasionally someone needs to take charge so that decisions get made

Final Sequence:
- The chance to test shoot and reshoot
- Had to think about sound, especially if filming dialogue or outside
- Had a lot more choice of location and had to find the perfect location for the sequence
- Had to think about the atmosphere and the lighting of the shots

Post Production:

Preliminary task:
- Had to ensure we edited together a real time, continuous sequence that made sense
- Had to ensure that we included a match on action, a shot reverse shot and made sure we followed the 180 and 30 degree rules
- We only had one hour to edit the sequence together - so had to ensure we kept it simple.
- Acted as a reminder of how to use the timeline and diagonal editing as well as the razor tool
Final sequence:
- Had a lot more time to edit
- Were able to learn how to do more things on Premiere Pro
- Were able to use many more techniques, e.g. capturing, unlinking etc.
- Could add effects onto the sequence e.g. changing the speed/duration
- Could also add non diegetic sound
- Could experiment with the order of our shots etc. as we had more time

Feedback:

Preliminary Task:
- Only from media students – meant we were evaluating it as a learning experience rather than an actual sequence
- Focused on whether it was well made from a media studies perspective
- Looking back at the preliminary task meant that we learnt what we had to bear in mind when completing our real sequence

Final sequence:
- Had more than one opportunity to get feedback from media teachers and students – this ensured that the sequence was as good as it could be
- Had the opportunity to get feedback from our target audience
- Meant that we got feedback from a media studies perspective and from the perspective of a viewer

Overall I've learnt:
- The importance of planning
- A lot more about the shooting process
- A lot about editing and using hardware

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

During the course of the project I have learnt to use a lot of new technology as well as having a chance to get more experience with technologies that I had used in the past.

Shooting:

- I’ve been reminded of how to set up and use a Sony Mini DV camera and tripod. Using the tripod to keep the camera straight and secure, and to help with a track if a dolly can’t be used.
- I’ve also learnt how to connect a tripod to a dolly and how use a dolly although I didn’t have the opportunity to do so as the dolly was to wide to fit in the hallway of the house we were shooting in.
- I’ve learnt how to use a Pag light and how to use a Pag light and other available light sources, including lamps, to create three way lighting.
- I now know about recording sound during filming using an external mic. I’ve learnt how to concentrate on sound using headphones to make sure there is no unwanted background sound, which was a problem with many of our outdoor shots.
- I have improved on camera movement, for example pans.
- I now know the specific process of shooting (Camera ready…Sound ready…etc)

Editing:
- We used PC based editing
- I improved my knowledge of how to use Adobe Premiere Pro to do non-linear editing. This included:
Capturing shots – in small manageable sections
Using the razor tool to cut clips
Using key frames – for both visuals and sound
Unlinking sound and video
Visual effects, such as cross dissolves – which we used at the beginning of the sequence
Adding non-diegetic sound – our background music ‘Abandoned’
Titles
Changing the speed/duration of clips – ‘Slow motion’ on the final shot to emphasise her picking up the knife
I also learnt how to synch the sound to the visuals as we had to rerecord all of the sound due to it being ruined by the rain outside.
- We used Windows Media Player to listen to sound, including sound effects and our soundtrack before importing them into our project.

I have also learnt how to use Blogger to create a blog, link other websites, upload images etc

How did you attract/address your audience?

Sticking to most of the conventions of the genre, but adding some twists:
- All the aspects of the films that they enjoy would be in the film
- They will enjoy the twists

Having a female as the main character rather than a male:
- This attracts both male and female audiences to the film and encourages more females to watch the film

Actors that they can relate to:
- Same age
- May remind the audience of people they know, either with their characteristics or the way they look.

Themes:

- Love
- Revenge
- Passion
- Feeling trapped
- Murder

Location:
- A ‘normal’ house
- Typical location for a thriller/horror

Fears:
- Being trapped
- Being hurt by someone you love
- Being killed
- Danger in a familiar place

Enigma:
- Throughout the opening sequence you don’t know what’s going to happen next
- Don’t see the female characters face until the end.
- Highlighted by the music as it changes pace and volume - this keeps the viewer on edge
- The title - enigmatic as the audience won’t know exactly what it means