Looking back at the preliminary task I feel that since then I have learnt a great deal both as a direct result of the preliminary task and as a consequence of trial and error during the process of making my thriller opening.
It was during the preliminary task production that I initially learnt about the importance of shot types and angles. Without doing the preliminary task I would have only used a small variety of shot types such as close ups and long shots however my thriller reflects a larger amount of shot types as a result of the preliminary task. During the preliminary task me and my group were encouraged to use as many different angles and techniques as we could and it is from the tutorials of what we could have used that I learnt about effects such as match on match action, high and low angle shots and over the shoulder shots. Many of these shot types were used in my final project demonstrating how I have learnt from the preliminary task.
During the preliminary task we spent a large amount of time on the planning phase which as a consequence led to a fairly rushed shoot. From this I have learnt the value of planning time efficiently. In my final production I made sure that enough time was left to shoot the film without any issues. Furthermore I drew up a shooting schedule in order to maintain the time efficiency.
In the preliminary task I appeared on camera as opposed to the directors role I took in my thriller opening. What I have gained from this is the knowledge of what it is like for the actors on set and how difficult it can be to recreate exactly what the director is asking you to do. As a result I believe that when I took to directing I was able to communicate with my actors far more easily.
The editing phase of the preliminary task proved rather tedious as I had never used the required programme before - adobe premiere elements 1.0. As a result of this work however I became far more adept at using it in the future. A task that originally would have taken me an hour could be done in 15 minutes by the time I was editing my thriller. This saved a huge amount of time which was vital in order to keep on schedule.
While I was not in a group for my thriller I was still part of a team as I required three actors for my film. During the preliminary task I was part of a group of five people which gave me the skills needed to work with people on set. When you are part of a team it is important to coordinate your actions and not get in the way of each other’s tasks. The preliminary task enhanced this fact by allowing me to experience first hand what it was like to work in a group.
One of the first phases of the preliminary task was choosing an appropriate location. I went out to different areas until we found an area that looked appropriate and was not likely to be interrupted. From this I how looks are not everything when it comes to choosing the set. Our first choice in the preliminary task was too busy to be suitable. When it came to choosing a location for my thriller I chose an area that would be both appropriate and unlikely to be interupted by passers-by.
We didn’t have a soundtrack for the preliminary task however there were a few inappropriate background noises including speaking from behind the camera, from this I learnt the importance of checking the soundtrack and in my final cut I ended up having 6 separate soundtracks before I was satisfied demonstrating how the preliminary task experience taught me the value of suitable and good quality sound. For example the dialogue in the prelim was recorded straight to the camera and was not given its own soundtrack; the result was a less than brilliant sound quality and various background interruptions. In the final cut of my thriller however I combated this level of quality by recording the dialogue separately on a microphone and I removed all background imperfections.
Several parts of the preliminary video are jumpy and it sometimes repeats the same sequence. By seeing the negative effect that this has on the overall quality of the video I ensured that in my thriller this did not happen.
My audience feedback for my thriller is far better than I expected. While the male audiences appear to appreciate it more I have however received very little criticism from males or females. Most people understand what is going on however it has been suggested that my plot is not clear. I believe that this is my largest weakness however this is not an issue for most people. My biggest strength is my soundtrack, I believe that it perfectly complements the atmosphere and this has been backed up by several people.
The most important lesson I have learned from the whole process is that it is vital to understand the bigger picture. When I started out I had in my mind a good looking sequence however there was no back story, it was just a pointless sequence of events. At the time I believed it was ok for me to be in the dark as much as my audience however the whole plan for this shoot collapsed and it was not until I had formulated motives and backgrounds that I managed to effectively shoot my thriller. By knowing the bigger picture I knew exactly how each character should behave and what misé en scene was appropriate.
This is a thorough evaluation and reflects thoughtfully on the process and what was learnt. You have described carefully the way in which you utilised experience of shot types in prelim task in your own shoot. You have also described well how your experiences with sound informed your own production and you have focussed on the narrative structure of your final film in discussion of what you learnt in editing phase. Well done.
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