Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel the aspect I have learnt most about since my preliminary task is the editing process. Before creating this product, I had hardly any experience with editing and so I had to learn the whole new process and how to use the software. I learnt how to cut unwanted footage, re arrange footage into order, add soundtrack and titles, add transitions between shots and much more.
Since our preliminary task was shot in school, I had to learn how to shoot on location for our thriller film. It was more difficult than shooting in school as we had to check whether we needed certain permissions to shoot in the derelict house that we chose. Also, once we got there, it was much more difficult to get the tripod at a straight, steady angle due to the uneven surface of the floor.
As I was in charge of cinematography, I acted as director when on the shoot, whereas in our preliminary task I was an actor. This meant I had to learn how to take control of the shoot, and how to explain to the actors what it was that I needed them to do. I also had to make decisions about which camera angles to use. In our preliminary task, we were asked to use as many different shots as possible. This changed within our thriller film, as we had to put much more thought into the camera angles we used, and which specific shots would gain specific effects – for example, close up shots used for a claustrophobic mise-en-scene.
I learnt how to construct an effective storyboard, and also the implications of not planning a storyboard well enough. My storyboard was slightly weak, and so it made the shoot a lot more difficult as I had to make decisions about shots whilst on the shoot. Also, some of the shots I had chosen within my storyboard were not effective in the actual shoot, and so I had to adapt the shots to ensure they added to the tension and suspense, rather than compromising it.
Overall, I have learnt that making a film is not at all straight forward; there are many things that can not go as expected. To begin with, I thought that it would not be difficult at all, but I soon came to see all the new things I had to learn, and the organisation that was involved. I feel I have a new appreciation for filmmakers, as it was extremely time consuming and stressful making just two minutes of film, let alone a whole movie.
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