Q7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Q7 by tombranch98 on GoAnimate


 As a film maker, I feel I have developed in all, or at least the majority of, areas of the planning, production and editing processes. For example, I feel my editing skills have improved and I am now more capable of effectively combining a variety of different shots together to create a desired effect. I have also furthered my understanding of camerawork and how to capture shots that are composed and framed so that they are effective for the audience.

 The most successful aspects of our preliminary tasks were the range of camera shots and the editing, to a certain extent. In terms of continuity, our piece flowed well for the most part, although there is an instance in which we could have done with an additional shot to show the movement of the character from the stairs to the corridor. Other issues we had were with lighting and sound, which were not as effective as we hoped, and making the narrative clearer. We were aware of these issues when we came to do our actual thriller and so tried to ensure that they did not come up again, although we did struggle with the lighting initially. There were no continuity issues this time however, so that is one specific skill that I have definitely developed. We also stuck to the 180° Rule and so ensured it was not disorientating for the viewer.

In order to start the planning we had to decide on which direction we wanted to take our thriller, so we brainstormed ideas. In the end, we decided upon the sub-genre of action-thriller. After we had our main idea, we looked for a location that would be appropriate by doing some location scouting. When the location was confirmed we could then proceed to think of shot ideas and so compiled a shot list and created a storyboard. We also made a filming schedule to ensure no time was wasted during filming.

I feel the main strength of our thriller is the fast-paced editing that builds up tension and suspense, along with the intrigue and mystery that is created. I feel the titles could have been better, but it was difficult to do so with the software we had access to. Also, if we were to film our opening again, we would probably be more careful of lighting issues when it comes to the actual filming.

This was the shot that had continuity issues as we did not record enough shots, but there were no such issues when we filmed our actual thriller. An example of some match on action can be seen from the screenshots below: