Evaluation: Question 7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? - Mrs Quinlan

Question 7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

 What was the preliminary task and what where it main aims.

The main aim of the task was to create a short 30 sec video, this was to find out how good we were with our camera handling skills and Editing. We made a lot of mistakes when doing the preliminary task including break 180-degree rule and shaking the camera however this was before we started filming our final product. We didn't have much time to plan the preliminary task compared to the final product which we planned for several weeks.

Preliminary Task Video

 Identify 4 things you are now better with and more confident with doing in terms of filming and editing

Filming: The first thing that we more confident in was camera handling. At first, it was me who filming, however, didn’t have the tripod, therefore, I was shaking the camera. Then we decide after we filmed the preliminary task we decided that Baris and Shakil should hold the camera instead was because they could hold the camera stabled compared to me. However, I was still in charge of technical operations for the camera since I knew how to use a camera and what setting we would need for filming.

Filming: Planning is another thing that we are more confident. During the preliminary task, we filmed at several locations before deciding to film at a location that was suitable. This has now dramatically improved since when we filmed the opening scene in one location and that we made a plan on how we were going to film some shots as well as spotting problems and fixing them before we started filming. This has meant the quality of the final product would have gone up.

Editing: The use of transitions has improved since the preliminary task. We used more appropriate transitions for our final production this includes fades and fade to blacks. We also made sure that when we added these weren't going to overwrite that part of the video. Because this mistake happened in our preliminary task, therefore, we need to avoid this from happening in the final video.

Editing: Use of more correction tools. When we originally made the preliminary task we didn't use any video correction tools since it was a basic video. In our final video, we used a variety a stabilized video tool for some scenes since we didn't use a tripod for these scenes and would be best to make sure the clip was quite a stabilized. We also used the colour correction tools to correct some lighting issues such as some scenes had different colours of lighting and this was because of the TV changing scenes which had different brightness levels and colours.

Comparison from our Preliminary task to our final production.

Preliminary Task                                                                                       Final Task.

The main difference is that the shots are more stable compared to our preliminary task. This was because we had access to a tripod tools as well as video correction tools such as video stabilizing. Which helped in evening out the film.

Another difference is that way we planned on doing the final task

Compared to the preliminary we made sure that there was enough space for me baris and shakil could film therefore this improved the quality of the video. This also meant I didn't break the 180-degree rule because of the issues of space. Therefore, we had improved shots in the final task compared to the preliminary. For example, these two scenes both requiring over the shoulder shots as you can see one of them I didn't have access to the tripod as well as limited clearance however with the other shot when we plan the film we made sure there was space for filming these shots.

Editing is another important factor that has improved since our last film.

Previously the editing was rushed and we didn't use a wide variety of tools to improve the preliminary task and this led to some mistakes occurring. However with the final video we use a variety of tools to help us and as well as watching the video several times to make sure that we correct any mistakes and if we had to re-film it then we would put it on a list and then when we got a chance to we would re-film that scene. As you can see from the before and after images there were not any mistakes that could affect the public perception of the film compared to our preliminary task.

Video

Did you make a successful thriller and why?

The thriller production was successful albeit there would be a few changes I would cover later on. We used various techniques and common convection's that were a scene in other thrillers such as scream and Halloween. Moreover, we had a very good story line and the ending was quite good. We used a variety of software such as "Final Cut Pro" and "Logic" which are the industry standard. This meant we could add effects as well as the backing track. The purpose of this was to add suspense and mystery to the thriller.

What did you most enjoy?

Filming and working as a team- At the beginning when we started, we were enthusiastic and optimistic about what we could have achieved and at the end after seen what we enthusiastic and quite happy that what we achieved was a thriller opening. The filming was the most fun part of the course because we're finally started making our thriller and we could finally show some of the skills we learnt while researching about thrillers and camera techniques.

What could be improved?

There are many things we could have improved at doing some more practical than others. The first thing was we shouldn't have used Ahmet since he wasn't scary enough however he did things better than others instead we should have used a girl since they would be better as a victim because the audience would have more sympathy for someone else then Ahmet. Some of the television scenes should have been re-done this was because that the amount of colour correction we did just so the scenes were suitable and the colour didn't suddenly change per scene. To improve these scenes, we would have used better lighting and made sure that the television would stick to one colour scheme instead 12 different colours. And a couple scenes could also be moved about and changed to make the film more fluid and more natural.

What are the main things you have learned over the whole process?

The biggest one was Teamwork. At the beginning were arguing over basic things such as would the current camera positions work or we may need to change parts of the storyboard to make the thriller more fluid. However, I think we improved over time this has meant that we were able to produce a great thriller ending. Teamwork was a very important skill we learnt since we had many different ideas and we had to use them to get a good media project. Another thing we learnt throughout the course was various techniques of handling a camera equipment and software. We learnt how to use final cut pro and other software's which industry standard software are. This allowed us to create the final production and learn new skills and techniques that we can use into A2 or for other work. And the final would be patience. Because you need a lot of it because it takes a long time for footage to render and sometimes frustrate us when we rendering our work moreover patience with other people especially were been doing it for a few weeks trying to film and edit the work.