Evaluation // Looking back at preliminary task // Task 7

Looking back at our preliminary task I feel that I have learnt a lot about filming and the process we have to go through. Our preliminary task was very basic and therefore didn't need a lot of planning but we did have a shot list of what we need to shoot. When we were planning our thriller our shot list was more complicated than the preliminary task shot list, which was only a page, and so we needed to have a lot more prep time to get everything sorted and ready so we could use our time to the best advantage. Being organised really helped us to have a filled and productive shooting day and we knew exactly what we wanted to get and we had planned to get the makeup and hair done before so we could start as close to 9am as possible.

When we shot the preliminary task we had to stick to the storyboard so this meant that we didn't really have any freedom with it. However, when we shot our thriller we were able to say what shots we wanted and how we wanted to shoot them so this gave us more freedom.

I have also learnt a lot about the cameras that we used, Sony NX5, by getting familiar with the camera during the preliminary task it enables us to be able to use them efficiently during our shoot day, this was good because it meant that we didn't have to spend ages fiddling around with the controls. However, we always had to remember to focus the camera because sometimes we would forget and therefore an unfocused shot.

Looking back at our preliminary task it is clear to see that we didn't know how to use Adobe Premiere properly as the cuts were very noticeable and it wasn't very smooth overall. However, we have got better at editing and realised that it is easier to cut on action which makes the cut look smooth.
I have alos learned about sound and titles, because for our prelim task this wasn't something that we focused on as we were more interested on actually shooting footage so in our thriller you can see how our use of sound has improved.

Overall I think that we have progressed a lot since our preliminary task in all aspects; filming, editing, pre/post production etc. I think that we have really developed as filmmakers and we feel confident that we did the best that we could have done on our thriller opening sequence. 

The preliminary task also helped us to consider continuity and realise how important it is to get right. When we shot our thriller we had to remember where everything was and the positioning of the girls so the continuity was correct. In our prelim task the continuity wasn't that great as you can see here with the paper and pencil:

We also used match match on action a lot in our thriller because Rosie looks at the dead bodies and so we had to show what she was looking at. We learnt this when we did the prelim task to show who what Christina was looking at:

This makes the action flow and makes sure the audience know what is happening.

When we shot our thriller we didn't have to consider the shot reverse shot because we didn't have two people talking at once, so this eliminated one thing for us to consider. 

We had to consider the 180 degree rule so the audience didn't get confused as to where the bodies are positioned. We had to be careful with this because some shots we got were just past the 180 line so we couldn't use them otherwise it became to confusing for the audience. 

Overall what I have learned from this process is how to successfully make a film and understand the need for capturing the correct shot selection and this enabled me to produce an edited final product.