Evaluation: Question 7 What was the preliminary task and what were its main aims?

What was the preliminary task and what were its main aims?

The preliminary task was to learn how to operate and be able to use the camera. During the preliminary task we have experimented with the camera. What we did is remember the cinematography research that we did and used some of the camera shots, angles and movement. During the process of the preliminary task we were able to designate the group roles to the people. With doing the preliminary, it has helped use gain some understanding of how we can film the footage, and the experience of filming the footage for our own thriller by also learning how to edit by creating a short sequence.

Four areas where my technical ability has improved

1 - In the filming process of the preliminary task to the finished thriller the two things that we have now improved on is the range of camera shots and movement use. This is because in the preliminary task we didn’t use that many camera shots as we weren’t as confident in doing so. With the finished thriller, we have used a wider range of camera movement, angles and shots because we had more confidence.

 

2 - I also feel I am now better at capturing movement creatively for example there is shot of the female who is walking down the park and the camera is at eye level. In the preliminary task when filming the footage kept being shown as out of focus. With having more confidence in being able to use the camera functions better, I am able to control the focus and be able to frame the movement shots better.

 

3 - I have also improved my editing skills as in the thriller I have intentionally implemented jump cuts to emphasize the movement of the character walking to the house. This has improved from my preliminary because I didn’t use jump cuts; I used a lot of straight cuts instead.

 

4 - Another editing transition I have used is a flash bulb effect. This is used when the female character is walking home alone shown and the flash bulb is used to highlight that she is by herself and isolated from other people so no one can help her. In my preliminary, I did not use this transition as I was not confident that I would fit correctly in the preliminary task.

Compare three images of the preliminary to the final product

In the first image it shows the framing of the character talking to the other character. With the final product, the framing of the character has improved in ways to present the characters actions for example the antagonist. There is not as much unwanted space therefore is more focused on the character.

 

 

In this image the character is filmed with a medium close up. With this shot I just show the character talking. In the final product, there is an image of the female victim at the house party.  Here, I use the same camera shot as in the preliminary task which shows the characters partying because of the angle that the footage has been taken from. I have improved with my filming as I can now show more of what is happening in the scene.

 

The third image shows a frame from the long panning shot of the character walking out the door. We did this by filming on action and capturing the character walking out the door on one side and out the other. In the final product I have a frame from the end of the antagonist looking at the female victim zooming out while he walks away in his point of view. With knowing more from the experience of the preliminary task, we are able to use more of a range of movement shot angles.

 

I have made a successful thriller as I feel I have thrilled some of the audience with the narrative of the story. Furthermore, with the research and the planning that we did as a group has allowed us to use the camera angles, shots and movements to the best of our ability. With the cinematography, lighting and the editing in my thriller, they all work together well as the cinematography of the thriller shows well throughout the thriller and the editing compliments the cinematography as camera shots and the editing transactions are used to help create tension and build suspense in the thriller.

With creating the thriller what I find most enjoyable was the filming and the editing. This is because while filming you get to feel first-hand how the thrillers are made. In addition to this the editing of the thriller was interesting as when you film the footage, you want to edit it together and watch the way the thriller is able to be developed slowly.

Some of the things that I could improve on in the thriller are the lighting and also the organisation of the people that take part in the thriller. With the lighting we could improve on is in some of the scenes as it is too dark and the audience aren’t able to see anything. As for the organisation of the people, the timing of crew members being at the location and the date could be improved as this made us slightly delayed with the filming process.

In the process of the research, planning and the process of filming the thriller, I have learnt new ideas on how to create a production. Also, over this whole process of the filming and editing I have learnt how to edit and create a successful thriller with the first-hand experience of being the cameraman as well as the editor. With this I have gained some experience of what it is like to be a producer of a film.