EVALUATION - Question 7

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

Between the preliminary and the final film there was a huge difference in the amount of research we did. With the preliminary, we understood the use of match cuts and how to use it effectively so we didn't feel the need to research into that any further. Same applied to the 180 degree rule - where the camera stays to one side (180 degrees) to keep the film interesting while at the same time not breaking the continuity of the shit. Another thing with the preliminary is that we didn't really put much thought into the still shots we took for the storyboard, it was just something we put together last minute so we knew along the lines of what we had to shoot. The other thing that wasn't organised was the props; we just used whatever was in the room that would be to our convenience. The only thing we did have sorted was the location - Tony's office.


With the final film, we researched more into the genre so we understood the codes and conventions of a typical thriller. We researched into thriller movies to see what could inspire us with our film. We decided to use aspects of 'Se7en' with the stylized shots and the effects of the titles. We also planned our locations as well. For example, we chose Tower Bridge as it is an iconic London landmark. Also, another change between the two is that we thought a lot about our storyline and how we could tie in the conventions we learnt into our own film. This shows that we had developed our research and planning skills to create a better and effective opening. By putting more thought into what we could do and how we could do it, we had a better visual in how we wanted our end product to be instead of just winging it and hoping for the best.


In the preliminary we used a lot of mid shots using match cuts to connect them and a few close ups instead of having an ongoing shot where the camera follows the character around. We did this to change the shots up and to keep it from getting boring because after a while it does seem to drag if there isn't much change. We were quite confident with the camera as we got what needed to be done quite quickly with no problems as the shots we were taking were quite simple.

In the final film we had a variety of other shots. E.g. close ups of the surroundings within the office, establishing shots of both locations, over the shoulder shots etc. This was done to make it effective and not become boring. This shows a great deal of development because it shows that we have become more confident with the camera and have become experimental with our camera skills.

The lighting in the preliminary was basic. It was all natural lighting where nothing was added to make it different. We just filmed in the office as it was. However, for the final film we filmed in the same office, but we kept it dark. We did this to create a mysterious atmosphere. All we did was have an extra light to have a tiny bit of light to focus on the part we were filming so it wasn't completely dark. By doing this, it looks like we filmed in two completely different rooms as there is a clear contrast in the way we shot it. This reflects greatly on our development as we managed to transform the office into looking like two different locations. The second part of our opening had all natural lighting as we were outside, so there wasn't much we could do in that department.

The sounds in the preliminary was pretty basic. We just had a basic soundtrack over the beginning, a few foley sounds and then some dialogue. However in the final film, we relied heavily on the soundtrack and the foley sounds. This was because we wanted to make the audience feel as if they were there and that they could feel the atmosphere around them as well. Also, we felt that by enhancing the sounds of the objects around her without actually hearing the character herself adds to the mystery element as it would make you want to know more about her.

In the preliminary we used mainly a lot of match cuts and cuts. This is because we thought that it was one simple scene where you go from one place to another and then sit down and talk so it wouldn't make sense to add transitions as it is not happening slowly or over a period of time. However, in the final film there was a range of rapid cuts and match cuts and transitions. The transitions were used to show the journey from the office to Tower Bridge. This reflects on our development of skills because we started to use more than just simple editing skills. Even though it took much longer to edit by doing this, it all made it look more realistic which would make it more effective for the audience.

In the preliminary, the mise en scene wasn't really taken into consideration as we were supposed to be in a college setting anyways so we just used whatever was available to us within the office. This made it believable that we were in the college setting and by the status differences, it was clear to see. In the final film, we had to plan beforehand on what we would need. For example, the polaroid snaps of the criminal, the map, the briefcase, the case files, the office scenery, the outfit (red nails, red lips) etc. This developed our skills because it shows that we thought a great deal about what we could use to make it look like a real spy's office.

 

 

The titles in the preliminary was a mixture of pink and white. It was plain and just dissolved in and out. Doing this made the titles blend into the background sometimes. We resolved this issue within our final film by having just white titles dissolving in and out. Doing this made it clear and easier to read as all the tiles were displayed throughout the whole of the office scene where it was dark. This shows that we developed our skills on the use of titles as we identified our mistake in the preliminary and worked on how we could improve it for the final film.

Here is our preliminary shot and our final film:

19. Amal Saleh, Korima Begum, Tahmina Islam from 283goswell on Vimeo.