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

Comparisons

Preliminary Task                                                                                         Final Production

Both of these shots are long shots. However, in our prelim, the lighting and surroundings are basic. In our final film we set the scene by having a nightlife surrounding, but also added atmosphere by having a green tint. This would clue to the audience that someone out of the ordinary is about to happen.

 The shot from our prelim is yet another long shot. After we had edited our clip we realised that there was a repetition of camera shots - something we didn't want in our main film. This is the reason we had a shot of Lowri's feet walking, we felt it helped move the plot along, and used a different angle to make the sequence less tedious to watch.






When doing the over the shoulder shot in the prelim, we realised we had not captured the emotions of the actors, as the supposed 'close up' was, in fact, not close enough. While making missed calls, we used extreme close ups to capture the vulnerability and fear in Sarah's eyes. Also, it was a mutual feeling that the repetition of a shot-reverse-shot made the prelim sequence rather jumpy. Due to this effect, we decided not to have dialogue in our main sequence, making the film run much more smoothly, and allowing us to experiment setting the mood and atmosphere using other effects such as sound and lighting.








Once again, the prelim shot shows how little our variety of camera angles we had. The screen shot from Missed Calls - our final production - shows how we used other elements to set the scene. Also, from the main task shot, it is visible that we experimented with different lighting, rather than sticking with the natural lighting right the way through, as this would make the film predictable.



Issues Encountered in Preliminary Task:

When it came to editing the footage we had filmed for our preliminary task, it was discovered that we had not filmed enough shots. This made the editing process extremely difficult as we were at risk of having numerous jump cuts. Laura (chief editor) had to be extra careful when selecting clips to ensure that there was the minimal amount of jumpy cuts possible. I think the main reason we had this problem was because we had rushed the filming process of the prelim - a lesson we took with us when filming Missed Calls.

Secondly, our preliminary task brief included the use of dialogue. My group found this a great learning curve as we had to film the conversation several times due to slip ups, and the fact we needed the conversation from two angles (in order to complete a successful shot-reverse-shot). Also, the dialogue made us concentrate mainly on keeping certain rules such as the 180 degree rule. This made us lack focus in other areas, showing that filming takes much more perseverance as we had initially thought.

Through the whole of our preliminary task basic shots and angles were used. This made the sequence become predictable, and therefore lose audience interest. I feel that the the reasoning behind this was that during the prelim task, my group and I were still getting used to working with each other, and with the equipment. We took our experiences from the prelim with us into the main task, making us a strong team, who all knew our roles and how we could use them for the benefit of the main task.



Examples of Improvement Made in Final Product:

When planning Missed Calls, it was decided that there would be no dialogue used, as this caused editing problems during the preliminary task. Through the elimination of dialogue, we were able to let our opening sequence run more smoothly, which makes it more enjoyable for our audience. Furthermore, my group was able to overlay piano and orchestral sounds into the sequence to emphasise where the tension was building, and create atmosphere. By doing this we also discovered how little sounds, such as the music you can hear in the clubs (the scene where Sarah leaves her friends), play a huge part in making the film much more realistic.

During the filming of Missed Calls we made sure we had a variety of shots, and transitions between shots. To take this further, whilst filming in the T.V. studio we kept the camera rolling - learning from our mistake in the prelim. This resulted in giving us a much wider choice of clips to put in our sequence, as many didn't make it into the final cut! Having a variety of shots, with longer footage than what we needed gave my group the flexibility we needed to ensure there were no jump cuts. Changing our angles and shots also helped us to maintain audience interest throughout the whole of the opening sequence. Our final film needed to look professional, we exceeded our expectations when considering what was possible to produce.

When we watched our finished prelim footage, we noticed how the same lighting throughout had made the film look extremely cheap, which was not the original plan. After seeing this, we decided to use a range of lighting in Missed Calls, lighting which would emphasise the feelings of the characters, and the situation there and then. An example of this would be in the scene where Sarah is saying goodbye to her friends - we used natural lighting to make it more realistic, but places a green tint, adding uncertainty of what was about to happen. Another example is during the final scenes, when Sarah is tied up in a dark room. We used one single over-head light to make the actress (Lowri) stand out against the darkness in the room, showing she is alone and vulnerable. My group and I felt subtle changes like this gave Missed Calls a more professional feel, and therefore not making the same mistake we did on the preliminary task.



What Skills Have you Improved Upon or Gained Over the Course of This Project?

Firstly, I think the main thing I have learnt throughout this whole process is how to use equipment such as the camera and tripod. Before this project I had never used a camera before, and now I can confidently use one, and choose the positioning and angles. Using the editing software - Adobe Premiere Pro - has also been a lesson learnt, from basics such as cutting relevant clips down, to adding sounds and transitions. I know understand fully the time and effort which goes into editing a clip into the final product. Sound also plays a large part in a clip, something I also learnt during the editing process. The smallest of sound effects can have the largest impact, when we added the Sarah's 'footsteps' on her entry to the alley, it gives a feel to the audience of being there with her, a feeling that was not there prior to this simple sound. The concept that the smallest things make a huge impact ran right through the whole process, from sound, to lighting and props, even the hairstyle of our actors made an impact - this was something I had never considered before the project. Lastly, I have gained the understanding of how much time, patience and work goes in when making a project like this.