Q7: Looking back at your preliminary exercise, what do you feel that you

have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Daly Farrington

Windmill View

Preliminary Exercise

How did the preliminary exercise introduce you to the applications needed to create your final piece?

When we did the preliminary exercise we learnt how to use all types of the applications needed to create our final media product. This included filming, sound recording and editing, this meant after using the applications for these three processes we then knew what to do in our final piece. For filming we learnt how to use the camera with the tripod and the different angles we could make from that, as well as this we learnt how to set up the camera for filming. This meant changing settings such as the white balance and focus to get the clear picture we wanted for the shot.

Furthermore the preliminary exercise helped us learn how to work the sound tools correctly including the microphone boom, this meant that if we needed to have very clear sound in our piece then we would know how to work the sound tools available to us. Finally for the editing we were shown the basic tools to and shortcuts to make a basic piece which we could then extend our knowledge on when we then did the final piece.

How did you learn how to use create the footage and then edit it?

The preliminary exercise taught us how to learn how to use the basic skills of how to make a short film for filming, editing and sound. We were taught through a process practically instead of theory as we learnt as we went through using the different equipment. I liked this as it meant what I learnt, I managed to remember as if I got stuck I would remember how I solved the issue last time and this meant it made filming the final project a lot smoother. If we had learnt through just being told and through theory then I believe I wouldn’t of got pass the issues we were stuck with whilst independently filming as I wouldn’t of remember all of the process we would of needed to go through.

How did the preliminary exercise go? What key skills other than practical ones did you learn? And what would you do differently?

I believe the preliminary exercise went really well this is because although we didn’t have the best storyline or acting. The exercise really taught us to watch out for continuity in filming as we didn’t manage as well as we could of. I believe the exercise went well as we learnt lots about how to film for our opening title sequence and I believe without the exercise we wouldn’t of had the same quality filming as we did in the final piece. Furthermore I liked the way we got the continuity right when filming the preliminary exercise as this meant the continuity would be perfect and therefore make the film look professional. Finally the piece had a sound track to it which made it more action paced and therefore made it look more like an action thriller type film and this is where we learnt how important the soundtrack to the final piece would be.

Using the preliminary exercise helped us learn techniques which are not practical skills to do with the equipment of filming for example:

•Match on action - which makes someone coming through the door look fast and action pace, this is used in many action films to create a sense of panic.

•180 degree rule - which is where filming a conversation looks more realistic, if you film past the 180 mark then you cannot see the other person talking and therefore ruins the conversation and doesn’t look real. This filming technique is used in almost all media products including films, TV sitcoms and News reports.

•Continuity - This where the actor and director make sure that as the shots change the acting and mise en scene is still the same to create the same effect and also to make sure nothing is disappearing or appearing in the shot so everything is still the same.

All three of these methods were used to create the preliminary exercise and we thought about these in our final piece to make it more realistic.

Finally if we did the preliminary exercise again I believe we would make the story line more effective as it doesn’t make much sense and only really shows someone walking and then going into a room. If we had make we had made it more action paced then people would more likely enjoy watching the small piece.

Filming the Opening Title Sequence

How did you plan the project? And did work well?

We planned the project through extensive research on what shots would work well for an thriller opening title sequence and what wouldn’t. Furthermore we also watched many different opening title sequences to get ideas on what shots would look good, for example Phonebooth and Collateral on what shots to make the actor in the suit look very powerful, we decided on including lots of low shots as this makes the character look a lot more taller and therefore powerful as it is almost like he is stepping on the audience and this shows his authority.

Much of the planning we used didn’t go that well as we changed lots of original ideas, for example we were planning on including a young boy to create eeriness like in Don’t look now however when we came to filming we never actually had the chance to do this. Also we were going to include props to make it more eerie for example dolls and a pram however we never managed to get the props together to do this. Finally we originally had the homeless man looking through the window at the protagonist however we decided to go against this as how would the man get outside?

After changing many of the original plan, it did give us an inside of what to include which helped us in filming, however we did change most of planning as it was impossible to keep the original plan made.

How did the filming day go?

The first time we went out filming the day didn’t go as well as expected, due to complications such as busses we ended up filming in almost complete darkness which made it difficult to film. Furthermore after this the battery on the camera wouldn’t charge fully and therefore we had to charge the battery every five minutes making the filming day take very long. However after taking much time we did capture all the appropriate footage we needed to complete the full title sequence. We managed to get twenty minutes of footage which is good as it meant we could edit very flexible as we could chose many different shots to pick from. Also as we could film when the battery was charging, we managed to get many inside shots.

After viewing your film, did you feel you needed to improve/ re do any footage? If so how was re-filming?

After we put the footage on the editing softer Adobe Premier Pro, we realised that the footage would need to be re – filmed as the original piece was too pixelated as the camera didn’t like recording in the dark conditions, this meant everything we re-filmed then had to be replaced. As well as this the filming inside was useless as the lighting changed frequently with the continuity being wrong as one shot was much lighter than another. We decided to re-film in day light as the camera would have much more quality footage. As well as this we decided to film inside with the main light on and no others to make sure the continuity was right. We re – filming went really well because we knew exactly what we wanted to do to make the final opening title sequence and this meant we were a lot more efficient and got the same amount of footage in lot less time.

How have you used match on action, shot reverse shot or the 180 degree rule in your final piece - and why?

Although we learnt all these skills in the preliminary exercise we didn’t use the 180 degree rule in our final piece as there was no dialogue between the two different acts. Although we didn’t use the 180 degree rule as there was no dialogue we did use shot reverse shot in the final moments of the piece when the protagonist is looking scared at the antagonist behind the door, this effect created much more drama in the piece. Furthermore we used match on action to show the man in the suit coming through his front door, we used this to show he is in a rush and he is scared. This is a good effect as it makes the footage more interesting rather then him just walking through the door and this causes a lot more tension as the audience are realising he is in trouble as he is doing things more quickly.

How successful is your end product?

Overall I believe our title sequence is good as we thought about all the filming techniques learnt from the preliminary exercise for example match on action and therefore this made the filming look more professional. Furthermore I was pleased with the end product because all the continuity was perfect and therefore this looked very good. As well as this the camera angles worked well as what could have been boring (a man walking down a road) was made to look a lot more interesting through the use of different shots.

Another positive to the opening title sequence was how the editing was all white balanced and focused and therefore the best quality of graphics was produced as possible. Carrying on from this the final piece of filming was very good as we managed to keep the mans face hidden the whole way through and this gave the opening title sequence a sense of mystery and eeriness.

Is there anything that you would do differently next time?

If we were to do the project I again I would change Windmill View quite a bit as I felt the story line was very plain for the opening title sequence up to the final part. For example if I was to re film I would of included the small boy as I felt this would of made the title sequence more interesting and also to have move by-standers walking past and looking oddly at the man as this would make the audience question the man in the suit more. As well as this it would make the scenes of the man walking more interesting as there would be other people in the shot so the audience didn’t get bored looking at once character. I got this idea from Collateral where the man is in a busy airport so there is more to look at then just the man. However I am pleased the filming of the project as I believe we managed to include a lot of conventions you would find in a media product.

How did the editing go compared to the preliminary exercise?

In the preliminary exercise I we didn’t have much time to do the editing so we only did the basics of putting the footage together, making the continuity correct and putting in a basic soundtrack. With the opening title sequence I did a lot more editing as we had much more time to improve it. Firstly I spent much more time going over the continuity and then I could add transitions between cuts such as addictive dissolve between the different characters story lines. Furthermore I could also add titles over the top of the title sequence which faded in and out to show the different characters. As well as this I spent lots of time on the soundtrack, in the preliminary exercise I could only put in a basic soundtrack throughout the product, however in the opening title sequence I could have sound bridging between the two characters so they had there own songs to back up there narratives. Finally I could also had lots of sound effects to make the title sequence seem more real. Therefore the editing was at a lot better standard then the preliminary exercise and I learnt a lot more.

Editing

Was it easier to edit the footage, as you had filmed your OTS with continuity editing in mind?

To a certain extent editing the continuity was a lot easier as the actor needed to make sure the continuity was perfect, for example using the right hand to open the door. So all together this made it a lot more easier to edit the continuity as we had already thought about this when we were filming. However you could also argue that in the preliminary exercise that we film it in order so therefore it was a lot more easier to get the order perfect. However in the opening title sequence we had two different story lines and also the filming was all over the place so therefore it was a lot harder to sort through it than in the preliminary exercise.

What effects, editing transitions etc. did you explore, having more time and creative options open to you?

As I had lots of time at the end of editing I could start to look at adding more effects and transitions to the final cut. This is really good as I could differentiate the two character story lines easier as I could put a effect between them, also this helped with the audience noticing the audio transition between the two scenes. The transition I chose for this was addictive dissolve which meant the original clip dissolved into the next one. I liked this as it made the changes a lot easier to watch but also because it gave a ghostly effect to the opening title sequence as it was almost like one of the characters was dead, which is like in Sixth Sense. Finally I used an effect called Ghosting where I slowed down the characters movements when he was dancing so it went in time to the music being played to actually make it like he was dancing.

Overall how have your skills and knowledge of film making improved over the coursework period?

My skill have improved a lot as I could now create a small film if the resources were given to me. Furthermore especially in editing as this is where I spent most of my influence in the project doing and I learnt a lot about the software I used, which was Adobe Premier. Finally I have also learnt a lot technical aspects about filming for example the 180 degree rule which will help me in future media products I may make.