Evaluation Question 7
Looking back at your preliminary task, what did you feel you have learned in the progression from it to your full product?
The preliminary task acted as a good opportunity to practice these skills for our main task however since then our skills have greatly developed. Firstly our filming skills have improved as we were able to try out different angles and shots and figure out which would work best in different situations and learnt how to explain why we used these shots, for example low angles to make a character look more dominant and controlling. We also made sure the 180 degree rule that we learnt in the prelim was kept up throughout the main task if necessary. We were particularly happy with the camera shots we got for the credits as we used a range of different angles such as extreme close ups of the wife to make the viewer feel more involved and a loose frame so it makes her seem smaller and the room bigger to make her look vulnerable and isolated.
We choose three different pieces of music for our opening sequence, the first was a mysterious and creepy piece that it almost uncomfortable to hear which symbolises that for some our film will be uncomfortable to watch. The next piece starts when the husband enters the cellar and as this is the climax of our opening we choose music that will get even creepier and has a very eerie feel to it. As well as the music we also had the sound of a heartbeat through the cellar scene and the credit, this was the heartbeat of the wife and show she's scared and worried about her safety. Since the prelim activity our sound skills developed greatly as we had more than dialogue to include and we had to learn how to choose the music effectively and make sure it all blends in nicely. We also had a flashback in our opening and to make it clear this is going on in the husbands mind we added an effect to the sound and made it echo, we adjusted the volume to make sure we were happy with how it sounded and worked visually and we were happy with the end product.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what did you feel you have learned in the progression from it to your full product?
Whilst constructing our preliminary task we learnt a variety of skills. Firstly, during filming we were able to try out using the cameras we were going to use to film our final opening sequence so it was a good opportunity to get to know how to use the camera properly. As part of the task we had to use the 180 degree rule properly, for this we had to research and learn what the rule was and make sure we used it throughout. We did manage to do this successfully and understood the importance of it. Another important aspect of the prelim task that we had to make sure we included was making sure there were no continuity errors, we also managed to do this successfully and realised we must make sure this is kept up throughout the opening sequence as well as the prelim. Once we'd filmed our short video we then had to edit it, to do this we used Final Cut Express. Just like the camera this was our first opportunity to work out how to use this software, this was made easier by having a member of our group that is use to using it, she was then able to teach us how to use it. As part of the task we had to shot/reverse shot editing and action match editing. We successfully included both of these. We could also learn the basics including importing the videos onto the software, cropping videos and how to export the final video in the correct format for uploading it to YouTube.
We also had to make sure the sound was okay throughout, so firstly whilst filming we made sure the actors spoke loudly and clearly. We also did the filming in a quiet room to make sure there was no unwanted ambient sounds. Then whilst editing we made sure we cropped out anything that shouldn't have been there, for example any laughing or any directions from the person filming.
As well as the filming and editing the prelim task also gave us a chance to plan the scene and direct the actors and for us the same actors did the prelim that were going to star in the opening sequence therefor was a chance to see how good they were as actors and how well we all worked as a group. We also had to plan the speech and where the actors should be at different times. As a group we worked well planning the piece and directing the actors to do what would work best.
The preliminary task acted as a good opportunity to practice these skills for our main task however since then our skills have greatly developed. Firstly our filming skills have improved as we were able to try out different angles and shots and figure out which would work best in different situations and learnt how to explain why we used these shots, for example low angles to make a character look more dominant and controlling. We also made sure the 180 degree rule that we learnt in the prelim was kept up throughout the main task if necessary. We were particularly happy with the camera shots we got for the credits as we used a range of different angles such as extreme close ups of the wife to make the viewer feel more involved and a loose frame so it makes her seem smaller and the room bigger to make her look vulnerable and isolated.
In regards to editing I feel this is where our skills have developed the most as for the prelim all we really had to do was import, crop and export whereas for our opening sequence we were learning how to do new things such as adding effects, transitions, adding text, changing the sound (either the volume or adding an effect) and our end piece was a lot more advanced due to the editing knowledge we were able to use throughout. We choose the best edits for the situations in our opening piece for example fades to blackouts if we want to make it clear the next scene is a different location or something new will happen like the transition between the sister being at the door and them putting up posters.
We choose three different pieces of music for our opening sequence, the first was a mysterious and creepy piece that it almost uncomfortable to hear which symbolises that for some our film will be uncomfortable to watch. The next piece starts when the husband enters the cellar and as this is the climax of our opening we choose music that will get even creepier and has a very eerie feel to it. As well as the music we also had the sound of a heartbeat through the cellar scene and the credit, this was the heartbeat of the wife and show she's scared and worried about her safety. Since the prelim activity our sound skills developed greatly as we had more than dialogue to include and we had to learn how to choose the music effectively and make sure it all blends in nicely. We also had a flashback in our opening and to make it clear this is going on in the husbands mind we added an effect to the sound and made it echo, we adjusted the volume to make sure we were happy with how it sounded and worked visually and we were happy with the end product.
And in terms of planning and directing I felt we succeeded as we worked well as a group, we all had our different jobs so it worked out. For example if two of us were acting and one filming the other person would be able to stand back and see It from and audience's perspective which allowed them to see what was working and what wasn't. Although the was not much dialogue in our piece we wrote a speech and made a storyboard which helped us stick to the plan however we found when filming that some things weren't going to work and there were some things that would work better and our communication as a group allowed us all to share thoughts and opinions so we were able to change what we weren't happy with. This was better than during the prelim as our opening sequence needed a lot more planning and we successful in this.
We didn't have too many problems when filming and editing our preliminary task. Whilst filming the only problem we had was making sure there were no continuity errors, as we were going to cut the scene at certain points to move the camera however we realised this wasn't going to look realistic and wouldn't all match, to over come this we kept the camera in the same spot, especially at the end when the actors stood up.
Whilst editing the only issue we had was that some of our clips disappeared after we'd uploaded them, however as we'd just filmed it we were able to just plug the camera back in and import them again, although it wasn't a big problem it did waste a bit of time for us and it was something we didn't want to happen in our opening sequence in case we weren't able to get the clips back.
We didn't want to encounter the same issues in our opening sequence so made sure we learnt from them. In terms of the continuity errors it was trickier than in the prelim as our opening sequence wasn't all shot in the same day, therefore we had to Make sure the characters looked the same and that everything matched. One way we made sure this was the case was by checking the clips after filming them to make sure it all matched and whilst watching back and in the editing process we didn't come across any continuity errors so we know we were successful in learning from our mistakes before.
In regards to the issue with the disappearing clips this did occur a couple of times however there wasn't anything we could have done to prevent this and the first time it happened we did loose our work however from then on we learnt to be extra careful in making sure everything was saved and this made sure that if we lost any clips we would still have what we'd done so far. Therefore this didn't cause us too much trouble when it came to our main task and we were able to include every clip we wanted to.
Overall in the two tasks we've been able to learn and develop many new skills, mainly that the most important part in the editing process is to save our work regularly as it saved us a lot of time that we could have wasted by losing it and having to re do it all. We also learnt the importance of the 180 degree rule and continuity errors, both factors allowed both pieces to look a lot more accurate and realistic. Teamwork was a massive part of our work and Without the communication and different ideas we had in our group I don't think our work would have been successful, everyone played a different part in the process and we all worked hard and got everything done that we needed to.
Written by Jessica Granger
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