Final edit of Preliminary task

The end product of my preliminary task is satisfactory. In the short space of time that was given to brainstorm, plan and film it, I feel that I have learnt valueble lessons on what to take into consideration when filming. This was also my first experience with editing clips and unwanted footage on the software 'Adobe Premiere Pro'. Effects are used in the Final Prelim task such as Fade in, Dissolve and Slow-motion. This has given me a better of understanding of when and why effects are put into place. The flashback moment in this clip is when a close up of the antagonists face occurs. He is looking back at when he robbed the phone which we fade into and therefore make slow-motion, making it more obvious to the audience of what he is doing. The change in colour contrast from colour to black and white portrays a flashback.

The camera that we used to film this was a 'HD TTS Camcorder' which as you can tell doesn't catch the full visual display very well, along with poor capture of sound and dialogue. In order to achieve maximum effect with filming the thriller, better equipment needs to be obtained to do so.
Ambient sound occurs throughout, noises in the background like people chatting in the common room is sometimes heard which can cause distraction to the audience. This suggests that the location of filming needs to be made independent to you and can be managed under a certain amount of control. The establishing shot is also rather shaky. This is the flip camcorder being on quite a poor unstable tripod.

The actors that we used aren't real actors either, getting hold of the actors we wanted was the last minute job on our list. Planning went elsewhere to what we wanted to film and not who we wanted in it, which needs to be considered when filming the thriller.

We obeyed the unwritten rules of filming as we didn't disrupt the 180 degree rule.

Storyboard

- The storyboard was the last few changes that were made to the prelim task before we started filming. Illustrations of the facial expressions explain how the characters are reacting. This can give us more of a mental image to work with and what shots need to be used and when to capture the right moments.

- We used clear instructions and guidance tips alongside the drawings. This made us think into more depth of what shots we wanted to use at what specific times. Laying out the filming process like this can help you develop an understanding of what might need to come next. If it isn;t planned and just spontaneously filmed, mistakes can't be avoided or changed. Planning all these scenes can put you in the situation that you will be in mentally and allow you to replicate a dilemma if something does go wrong and how you can change it.

Prelim dialogue

- The script that I had initially written changed a great amount whilst we were shooting. The language is far too complicated, it isn't what a student would normally use on a daily basis. This little error however has taught me that in order to film something, less is more. The amount of detail that can be focused on different factors such as Camera, Editing, Ambient sound and Miss en scene can make create a lot more for the scenes with little dialogue.

- It is quite awkward to think of dialogue to be exchanged between two characters when a storyline isn't really established. 3-5 lines of dialogue isn't really enough to call a full conversation so using various different shots and camera angles of the conversation made up for what was missing.

- I do think that the thriller trailer task will suit me more as I feel I have have quite a good attention for detail with what elements of the enviroment I want in the shots. It is obvious that in the prelim task, practise of the camera shots was the priority and to get used to using one. Dialogue in the thriller also should be easier to write as a broader storyline can be established and conversations can be made to match this storyline.

Rules and shots used in the Prelim

- This was a note taking and research page that I did to follow any unwritten rules that TV drama's use for dialogue. The 180 degree rule must be taken into consideration. It is easy to confuse the audience when the camera shoots behind themselves in the same take. The enviroment seems to change perspectives from where the camera is shooting. An invisible line should be envisioned when filming to achieve this.

I also took notes on the exact shots that I would use in the prelim task. Using too many shots and cuts during a simple exchange of dialogue can cause distraction to the audience for what is happening. Angles of the shots used more than once must be the same aswell as it is an easily detectable error for the audience to pick up.

An explanation of why the 'establishing shot' is used is on this sheet. It is used to portray the characters enviroment and emotions before filming. Tight shots are used to help the audience engage with the characters as te camera gets closer and closeer, focusing purely on facial expressions.

Brainstorming Prelim

The A3 Brainstorm sheet turned out in the end to be over complicated. The ideas I came up with to do with miss en scene and sound are all ideas I can use effectively in the likes of my thriller trailer as with the prelim task, time was limited to finish shooting.

Camera action and shots that are in this brainstorm sheet are used in the prelim task. A selection of various shots and cuts maintain the dialogue to be free flowing and seem more like a reality situation.

A basic storyline was created to enhance on the storyboard. The whole idea was for a rebellious sixth former to have robbed another students phone. Confrontation eventually occurs with the victim finding out who robbed it and getting it back.

Miss en scene was a thought that we looked at quite closely. Attempting to portray a stereotypical image of a 'criminal' type character with trendy jeans, leather jacket and cigarette. This would make identifying the criminal easier, turning attention of the audience to be aware of what is happening.