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

BRIEFS FOR EACH TASK -

Prelim - Film and edit a sequence that showed a person walking into a room and havign a conversation. Use match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule, paying close attention to continuity

Coursework - Film and edit a film opening which should be no longer than 2 minutes long.

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I have definitely learnt to use the technology available so that I can work faster and produce a better product. In comparison to my preliminary task, my final product has more variety in camera shots (frame types, movement etc.) and is edited well, I feel. Between making both products, I learnt more about the different film theories, for example, so I tried to implement this into my final coursework project, putting more thoughts into semiotics and narrative to create a more convincing product.

RESEARCH

Since my preliminary task I have learnt more about film theory and conventions as well as film institutions and audiences - I now have a better knowledge of how films are created.

I used new research platforms when doing my coursework project such as Imdb Pro, Youtube and social networking sites for audience research.

PLANNING



I planned my opening sequence for this project in much more detail, which gave me a clearer image of what I was aiming to produce. As a group, I think that planning in more detail helped to create a cohesive view of what we were filming, so that we could work as a group better. In my opinion it was very important to establish a concrete idea as a group, because with anything creative, everyone in the group visualises things differently. We had minimal disputes or disagreements in production as we had discussed everything beforehand. 



We used sotryboard and

 shotlists in planning



We storyboarded our sequence in both our prelim task and our main project, however our storyboard for Captive was done in much more detail, on post-it notes which we edited and moved around. There were more shots to plan in this project and I learnt that storyboarding helped to list and visualise each shot which helped with other elements of planning.

FILMING

We have had more practise since the prelim task and used more interesting shots in our most recent sequence as we felt more confident in doing so. I found it very useful to have done a prelim task, because during that process I learnt to use the cameras and how to set up the tripod properly. Since the first task I have also learnt more about shot type. I put into practise in this second project the different shot lengths (master, mid, close) which I feel I can use now to better effect. I now also know more about how to construct a seamless narrative, not jumping from shot to shot, but creating smooth transitions between cuts by going from close to mid to wide etc.

EDITING

The prelim task was the first time that I had used Adobe Premier Pro, so by the time we had finished our film opening sequence I ad much more experience in using the program. I can now edit faster and with more confidence.

EVALUATING AND FEEDBACK

We held an audience screening to receive feedback from our target audience, which is something that we didn’t do with our prelim task. Through this I have learnt about planning and publicising an event - we made posters and used social networking (Facebook) to spread information. When creating a questionnaire and gathering results, I realised that it was important to make questions specific, clear and to include some explanation. Now, in writing my evaluation I feel that I understand my product better, and feel that my planning and research has paid off. I can answer questions in more detail as I have a firmer understanding of how my product is constructed and why it is made in a certain way.


GROUP 6!

 Furthermore, I have learnt a lot about working in a team on this project. I have learnt the importance of good communication and organisation. Within the idea of organisation, I learnt that it is important to deligate jobs and to sacrifice some ideas if it means that the process will run smoother. With anything creative, people will have different ideas of what they think should be included, and it is important to remember that you can't do everything your way!