Q7 Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Overall, I feel that by carrying out the preliminary task, my success both in pre-production and post-production was far greater than it would've been without the experience. The prelim introduced me to new devices and software, however, I still found it challenging at times to use these when carrying out the main task.

In October last year as preparation for my media coursework, the brief for the preliminary task was to create and edit a video sequence which tells a story, follows continuity, and makes sense to the viewer. This is my attempt at the task, demonstrating a sequence of continuity and the use of  180, and 30 degree rule as well as match-on-action:



After completing and reviewing the prelim, I realised that i needed to be more conscious of certain things such as camera movement- as large changes in camera position caused jump-shots, having a negative effect on the overall continuity. Similarly, it was noticeable that my panning was jolted and could be improved by making a slower, more controlled movements of the camera, and more precise matches when attempting match-on-action..

However, for our main coursework task, we had to create a two minute film opening sequence, with specific instruction  to create the titles and opening of a new fiction film. Here is our final product:


In order to successfully meet the demands of the brief, our group worked together both during and pre-production with specific aims.

Pre-Production


Research and planning

Location- Living in London, we realised that we could use this to advantage, and set out in search of an estate to film on. It took a while to find a suitable setting with a nearby bus stop, however we soon found one in a suburban area. Here we could easily create and highlight the urban British theme. The less central location worked to our advantage as it meant that there were less shot interruptions and the surround area wasn't too noisy. The biggest problem we had with this location was that it was hard to access, however we solved this problem by getting lifts there and back with the equipment via car.

Script- We created a script to give to the cast so that they could effectively perform on the day of the shoot. We included relevant language to represent the age group and also London slang to highlight the setting.

-Whereas within the prelim, we did not construct a script, meaning that dialogue was much more basic and unprofessional, even improvised at times.

Having a script improved the overall organisation and quality of the production







We also created a storyboard to map out our initial plans of the structure of the opening. Although we did produce one for our prelim, it was much more basic, whereas for our main shoot we used colour coding and signs to represent shot types and specific editing for when it came to post production.

Similarly,  the creation and use of an animatic provided us with the opportunity to visualize the sequence and script, making it easier to pick out flaws and impossibilities in the sequence before taking it to production. This was personally a new experience for me, and I found it very helpful and easier to plan compared to the minimal preparation we had in the prelim.

After review, we realised that the structure needed to be reorder to make a clearer, easier to follow narrative. More importantly, we used it to work out roughly how long each shot needed to be.

Production

We knew that we needed to create a more complex structure of sequence compared to the continuity task, therefore our production process was much more intense.

When filming we set out strict rules as to what time and when we had to be on set, confirming them in a contract:


This ensured we were all focused on task and that filming was efficient and professionally executed.

However, this also highlighted a personal learning curve for me, especially when filming using the GoPro, a new piece of technology to me. The device took me a while to get used to, and as i was solely in control of it, it was my job to ensure footage captured was good enough to use in the opening, i had to experiment many times with the angling and mounting of the device.

Post-Production

- After the prelim, we were more familiar with the software we use:

- For example, we had more experience with the Adobe Premiere pro application,  therefore our editing was of a  higher standard- we used new tools such as colour correction and Procamp to grade and increase the quality of our footage compared to the raw footage of our prelim.

-We were also able to apply more complex changes to our footage- slowing it down and speeding it, as well as cutting, cropping, and overlapping video, utilising the timeline to create a seamless narrative filled with film devices and effects.

- The biggest improvement was that we clearly managed to ensure stronger continuity and prevent jump-cuts or the breaking of the 180/30 degree rules, meaning that overall, in comparison our main task looks far more professional, believable and aesthetically pleasing.