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Part 1a: Forming groups and working collectively on the project
When our group met for the first time, we began to mind map and share our own ideas to produce a film idea, we all had our own unique and interesting ideas, to choose the piece that we would go with, we all voted on our favourite idea. This made it so that the three of us all had a say in the decision and produced the final initial ideas through a joint effort. -
Part 1b: Forming groups and working collectively on the project
Once we had formed the concept of our film, we began to think about who we would delegate to each task; Becca was chosen to be the actor for our film because she suited the description of our main character. Elise was chosen to do the editing because she had experience with computers and technology, and finally, I was delegated to do the filming, because I had some past experience using cameras and film cameras in my spare time. -
Part 1c: Forming groups and working collectively on the project
Working in a group, was thought to be challenging, but we did not come across this problem as we were fair with our decisions, It was very rewarding after creating our piece well, because we used communication and worked together to produce everything that we did. -
Part 1d: Forming groups and working collectively on the project
Sometimes we found it challenging because our group was quite small compared to other people’s, but this also came to our advantage, because it reduced the amount of ideas we had to consider and also gave us less stress on how we would delegate each task evenly. -
Part 2a: Preliminary Exercise: a filming and editing continuity exercise
Because we had to shoot this from scratch, we learnt the difficulty of producing an opening title sequence and learnt the basic techniques of filming one. We were introduced to using a tripod and also the software: Adobe Premiere, using a tripod really helped make the shots a lot steadier and easier to film, on the software we learnt to edit these shots together correctly and well timed. -
Part 2b: Preliminary Exercise: a filming and editing continuity exercise
To fix this, we quickly re-shot so that we could connect the gaps together. When filming our last few shots of the preliminary exercise I thought I would try out using a tracking shot whilst also panning/tilting the camera, this pulled off well after a few tries and I was extremely happy with the outcome. -
Part 2b: Preliminary Exercise: a filming and editing continuity exercise
When looking back at the preliminary exercise, I think it went well, we used a large variety of shots and techniques which we edited together to produce a good sequence. When making this, we came across a few faults, for example we realised that when editing our piece, there were a few missing gaps in the timeline that made the video look un-professional and you could easily see that the when the actor was walking, it looked like she was teleporting. -
Part 2c: Preliminary Exercise: a filming and editing continuity exercise
When delegating the roles in our Preliminary Exercise, we split each task fairly so that everyone had done the same amount, we delegated roles the same as I did in my current group, I was chosen for my experience with filming, Katie was chosen to act because she did drama, and Elyssia was the director. When we planned our piece, we began to map out ideas, whilst I drew them down and sketched them out on a storyboard; this was an effective technique and worked hastily. -
Part 2d: Preliminary Exercise: a filming and editing continuity exercise
The Preliminary exercise helped me learn vital tips and techniques for my filming role, for example how to use a tripod and how to tilt, pan and track smoothly whilst keeping continuity, it gave me a chance to get to grips with Adobe Premiere and learn how to edit my clips together. The exercise taught me clever shots to use and to vary my shots when filming and not to use the same one, otherwise this would bore the audience and make the film less interesting. -
Part 3a: Planning and filming your Thriller opening title sequence
After finishing the preliminary exercise, I had taken on board a lot of skills and knew what I was doing. As soon as our group had gathered a storyline together, I could picture it in my head very easily and this helped us know what we needed for our sequence e.g. props, costume, location, make-up etc. -
Part 3b: Planning and filming your Thriller opening title sequence
Once we had had knowledge of what we were doing, we began to sketch out ideas and bring together the mise en scene, this was the key contribution to our piece and if we didn’t do it correctly, it could have easily spoilt the atmosphere and the film could have lost its suspense. -
Part 3b: Planning and filming your Thriller opening title sequence
The planning came in very useful and if we did not have it, the shooting day would have been a disaster, as we had a lot to remember and bring with us. Overall, I think the planning of the props and storyboard were what helped us the most to produce our piece. -
Part 3c: Planning and filming your Thriller opening title sequence
The filming day gave me a chance to experiment with my ideas and try out new shots and angles, the preliminary exercise day had given me confidence to do this. I used continuity editing throughout the bedroom scene in the sequence, this kept it smooth and did not disturb the viewer’s eye. -
Part 3c: Planning and filming your Thriller opening title sequence
The shot that I am most proud of is at the end of the sequence where the camera is steadily zooming in on a burning doll, I admire this shot because it instantly tells you the genre and also scares the audience. Another shot that I admire is at the beginning, where the camera is underneath a bed and a case is the main focus of the shot, then you can see footsteps coming along the bed and pull the case from underneath it, I like this shot because it shows creativity and is very unique. -
Part 3d: Planning and filming your Thriller opening title sequence
There was no need to do any reshoots in our project because on the filming day we filmed from 10am to 6pm. Within these hours we solidly filmed every possible shot we could and reshot every shot in case it was faulty, this gave us tons of footage, which half of, we didn’t even use, although it was good to have this spare footage just in case we needed gap fillers. One negative is that the weather was freezing, so a few of the handheld shots are quite shaky. -
Part 3e: Planning and filming your Thriller opening title sequence
In our sequence there was no dialogue, because of this, we did not get the chance to use the 180 degree rule, but we did use match on action a few times in the bedroom scene, for example when the girl is picking up and putting down the suitcase, this helped keep the viewer interested in some of the slow parts of our piece and let us show a wider variety of shots, it also kept continuity and made the viewer feel more part of it instead of just staring at a screen. -
Part 3f: Planning and filming your Thriller opening title sequence
In my opinion our final cut is great, because it sustains atmospheric tension from start to end, and the music really contributes to this, the mise en scene is also a massive contribution to the horrific atmosphere that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat, example of the mise en scene that provide this are the doll, the girls unusual clothing, location and the typical horror font. -
Part 3g: Planning and filming your Thriller opening title sequence
If I could redo my piece or do anything differently, I would try to explain the story a bit more, because in our current sequence, it is quite confusing and does not explain the story to its full extent, but this is also a good thing because you don't want to give too much of a story away when you’re only showing the first 2 and a half minutes. Another thing I'd do is find an adult actor, because it would make the story a lot more realistic. -
Part 4a: Editing
When doing the preliminary exercise, our group did not have much experience. When editing our piece, one of the teachers guided us through Adobe premiere and showed us how to edit the footage together, this gave us some simple knowledge about the program, but not a lot. Luckily I had already used this program before and new my way around it. -
Part 4a: Editing
Once we started editing our opening title sequence, I found that the preliminary exercise had helped and reminded me of the tools and techniques I could use. This was different from the preliminary exercise because we were given freedom to experiment on the program ourselves to discover effects that others didn’t know about; this helped make people’s films more unique and let us show the teachers our capability on the program.teachers our capability on the program. -
Part 4b: Editing
We found it a lot easier to edit each clip together and knew where to put each one, this was because we had kept the editing suite in mind on the filming day and storyboarded where each shot would go, this helped us save time and kept continuity between each clip, we made sure of this beforehand when storyboarding, if a shot didn’t work with another, we would put it somewhere else or discard it. -
Part 4c: Editing
Because we had more freedom, we began to explore the editing techniques that we could use in between, or on top of clips. So that some of our shots could blend in to the next, we used a lot of crossfade and dissolve in between, this helped keep continuity. To set the mood of the thriller horror genre we desaturated all of the clips to add a cold chilling feel. -
Part 4c: Editing
An edit that I am very proud of is in a shot where I have placed a title on the suitcase, when the girl drags the suitcase along, I have reduced the scale of it with anchor points whilst it’s being pulled away to make it look like it’s attached to the case, when the girl lifts it up I have used anchor points so that the title goes up with it , and lastly when the case begins to come from under the bed, I have used a linear wipe so that the title disappears with the case. -
Part 4c: Editing
When adding in the titles, I did not want them to take over the shot and pull the attention away from key shots, for this reason I used linear wipes, examples of a point where I used it was where the main character was walking where the text was and when she walks past it, it fades away, I think this combined the title with the shot and maintained a good balance between the two. -
Part 4c: Editing
Another edit that I’m pleased with is where we filmed a locked off shot of our character walking around her bedroom doing unusual things, so we could show the viewer her traits; we filmed for a good 10 minutes. In the edit, we cut the clip into different parts and layered it on top of itself, then increased the speed and lowered the opacity, this made a time lapse that looked like there were 3 of the same person walking around the room, this was a big success and made the girl look very creepy -
Part 4d: Editing
After this project, I have learnt a lot of new things and have really honed my skills in filming and editing. Whenever I watch a film nowadays, all I do I analyse them and admire the edits and shots that they use, this project has given me a lot of knowledge on filmmaking and I now understand how difficult it must be to create an entire film without losing the viewers interest.
