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Forming Groups for the Preliminary Exercise
Personally, I did not enjoy the Preliminary Exercise because I was extremely shy. In terms of group work, I felt slightly overshadowed by some members of my group who were confident in what they were doing so therefore I didn’t have the courage to give tips or my thoughts. -
Learning how to use a Camera & Edit
As my group experimented with the camera and different shots, I learnt to know what worked well and what didn’t, which was very helpful when filming the Opening Title Sequence. For example, some POV Shots of the male walking were not the same pace of walking as shown in previous shots. Looking back at the Preliminary Exercise, some shots weren't positioned very well in terms of camera placements and tripod stability. -
Research into the Thriller Film Genre
I began to research into the Thriller Film Genre and the history of what makes a good thriller film. This started to give me ideas about thriller hybrids and what my group could potentially use in our Opening Title Sequence. Looking at fonts, titles, sound, colour grades and mise-en-scene gave me an insight as to what makes a successful Thriller Film. -
Forming Groups for the Opening Title Sequence
At first when our group was formed everyone felt a little awkward and held back, rather than confidently sharing and expressing ideas. Unfortunately I was absent for the initial ideas planning, but when I returned I was well informed by my group what was shared. I felt comfortable to pitch a few of my own thoughts, but there was still the atmosphere and vibe that our group had not yet bonded. Despite that, we soon overcame that and got on so well. -
Ideas & Pitch Presentation
After learning what worked well in the Preliminary Exercise, I had so many ideas of what shots we could potentially use in our Opening Title Sequence. For example, I immediately began thinking about title placement and how we could use a letterbox to align them. Our group was really well organised and met up in a local library to continue with planning and the pitch presentation, ensuring all our ideas were ready to present. -
Planning the Filming Day
Charlotte, Sam and I distributed roles within the group fairly, making sure that we all had something to do which best suited our skills. This was a variety of recces, shot lists, costume & prop ideas and shooting schedules. We wanted to thoroughly plan so that on the day of filming we would not waste any time making last minute decisions, which was exactly how things worked out. -
Filming the Opening Title Sequence
On the day of filming, we arrived to the locations ready to set everything up and get started right away, according to our shooting schedule. Depending on who was able to access the camera when filming different shots, we all filmed parts of the Opening Title Sequence at some point, all with ambition and eager to get the best possible outcome of the shot. To do so we checked the White Balance, ISO, focus and alignment, just as we had learnt to do in the Preliminary Exercise. -
Editing Begins
After filming the Opening Title Sequence, we began to edit according to our Storyboard. I created the Rough Cut which was done very quickly. After checking it and deciding what worked best when visualising it with a filmmaker's eye, we rearranged a few clips and also cut them down or extended them. Continuity editing had no issues, so the sequence flowed seamlessly. Having said that, we did play around with different lengths of each clip to ensure that it was match-on-match action. -
Re-shoot
After a rough-cut made in post-production, we filmed some extra footage of the antagonist and victim so that the plot would be realistic. Thankfully, these shots were filmed indoors so the weather did not strike as an issue. We knew exactly what we needed to film: the victim being dragged through the door, so we ensured all props and costume remained the same as the original footage. -
Finished Opening Title Sequence
After editing a lot to get the best possible outcome of our Opening Title Sequence, we finished and exported the video. Over the course of both the Preliminary Exercise and Opening Title Sequence, I learnt a lot of personal skills such as confidence and teamwork, as well as technical techniques. I found it so exciting so see my visualisations become a reality, however I have learnt that sometimes not everything goes as planned so trial and error are how to overcome it.
