Opening Sequence - Final

Target Audience review of opening sequence

The review above is from a 17 year who is clearly a good judge of the film as he also studies media, the age is also included in our target audience so this helps as he not only says what he thinks we did well but also says what we could have improved

                                          

The above is an interview from a 10 year old and shows clearly what age group we do not think should be part of our target audience which is why the 10 year old says that he doesn't think it is appropriate for his age group but he does say that the concept is good and that he likes the plot

                                          

The review above is from a 15 year old that is included in our target audience as the younger part of it, the comments were clearly positive and she lists clearly what she likes about the film while also providing points of improvement that we could make

Overall the above interviews not only show the target audience we are aiming for but also allows us to see what we did well as a group in filming such as good camera angles and an interesting plots compared with the improvements we could have made which were mostly to do with casting so clearly it was just the acting that might not be great but overall all of the comments are generally positive

Evaluation Task 7 - What have I learnt in the progression from the prelim to the final product?

Looking back at the preliminary task, what do I feel I have learnt in the progression from it to the product?

Once my group and I began to film the prelim task we were all unaware of how to use the camera, as it was the first time using a professional camera rather than our phones. When looking at the storyboard we had first thought that this was to all be filmed in one take. We didn’t know we had to shot it from lots of different angles. As well as this, we were given a storyboard which was simple and easy to follow for our prelim task and instructed us most of the way. On the other hand, we had to write our own concept, plot, storyboard and sequences for the film, which was challenging and took a lot of time due to it being the first time doing this. Another thing, we had to do which was different to our prelim was we has to come up with our own storyboard with a variety of different shots and show we would actually shoot our film, this was difficult as it was the basis for the idea and needed to be as accurate and detailed as possible for the ease of filming and the whole project.

     

In our Prelim task their where 3 main shots: a close up shot, wide shot and a medium close up as well as the use of a tracking shot in our prelim which taught us the use of this kind of shot as it creates suspense and brings the viewers into the moment. The main are 3 very simple and effective shots people use. But, it won't make the film as good as it good could be as it isn't as sophisticated as it could be. However in our film there were a variety of shots including an establishing shot and even a tracking shot, which we used a special attachment that allowed the camera to remain stable for as well as close ups and over-the-shoulder shot as well. The camera we used for our prelim task and our final film was different. In our film, one of the members of our group had a professional camera which we decided to use for both convenience, quality and experience with it. The fact that we used a better quality camera was a major help as it provided better quality and easier filming, as we had no big camera to drag around.

 

The Mise-En-Scene in our main task was planned in advance. We created a storyboard of how we wanted to set it out. As well as this, we created blog posts based on location, set and props. The location of our thriller was mainly focused in one place. It was located in a suburban house in order to show a real life aspect of killing and created a more believable film. Our actor wore dark clothes to symbolize violence and darkness. We used many different props such as, cleaning supplies, a knife, a phone, plastic sheeting and fake blood. These props all played a huge part in film and created suspense in the film.   The mise en scene in our prelim consisted of corridor and a staircase for the set. We had no props so the clip is just all dialogue with the use of a tracking shot. Due to the lack of substantial costumes, props or set, which are all contributing factors to a successful film, we produced an ineffective piece, which was very regular and create little suspense.  The mise en scene in our film was more effective than in our prelim task, as we spent more time making sure that everything was correct and tried to include as many factors as we could in order to make the film the best thriller it could be.

The most challenging part I think in both tasks was the Editing. This was done on software called Premier pro. We began looking over all our shots we filmed, the software allowed us to see all of the filmed scenes and then cut and edit each clip to the exact specification we wanted however due to being unfamiliar with the software when filming the prelim it was much more complicated to edit and therefore is worse in terms of the running being smooth and the cuts and changes between scene being much more noticeable and grainy as we did not know we had to render at this point however once it came to the final product the software was much easier to work with and therefore we created a better product with better editing. We learnt many different things from this software for example: that we can zoom in on premier pro as well as render a project to improve its running time and its quality. This meant we were able to zoom in and crop out additional things in the picture that was not needed and improve the quality to ensure we had the best rendering of the product. When editing the prelim task, I struggled, as it was my first time ever using this software so I was new to it, which meant I wasn’t sure what all the options meant. However, after editing my film, I feel more confident using this software and editing clips as I spent more time on it and was able to use the help of others in making the product the best it could be. Below is a video of the editing in progress and showing how the transitions were beginning to come together to create a good product.

In a thriller sound is the most dominant feature for an effective film as it not only sets the scene but tells the audience what to feel and think such as tension, fear or happiness. Therefore, we made sure it played a major part in our film to ensure that the opening sequence was as effective as possible. Throughout our film, we have used sound effects to create suspense, tension and fear. We used sound effects, such as a stabbing sound when our victim is stabbed. This was because; it enhances fear for the viewers and creates more authenticity. In our prelim, we did not use any sound effects as this was not in the task and we did know how to at this point. This was because we were unaware of how to use the software confidently, which withheld us from making an effective prelim. Sound is such an important part of thrillers as it sets the scene for the audience who are supposed to be gasping at certain moments which is why there is sharper and more harsh music and then to build tension more mysterious and ominous sound is used to scare the audience and cause them to be part of the film and the situation. This allows for the stereotype of audiences to be more accurate as those who are on the edge of their seat will be the people that pay attention to sound. We also used a foley sound to create a realistic stabbing sound which we could not have used in the prelim as I did not know what this was, below is how we made the sound. 

Evaluation Task 6 - How have I used digital technologies in my production?

Evaluation Task 5 - How have you attracted / addressed your target audience?