cool stuff

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

2. PLANNING STAGE
• Looking back at our preliminary task and final product, there were a few
similarities, in terms of the planning process, and differences, such as
equipment used and depth of research.
• For our preliminary, we were only allowed a short amount of time for
pre-production; which included planning the narrative, location, dialogue
and making sure we fit the requirements needed. Since the time we had
for all 3 production processes was very short, our preliminary was not as
high standard as our final product.
• For our thriller opening, pre-production took weeks; where we planned
initial ideas as well as final, researched deeply into the thriller genre, get
stars and plan scripts and health and safety etc.
• I believe this enabled us to collect the right amount of information
needed, like the characters and their dialogue, what camera angles to
use etc., in order to have a much better and improved final product.

3. PRELIMINARY TASK SHOTS VS. FINAL
PRODUCT
There were many similar shots between our preliminary and final thriller
product (all photo comparisons on the next slide):
• Shot-Reverse-Shot (SRS) – we used for the preliminary, since it was one
of the requirements, when the characters were speaking and also in our
thriller in the interrogation scene. We added this type of shot because it
adds to the continuity which is important in making the audience feel
like they are watching the action there and then.
• Back Shots – these were used in both to increase tension, in different
ways. In the preliminary, it was used when the protagonist was running
to the room. Here, it was used in a faster pace to increase tension
whereas when we used it in the final product, it was longed out to
increase anticipation and tension.
• Mid-Shots – they were used in both preliminary, to establish who the
protagonist is, and in the final product, to build some sort of
relationship with the protagonist by revealing more of himself.

4. COMPARISONS
Preliminary Script Final Product Script
Final Product Back
Action Shot
Preliminary Back
Action Shot
Final Product SRS Final Product SRS Preliminary SRS
Final Product Mid-Shot Preliminary Mid-Shot
Final Product Still
Back Shot
Preliminary Still Back
Shot

5. OTHER SHOTS
Here is the 180 degree rule. We used this in both preliminary (left) and final product (right), especially during
shot-reverse-shot. This was important in keeping the audience feel comfortable while watching because it
adds to the continuity effect.
180 degree rule: the basic
guideline regarding on-
screen spatial relationship
between two characters.
We used match on action in preliminary (left – reaching for the door) and in the final product (right – taking gloves
off). This also adds to the continuity effect because we can see that both characters are doing a specific action and
the audience is aware of this through match on action. Our intention of these shots were to signify the characters’
actions and emphasise the importance of them.
Match on Action:
editing from one shot
to another view that
matches the first shot’s
action.

6. EQUIPMENT
• In our thriller opening sequence we used a variety of different
equipment for this whole process, such as a dolly and mic.
• However In the preliminary we didn’t, all we used for production was
a DSLR camera and a tripod. At first we were very confused and
cautious we didn’t really know how to use the camera as we did not
know how to change settings or filters etc.
• In addition to this, we did not know how to rely on tripod as at times
within our preliminary some of our filming is very shaky.
• In the editing process, the editing is not as fluent as we would like as
we mainly focused on making sure we kept the 3 aspects within.
• As a group we feel that we are much more confident using the
equipment. At first we were all quite confused and query about how
to use the camera. However, after having learnt the instructions and
practised, we felt more experienced when it came to filming the
thriller because we were much more prepared as opposed to when
we filmed the preliminary.

7. EDITING
• We all collectively believe that our end product was a big success. With the help of the high
quality equipment we were allowed access to, our thriller opening was realistic as many aspects
were able to compare to many real thriller films.
• It also looked incredibly professional as we used equipment like the camera tripods (large and
small) and the dolly to ensure that the footage didn’t look shaky and unstable but instead look
very pristine and professional.
• With our knowledge of real thriller films we knew that if the camera footage looked very shaky, it
was either to look intentional in order to suit the narrative or because it was very unstable and was
being filmed by amateurs.
• However, saying this, one filming problem had to have been in the first scene of our opening as
we filmed the main character walking forwards. We intended to have the camera move smoothly
but due to the absence of the dolly for practical reasons, we were unable to attain that effortless
footage.
• Gaining practise from editing our preliminary tasks allowed us to use editing skills for our thriller
opening. Continuity editing was one of the skills we learnt from the preliminary. It is very vital for
films to have continuity editing for many reasons, such as making the audience feel part of the
action and keep the audience aware of what is chronologically happening.
• Final Cut Pro was our main editing software – it helped us have a good preliminary and a great
final product. Editing on Final Cut Pro was initially difficult to comprehend when editing the
preliminary, but the more we used it, the more we knew how to control our editing. All in all, our
end product was the majority of what we intended and we are all very proud of it and each other.