1) For the preliminary task, the filmmakers cast friends with little preparation and were more focused on camera angles than acting quality. They learned the importance of proper casting and preparation. 2) For the full film, they cast one consistent actor and planned locations, shots, and storyboards extensively in advance, leading to a more polished final product. 3) Techniques like shot reverse shot, the 180 degree rule, and match on action editing were attempted more in the full film than the preliminary task, showcasing improved filmmaking skills.

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

2. When it came to casting the characters for our preliminary I just rang up a few friends and saw who was available
to create a small film in the snow. When they arrived I just told them what to do then let them improvise if they
forgot what they were saying. The entire thing took about 20 minutes to film, and I was much more concerned
with camera angles than I was the quality of their acting. They were far more interested in getting the filming over
and done with so we could all go play in the snow- without a camera. The entire thing lacked professionalism.
Preliminary Task
Film introduction
To resolve this problem of actors being unenthusiastic towards being part of our film we decided to cast Jamal as
the only actor and then write the story around him portraying an alternative version of himself. We also did this
because in our previous shoots a lot of our actors would leave halfway through- when it was appropriate for them.
Casting Jamal also meant I didn’t have to explain much to him, he knew what was going on throughout which
vastly increased our productivity.
Pre-Production :casting

3. One of the only things we decided not to change was location we filmed in. During the preliminary the only reason
we used Mike’s house was because it was practical and accessible. When it came to filming the Final piece, we
decided to change the location to a more modern and smaller apartment in the centre of Windsor. We thought this
would vastly improve our mise-en-scene because at the time we were trying to show the home of a wealthy
businessman. However the lack of natural light, at a very dark time of year, meant we had to rely heavily on
artificial lighting. Unfortunately the lighting in the house was also dim and each shot required colour corrections to
make each scene continuous. For this reason we decided to go back to our original choice.
Mike’s house:
Windsor apartment:
Pre-Production :locations

4. Pre-Production : storyboarding and
scripting
Throughout this entire film making process we have maintained the opinion that storyboards should be the
building blocks of a film, just without the cement. We found out that no matter how well planned a shoot was, we
could never replicate what was on our sheets. This was for several reasons
• We believe it is healthy to improvise and experiment, which planning stifles.
• Some limitations can only be discovered whilst filming (some things can’t be anticipated).
• During several shoots, me or Jamal would get a sudden brain wave and follow that, instead of the storyboards.
However this doesn’t in any way mean that planning storyboards, scripts and shot lists isn’t important. For our
preliminary I wrote the storyboards and thought of the script about twenty minutes before we started filming;
when it started snowing. The result was nowhere near enough shots and a rather pathetically thought out story.
What this did teach us was the importance of planning way in advance.
For our final piece we decided to avoid this by planning each idea thoroughly- whether it be on scrap paper or
blank storyboards. This led to far more shots than we could ever use in the final cut, but meant we had more
options and didn’t have to re-shoot as much as we would have had too.
Pre-Production : character development
While filming our preliminary task we unintentionally stumbled across the technique of character silence. In the
preliminary task the protagonist remains completely silent up until the point where the antagonists ‘defeat’ him
and he flees back inside. We wanted to re-create this in our final task because it helps build tension. The silence
intrigues the audience, so that when the character does finally speak they concentrate on the dialogue, more than
if he had walked around the house talking to himself. We also used this to shroud the main character in mystery, so
that when he finally reveals himself to be ‘happy go lucky’ the audience becomes confused. We believe that this
makes the character more quirky, due to the graphic conflict on screen.

5. Types of shotPreliminary Task:
Close up Medium shot Medium long shot
Film introduction:
Close up Medium shot Medium shot (wide)
When we originally created the preliminary task we did so without any experience, and little knowledge, of which
types of shots are suitable for which situation. We discovered that when filming within a small house, the majority
of your shots need to be Close ups and medium shots. This is because the closed in walls and lack of
manoeuvrability mean the excess detail captured by long shots deters away from the message you are trying to
convey. Although we did capture some long shots in the preliminary task, we didn’t use them in the final cut
because they weren’t as aesthetically pleasing. Due to this, we decided while filming our film introduction that we
would concentrate on the medium/close ups because we much preferred them. The other reason we didn’t use
long shots is because the poor capture quality of the camcorder meant the shots we did capture were grainy and
one dimensional

6. Shot reverse Shot
Preliminary Task:
Film introduction:
Shot reverse shot is a fundamental piece of continuity editing which we knew we wanted to include in both tasks.
During the preliminary shoot we didn’t use Close ups of just the face, instead choosing to include the upper body
in the shot as well. We decided to zoom in a bit more while filming the introduction because we didn’t have an
interesting backdrop worth capturing. Shot reverse shot also aided us when it came to creating two Jamals because
it meant we could also rely on simple editing techniques, as well as the more advanced cookie cutter method.

7. The 180 degree rule
Preliminary Task:
Film introduction:
The 180 degree rule is basic guideline which is concerned with the relationship between two characters onscreen.
It dictates that an axis divides the two characters along a 180 degree line, preventing the camera from crossing the
line and confusing which side each character is on. For instance a character which is on the right will remain on the
right hand side for the duration. This prevents the audience being confused by changing their perspective.
In the preliminary task we followed this rule, but had few situations that allowed us to use it. We decided that we
wanted to showcase our film making talents in the introduction, by trying to follow this rule at all times. This
meant for a much more enjoyable viewing experience for the audience.

8. Match on action
Preliminary Task:
Match on action is a basic type of continuity editing which means give more detail of an action without disrupting
the audiences viewing experience.
In the preliminary task we only used match on action twice, mainly because we only created a small clip. However
it did teach us that consistency with the actors body movement is extremely important when trying to maintain
continuity. In the film introduction we were constantly using match on actions to create a clear style and build
tension. Early on in the film we decided to use a match on action consisting of three different clips. This was mainly
because we really wanted to experiment with our editing and camera work.
Film introduction:

9. Post-production: Making two Jamals
The 'living room shot' was extremely difficult to film. It involved using a stationary camera and imagining an
invisible line going across the room. At no point could Jamal cross this line, because if he did, which ever part of his
body which crossed it would become invisible. This also meant I could sit in front of him and give him hand signals
to show him when to talk, and where to speak etc. Jamal#1 would say his lines and act imagining Jamal#2 was in
front in him. He would then get changed into the costume of Jamal#2, then say lines and act imaging Jamal#1 was
in front of him.
Editing these two clips together took a rather long time. First I cut the clip into the two separate clips I needed. I
then split one of the clips in half using a rectangular cookie cutter. The line I chose to split down was the
doorway, because its dark and if you look closely there is a shadow which naturally splits both shots anyway. The
part which took the longest time to edit was perfectly lining the shots up with one another. I had to go through
frame by frame to match up each characters movements perfectly. Then the shot was finished. This shot was far
more ambitious than anything we tried in the preliminary

10. Post-production: Credits
While editing the preliminary task we chose not to include credits because it didn’t seem suitable. The entire clip
lasted about 30 seconds, meaning would unnecessarily extend it. However we did discover, researching
professional film introductions, that film credits were a generic inclusion in almost every single film introduction.
We were heavily influenced by the film ‘Cabin in the woods’, which is why we decided we would use a similar style
of superimposed titles. This was a way of paying homage to something that had so strongly influenced our final
piece.
Film introduction:
Cabin in the woods