Evaluation Question 7 - Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

My Preliminary Task Film

Main Task

Planning of 'Exchange'

Through the process of creating the final product I have learnt that the planning stage of a film is extremely important in the creation process, and further in the construction process also. The planning allowed our group to emphasize and further develop our plot line, characters and locations to create better aesthetics and atmosphere of the film, this we did not do in the preliminary task. Planning was very scarce during the preliminary task and this shows due to the length of the film, the characters, location and the mise en scene. The lack of planning therefore creates a more boring and less interesting scene whilst compared to the final product it looks particularly amateur. Storyboards and shot lists also allowed the construction process to be quicker and more accurate to our original storyline and filming ideas, refering back to these plans from the planning stage during the construction of the main product allowed the group to film the opening quickly and accuratley.
The planning allowed the group to further emphasize the films atmosphere in the construction process such as the style, graphics, mise en scene, camera work, lighting and sound.

Recce filming

A recce filming of the locations we would use in the main task was extremely useful as it meant that we were able to look at the footage and locations and what they would look like on tape and the lighting that was needed to create a clearer and less grainy camera image. The use of recce for our main task also allowed us to adjust the shots of our film and choose particular shots we liked and disliked and therefore change certain aspects of our shot list and storyboard therefore enabling us to create a better looking film by getting rid of poor shots that looked bad on film or did not add to the suspense of the opening. I have learnt that a recce is very useful before beginning to film, there was no recce before the preliminary task and therefore benefits of a recce are not shown.

Camera Work

The preliminary task only exhibits camera work techniques such as panning, tilting medium/ long shots, whilst the main task shows many more. Camera work is shown in the main task to add more to the opening scene such as the effect on the audience, the preliminary task does not do this and the camera work is very poor compared to the final task. I have learnt that the use of camera work adds a lot to a film visually and the way an audience reacts to it, if the camera work is poor such as uneven shots or rough pans then it is most likely that the film will receive negative feedback. The preliminary task contain these factors, such as the uneven long shot from down the hallway and the pan of the person walking to his chair, this has meant that the film does not look as good and very amateur. The use of camera work also allows the audience to subconsciously make judgement on the film, in our main task we aimed to use empty frames with only Tomos inside of them, such as him walking down the alleyway by himself. This was used to create an isolation around Tomos and portray that he was alone implicitly without the use of props or dialogue, the audience would be able to make their own decision on what had happened to Tomos and therefore make the film more interesting for them.

Lighting and Sound

Lighting and sound are key to the style of our film the vibe it gives off to the audience, for example the music out of the train station is too represent Tomos' emotions as he goes off to a strangers house in a foreign country. The sound editing inside of the house was also important to add effect to the scenes such as the emphasized closing of the front door and Tomos' bedroom door to show implicitly that he may be being trapped inside the house. The sound editing also enabled us to get rid of background noises to get a clearer, crisper sound to the scenes and also make the bedroom scene have an ominous atmosphere and make the audience feel more wary. The lack of sound in the preliminary task means that there is less atmosphere in the scene and therefore would make the audience less attracted to it, also the background noises are still there meaning that the dialogue is less effective to the scene. I have also learnt that the use of lighting makes a film more professional in its style, the preliminary task has only used natural lighting and whilst this was okay during the filming as it was during the day, our main product was shot at night and therefore we did need the use of artificial lighting such as portable lights. Lighting enables a more professional look to the film as it keeps the image clearer rather than without the use of artificial light the image would become grainy and less attractive.

Graphics

Our main task features various uses of graphics, unlike our preliminary task which contains none. I have learnt that the graphics allow a film creator to add a particular style to a film and therefore making it look more attractive and visually interesting to the audience. The film contains title graphics and also our film title 'Exchange' which all use the same font (Confusion Girl) and are specifically placed in the frame to correlate with the scene. For example when Tomos walks past the wall, the title are swiped at the same speed he walks past them (0:29). The graphics were added using the text tool in Final Cut Express and were positioned on certain areas of the screen with the use of adding another layer, therefore allowing free placement of the text. Since the preliminary task then I have learnt how to create and place text on Final Cut Express and therefore created a unique graphics scheme for the film opening.

Editing

My editing skills have improved greatly since the simple editing used for my preliminary task with the use of the program Final Cut Express 4. The editing that was used for my preliminary task was very basic and only consisted of continuity (0:03)and shot reverse shot editing (0:13-0:21). The final product however uses various forms of editing such as cross fades (1:52), fade in and fade outs (1:45) and also including continuity (1:07) and shot reverse shot editing (0:59-1:07). My ability with Final Cut has improved greatly since the preliminary task has improved greatly through time spent in the editing process of the main product. 

Sound editing was also used in the main product unlike the preliminary task which contains poorer sound quality. With the use of a boom pole during filming and also post production sound editing skills we were able to get a clearer sound and enhanced dialogue. The use of the various tools allowed some sounds to be heightened and furthermore adding suspense, such as the door slamming in the house to create a sense that Tomos was trapped. We also wanted to create an atmosphere that Tomos was isolated, therefore editing in the room meant that the background, diegetic sound was reduced to allow the soundtrack to suggest isolation. The use of editing in the construction was vital to create our final product, whilst in the preliminary task there is little it shows to be a much less interesting piece.  

Software and Equipment

I have improved my skills in the use of film software and equipment greatly since the filming of the preliminary task to the finished cut of the main task. During the preliminary task the software and equipment I used included only a tripod, attachable microphone, a HD camcorder, Apple iMac and Final Cut Express 4 with limited editing. Compare this number with the amount used in the creation of the final product which included all the software and equipment used in the preliminary task as well as a boom pole, portable lights, light battery packs, iMovie and Final Cut Express with use of all tools. The tripod use in the preliminary task compared to the main product is alot better due to the better knowledge of how to use it in filming such. Levelling the tripod was key to creating a good professional looking film, this we learnt how to do with the use of the customisable leg heights and the spirit level underneath the camera mount. The lighting equipment also enabled us too gain better quality footage, we did not need to use artificial lighting in the preliminary task however due to the natural light, therefore I have learnt how to use the lights and the battery packs since this task. My experience using Final Cut Express has also increased and since the preliminary task, the preliminary task only contains a camera cuts with no effects on the transition on these cuts. Since then I have learned how to add effects on these transitions and also add text to the sequence so we were able to add title sequences and also our film title.