EVALUATION 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what have you learnt in the progression from that to the final product?

CAMERAWORK

In the preliminary task, we used mainly long shots and medium shots and a few medium close ups. We used no extreme close ups which was quite unwise, as it meant that the audience didn't have enough emotional connection with the characters.

In contrast, our final production contained a range of shot types such as extreme close ups. This helped characters feel the exact emotion of the character and have a connection with them. We also used a lot of POV, this was so the audience could see themselves in the shoes of the character and therefore engage with them more. Canted angles were also used to demonstrate the disorientation of the characters and their situation as this is a thriller. This variety of shots allowed our opening sequence to excite the audience and exemplify their attachment to the characters.

CAMERAWORK

In our preliminary task, we used one movement which was very swift. This meant our task lacked dynamics and structure. The lack of movement forced the piece to remain slow and unengaging.

In our final production we used much more camera movements. We used pans and tilts. For example, when Emily was hiding behind the tree and Kevin was behind her, we used a pan to show the audience that he was there but Emily didn’t know he was. The pan showed dramatic irony. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something the characters do not. Because of this understanding, the words of the characters take on a different meaning. This can create intense suspense as the audience can anticipate what is to come.

CAMERAWORK

Looking back at my preliminary task, I have learnt many things about the use of camerawork. In the preliminary task, we used a small variety of shots, movement and angles. This was amplified drastically in our final production.

In the preliminary task, we used a small range of shots, this included long shots, over the shoulder shots, and medium close ups. There was no change in the angle and very little movement. In our final production, we used a low angle shot on our main character Emily while she was tied up, to demonstrate her vulnerability. By researching different shot types, we realised that we can portray our characters feelings and emotions through our use of angles.

CAMERAWORK

The composition of our preliminary task was to a good standard. However, the over the shoulder shot proved quite difficult for us to frame. In our final production, our shots were framed quite well as we used the rule of thirds to capture our characters. We had no dialogue or conversations and therefore didn’t use any over the shoulder shots.

We also included depth of field which is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image. We found this quite hard to capture and used editing to make it look better.

EDITING

The editing of our final production was much more continuous. The framing was tight and the sequence flew well. In our preliminary task, due to our lack of shot range, the editing lacked pace, making it seem quite boring to watch in comparison to our final production.

In our opening sequence, we filmed each shot from a range of angles allowing the editing to be much more swift and fast-paced which we believed was necessary for a thriller. This made the editing seem more refined as the editing helped tell the narrative.

EDITING

The transitions we used in the preliminary task were very rudimentary. We simply used straight cuts throughout the sequence. Due to our inexperience with editing at that time, we didn’t use any other transitions.

In our final production however, we used a wider range of transitions. We used fades, to slow down the action near the end when Emily was hit. This was done deliberately as the audience wouldn't anticipate what would happen next.

We also used a jump cut when changing scenes. This was to keep the action going and keeping the audience interested and ensure a smooth transition.

EDITING

Another major factor that differentiated the preliminary task and the final production was sound. In the preliminary, we used one soundtrack for the entirety of the scene. There were no sound effects or ambience sounds. This meant that the scene lacked verisimilitude as there were no sound effects.

In our final production we used 2 types of score music, for the two different locations we filmed in. Each soundtrack applied to each location. We also added ambience; for example in the forest scene, wind was added.

Other sound effects such as Emily kicking the door were also added. These small sounds came together to make a greater impact.

180 DEGREE RULE

The 180° rule is a cinematography guideline that states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another.

In the preliminary task, we did not break the 180 degree rule. This was mainly because the sequence was too short and didn’t have any crossovers, therefore it was easy for us to maintain the rule.

In the final production, we broke the rule a few times as we had a bigger location (the forest) and more shots to film. This meant we had to re-film in order for our plot to make sense

POINT OF VIEW

Point of view was a hard shot to master. It was crucial to maintain the eye level of the character whose point of view it is. This is so the audience are aware that they are seeing the action from the characters’ point of view.

An example of this shot would be in the forest scene when Emily was running.. This shot was used to show her disorientation as she was running from the killers.

Point of view was used to make the audience become a part of the action, thus making them immersed into the experience.