Evaluation of Final Clip for Preliminary Task 

 Throughout the preliminary task there were things that went better than expected and things that could have been changed to improve the quality of my video.

Strengths-  The lighting throughout my video is bright and clear.  This is good because it is easy to see everything that is happening in the video all the way through.

The characters remain focused throughout the video.  Their faces dont change and they stay set in charcter which makes the video look well rehearsed and proffesional.

The added sound effects of the stabbing noise and the opening of the door draw attention to these properties of the video.  This was done on purpose so that the audience hear these things more.

Weaknesses- There is some shaky camera work at a few points during my video.  I should change this by using a tripod to make it look better excecuted.

It is obvious at the point of the stabbing that the knife does not actually go into the character.  I should change the camera angle so that the action cannot actually be seen being done. 

Finally another weakness is that there was an intruder in one of my shots.  To improve I could've found a location where no one was there. From this I have learnt that I need to plan where I will be filming and ensure no one will be there when I am.

 The Final Edit of Preliminary Task

                                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzwjSEwTIQU

Editing the Thriller for our Preliminary Task

All the editing Izzy, Sam and I did for our preliminary clip was done on a software called Adobe Premiere Pro. The software wasnt as hard to use as it looked and after sir had explained the basics to everyone we got the hang of it. Even though none of us had used this software before it was really easy to learn how to use it and we all had ago at editing our film which has helped prepare us for our main task. Because we all had a chance to edit the filming we had done we was all happy with the outcome of our final piece. When we first started editing all our clips were already in the correct order which made it alot quicker for our group however when we had cut all the clips down to the parts we thought were best we realised they didnt go from one another very well and they didnt fit together smoothly. This wasn't a big issue as we found transitions that we used to connect them together better which meant the viewer wouldnt see which clips were filmed seperately as they all fit together very well. When editing we also added a sound base of ambience sound which we had filmed to the background. Because of this it meant we had to lower the background noise which meant certain sound efffects couldn't be heard aswell as we had hoped. So to make the sound more effective we found sound effects on a copyright free website and used these to create more tension and suspense within the clip and to also make it more interesting for the viewer. After adding the sound effects our final preliminary film was finished and we was all very pleased with the outcome.   

Filming the Thriller for our Preliminary Task

On the day of filming we decided the location to which we was going to film our smaller thriller clip. We was given a short amount of time in which we had to finish all of our filming as we had to meet all deadlines. However we ran out of time towards the end of the filming time due to finding a location being very difficult as a lot of rooms were in use. Also the battery life on the camera became very low when it cam to filing the last few clips therefore they were very rushed and not as good as we could have made them as we didn't have time to film each section more than once. Due to the short amount of time we are given to complete the preliminary task we didn't want to re film any parts of our film as it would mean missing key editing time which was just as important and it would also mean we would be behind everyone else.

    Me and my group worked very well together as we all took on roles to help make the filming quicker. Izzy and Sam both decided to be a part of the film and I was happy with doing all the filming. However even though as a group we decided it would be me doing the filming we all had a chance to film and get used to using a camera. We worked well deciding on the dialogue, camera angles, location and making sure equipment being used was used responsibly so no one got hurt.

     Because my group had worked very well together and all agreed on everything including the full planning of the film and what was going to happen in our thriller the helped to speed up the whole process making it a lot more fun and enjoyable. As we had a clear idea of what we was going to film it avoided any time within filming being spent on conflict about decisions. Even though we had planned everything when it came to the actual filming we made slight changes to certain things like the dialogue. Also we had planned to use a pretend gun but couldn't seem to get one for the day so ended up using a knife. Some of the camera angles we had decided on when planning were also slightly changed as when filming we all agreed certain angles looked better and were more appropriate.  

    In conclusion our filming went better than we expected and we were able to film each scene more than once apart from the ending due to the camera however this helped when it came to editing as we had more than one clip to choose from for each scene so was able to pick the best footage. This helped to make less work for us when editing.     



Group planning for Preliminary Task

The first two images show what my group planned for the film. It shows it in closer detail explaining camera angles and editing. It shows each shot separately so therefore separates the video in to more detail and how the clip was put together. 

This last image shows part of the planned dialogue and also the props my group decided to use and also any planning of costume.

The Lost Highway- opening scene analysis

The first scene of the lost high way begins silently, this is to help create suspense and helps to keep the audience on the edge of their seat waiting to see whats going to happen in the film. The beginning is also very poorly lit, low key lighting. This connotes danger as if something bad is about to happen and it also fits with the theme of thriller. However even though the room the man is in is poorly lit when he goes over to the window outside is very bright and holds alot of light, this suggests that there is something mysterious about the building after the prolonged silence at the beginning of the extract a long non diegetic piece of music begins playing. The long prolonged notes help to create tension for the viewer and also adds an uneasy atmosphere. The music is then cut out by a loud sound of a buzzer coming from the door. Following this is an extreme close up of the buzzer. This emphases the fact the buzzer rang and shows the viewer what the character is concentrating on. There is also a close up of the main characters eyes and this is used to show the audience his emotion and how he looks very calm. When the male character goes over to the window there is a long point of view shot of the street where the man is looking. This allows the viewer to see what the character is seeing and to experience things from his point of view. Throughout the extract the dialogue is very minimal and this also helps to keep the viewer on edge as they are unsure of what is exactly going on. However the minimal dialogue that is spoken is very simple. 

The Dark Knight Rises

The opening sequence of The Dark Knight Rises moves very quickly. Through out the opening sequence there are hints and clues as to what sort of film it is the whole way through. The opening titles of the film are on for around 2 minutes 30 seconds and the whole thing is in black and white. This makes the film seem very dark and mysterious and may also represent danger. This could portray that there may not be much happiness within the film and they are the conventional colours to represent batman.

'The Silence of the Lambs-  Opening credits Analysis

At the beginning of the opening scene of The Silence of the lambs the setting seems very mysterious. The establishing shot is off a dark spacey forest surrounded with tall trees making the area seem hidden. You are able to see the woods and the text 'woods near the Quantico' in the bottom right hand corner in the text Serif. This then leads to a vulnerable looking girl running alone. People could say that this could be seen as an old horror film opening. The opening sequence holds many Enigma codes these are questions being asked whilst watching the film, such as in this film, we ask, why is she running, why is she in the woods and who's after her? Later on in the extract you find out that she is actually doing extra police training on her own and no one is infact after her. This helps us to get an idea of the sort of character she is as it puts across to the viewer that she is hard working, determinated and wants to succeed. During the clip there is a tracking shot behind her following her running through the woods. This makes the viewer feel close to the character and as though they are running behind her. This also builds character and enables the audience close contact with the women who is running. Point of view shots are also used as the women is running through the woods as this makes it appear as though she is being chased, this helps to create suspense. At points through the beginning of the clip the camera seems to be held very steady this makes it feel more realistic as though you are the person supposedly chasing her, seeing things through their eyes.
   All of the opening credits are black with a white border and written in capitals. This could suggest things may be dark and dangerous on the inside but there is still something nice on the outside. This hints to the audience the type of characters that may appear in the film. The opening credits are in a bold font and are simple almost like newspaper headlines.This also could suggest the type of film it is going to be.
   During the opening sequence the male character runs into the scene and shouts "starling" this means we are introduced to the main female character by her second name which makes the film seem more realistic and as if we already know the character. The male character is also wearing a prop which is a hat, this shows us who the characters work for, the FBI.This helps to set in scene in the film for the viewer quickly and easily. Another prop used is signs which are attached to one of the trees. This helps to reinforce the location and where the film is set.
  As the main character walks into the building she is high- fived by another female character and is greeted by her first name making the viewer awhere of her first name, Clarice. Because of the casual greeting it shows her character gets on easily with others and she can be herself around them.When Clarice is surrounded by the other characters she immediately stands out. This is due to the height difference between her and all the other characters in the shot, she is alot smaller. This could suggest she doesnt meet certain things in the criteria to be part of the fbi or that she is at a disadvatage to the other characters. Also she is wearing different coloured clothes to the rest of the characters. This causes her to stand out as the other characters look more as though they are all part of some sort of group together. This helps to focus our attention on the her, reinforcing that she is the main character.