Questionnaire Feedback

After creating the questionnaire I handed 10 out to friends and 1 family member, 5 males and 5 females. We received positive feedback which we will take on board when making final decisions on our movie. 

From our feedback we learnt that the audience want to see a thriller movie set in a dark ominous room for a gangster based thriller. One person had included that an old fashioned snooker hall would be a good set for a British gangster movie. We also had 9 out of 10 people saying that the movie would benefit from a black and white effect. This was great to hear as a black and white effect has been an idea of ours since day 1. From our feedback we have learnt that a one word title is considered for a thriller movie as it creates suspense and makes the audience want to watch our film in order to understand the title.

As a result of question 8 we received an answer from a friend which we saw as very interesting as they suggested that we merge the theme of gangster with psychology. As we had not thought of this before we have now learnt how questionnaires can benefit decision making. All the feedback we have received will have an effect on our decision making when making the film.

Questionnaire

                    Questionnaire

1)       Gender

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2)       How old are you?

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3)       Where should a thriller be set?

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4)       Reasons as to why you think the location you recommended would benefit our film

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5)       What expectations do you have of a thriller?

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6)       Are one word titles better suited in the thriller genre?

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If you think that a one word title does not suffice, your reasons as to why you think this will be appreciated

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7)       Would our short film benefit from a black and white effect? (yes, no)

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8)       Which sub–genre appeals to you? (please tick)

Gangster …

Medical based …

Disaster …

Psychological …

Jack Norton

BBFC(the british board of film classification)

Codes and Conventions

Evaluation of Another Group's Preliminary

I am evaluating Hannah Hall’s groups preliminary. I think that the first shot of the character walking down the stairs is very good as they use the close up very effectively. I noticed throughout the short film that we did not see the characters face. It was unclear whether this was on purpose or not. I think that as the length of the film is very short, it was not very effective to not see the characters face. For the purpose of the film, it was a better idea to show the characters face. There is also a dissolve in the middle of the film which doesn’t have any real effect to the film. I also think they were better off not having this part in the film.
There are two uses of match on action. The second one use is a good match on action as it is clear that she is entering the same room that was when she the other side of the door. Also the editing was good, as it was hard to see where the cut was from. The first match on action was not as good as the first as first as it was the same door used. It was also not a direct shit of the character walking through the door.
The overall video was good as it stuck to the rules that were set at the start. It used the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot/reverse shot. The shot were all used well because in the conversation at the end, the eye lines matched up so it was clear that they were looking at each other.

As Media Preliminary Task

Post Production Preliminary

Jack and I found post production the hardest as it was all knew software that we were using. But as we got used to it, it became easier and easier. As we had lots of footage, it took a long time to get it all onto the system because it loads at normal time. Once the footage was on, we ran it through three or four times to give ourselves a good idea as to which part of the footage we would be using. We already had a fairly good idea as throughout the filming, we were continuously playing the footage back to make sure that it was good enough.

The editing was easy enough once we decide what parts of the footage to use. We played through the clip until we got to the part that we were cutting out, then we would pause it, split the clip and then delete the unneeded part. This did not take as long as I thought it was because we were already quite clear on what parts we wanted to use. We edited from the beginning so as we cut each part out, we could play the film through to see if we were happy with it.

Once we had done the cutting of the film and were happy enough with the continuity of the film, we could then focus on the sound part of the film. We decided to have Jacks footsteps getting louder as he walked down the corridor to create some tension. But we found we moved to the close up of the hard on the door, which the footsteps did not match up to the footage before which is something we would have to look into more during the real film. We also made the sound of Jack hitting the table a lot louder so that it would be more affective.

Overall I think as the task went on we learnt more and more which would be massively beneficial in the final film. We knew that we would have to plan our film more than we did for the preliminary. Also we knew that continuity was a lot bigger factor then we first thought. Also we now knew how the editing would work on the software so we could film so that it would match the editing used of the software.

Prelimiary Production

The production was the most enjoyable part of the task as it was the first time either of us had done anything like this before. As we had first feared the filming on the first lesson other ran so therefore we would have to use a different location but luckily George still had a free during our next media lesson. The reason that the filming over ran was due to the fact we were not 100% sure on what we were doing which is something we would have to improve on during the real filming.

We decided to film every bit of footage three or four times to give us different options in the post editing to which piece to use. This also took up more time during the filming but was very beneficial at the end of it. We also shot the shots from different angles and different positions in order to give us different options as to what looked better.

We started of the filming with Jack coming through a door and then walking down the corridor. We made sure that his uniform was smart to give the right impression to the audience that he was a strict teacher. At first Jack looked at the camera a few times so we had to re film. This was something that we got better on throughout the filming. We then switched positions so that I was next to the door that Jack would be entering through. This enabled us to have a close up of Jack entering the class room. I continued filming for about five to six seconds at the end of every shot to enable us to make sure we had enough footage and could edit out unwanted footage in the post production. This was as much footage as we got on the first lesson so we would continue on our next lesson.

As we came to our next lesson of filming we also realised that the continuity would be affected due to the fact that we had a different classroom. We also found that the clothing would be different in the rest of the film but we did not have enough time to wait for our next lesson so we just had to get on with the filming. Our next shot would be a match action shot as that was on the criteria. I would change from being next to the door, to being inside the classroom on the other side so that I could fit the whole of Jack in the shot. We thought that this would be better use to show the power that he needs in the film. I shot the film with Jack walking in and then sitting down. I was zoomed in at the start of the film and then slowly zoomed out to give the impression of authority further as he entered the room. I also left the camera running for a bit to enable me to get what I needed and edit out the unneeded parts.

I then moved the camera to the other side of the room to film George talking. This was so that I could use a shot/reverse shot as that was also in the criteria. I had to make sure that on each of the shot/reverse shot that the character who was not talking, still had his back in the film to give the impression of a conversation taking place. As George said his line; we decided to have him slowly moving back in his chair to give the impression of a disobedient student. This was also too further creating the authority needed for Jacks character. Georges Uniform was also shown as being scruffy to further exhibit this part of the film.

For the next to shot; I had to switch sides again for the shot/reverse shot making sure that I was sticking to 180 degree rule which was also in the criteria. I tried to use a lower angle for this to exhibit more power for Jacks character. As Jack was walking towards George I moved the camera up slightly aswel to also create a lower angle to show power. After this shot we cut to a shot of Nathans face which is a piece of footage that was filmed at the end of the film which we then edited into this part of the film, in post production.

For the final shot; I changed positions again making sure I was sticking to the 180 degree rule. We decided to use a 2 shot as Jack was taller than George there was no need for a low angle shot as power was already shown for Jacks character.  We had George walking out of the classroom and nudging past Jack. I panned across following George leaving the room. Throughout filming we found it hard to stick to the plan for different reason so we used it as much as we could but at points we had to improvise.

Pre-Production of Prelimiary

The pre-production was the planning of the short film which we found the easiest. As we would be filming the film in school Jack Norton and I decided fairly quickly that the film should be about a student and teacher. As we decided this so quickly it meant that we were able to get on with the making of the storyboard a lot quicker than we would have been if it took us ages to decide what we would be filming. We knew the shots that were needed in preliminary task therefore we made sure they were in the storyboard and in the film which gave us the outline for the story.

In pre-production we instantly realised that Jack Bone would not be in for the preliminary task therefore it would have to be filmed with two of us. Therefore in pre-production we knew we would have to find another student (George) to act in the film for us. The problem that we ran into was the worry that when we were filming we had to make sure that there free periods covered the same as our media lessons so the continuity side of the editing would be better.

Our first decision was how to start the scene; we had three options which were to have Jack coming up the stairs, down the stairs or walking down the corridor. We decided to go with the corridor as it was our first time at filming we didn’t want to complicate things too much.  The picking of a setting for the film was problematic because we wasn’t sure how long filming would take and whether we would still have the same classroom for our next lessons. We decided to try our best and if it did over run, then use the footage from before the entrance to the classroom and then have the match action shot of a different classroom. The continuity would not be perfect but it was the best way to do this rather then wasting a lesson.

Preliminary Criteria Camera Shots

Match on Action

A match on action is a piece of camera work that shows the same piece of action from two different camera angles. This enables the camera to change room or scene but viewer can still see that the action is taking place at the same time. An example of this would be someone walking through a door. The first shot would show the man going through one side of the door. The other would show him on the other side of the door.

Shot/Reverse Shot

This is a basic idea of camera angles shooting a conversation. The camera changes from one side to another to give the viewer the impression the two characters are looking or talking to each other. The other character is usually not on screen but sometimes the other character is on screen. This shot could also be used with a point of view shot or an establishing shot.

180 Degree Rule

The 180 degree rule means that the camera cannot cross the line unless you pan across. This is because the eye lines of the two characters do not match up if you keep swapping sides of the line. This rule is key to be able to keep the idea of an interview. Crossing the line could also cause confusion and disorientation.

Preliminary Storyboard

We created this storyboard before we started filming our preliminary. This was so that we had a plan to stick to if we got stuck on what to do. We didn’t stick 100% to the storyboard because as we were filming we found that we could develop different ideas in order to make the preliminary better. But we used it to something to go back to. The storyboard was definitely worth while doing as it gave us a good back up plan.

Year 13 tips

At the start of the course the year 13 gave us some useful information to the course to ensure that we know how to achieve the higher grades.

·         Try to achieve around 2 posts a week to ensure we stay on top of the coursework.

·         To Blog everything.

·         Technology is just as good as written work, therefore it is important to take photos when filming in order to show our knowledge of camera shots.

·         Make sure everyone pulls their weight to stand a chance of achieving the grades.

·         Delegate work evenly.

·         Filming should not be left to the last minute as there should be plenty of time to correct mistakes.

·         Analysing other thrillers maybe useful.

·         Original plots are more appealing to the examiner.

·         Make sure you have all the equipment and the camera is charged when you go to film.

By Jack Norton