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

  I have learnt a great deal in media this year. Perhaps the best way to prove this would be comparing my preliminary task to my media product. 

  To start with, I must say that one of the most obvious changes was in the process of planning and preparing for the sequence. As a group we had to come up with a story line, and prepare an intricate storyboard to go with it. We then found a suitable location, cast and made a list of props needed, whereas for our prelim we were handed a fairly simple storyboard which we filmed in the nearest class room. Our prelim took us about an hour to film, our title sequence however took us months only to prepare.

In terms of camera use, I feel I have made a massive leap since our prelim task. For our prelim task, we used the most basic shots such as wide shots, close-ups, and over-the-shoulder shots. For our thriller product however, we have used a wide range of shots at an extremely advanced level. Other then classic MCU's and wide shots etc. we also used underwater shots, slow motion shots and crab shots by placing the camera on tracks. It is quite clear that we now have more experience behind the camera, and are efficient to film rather sophisticated products. We also payed close attention to the camera rules such as the 180degree rule, and also when it came to frames we took advantage of the rule of thirds.

When we were done filming, we went straight to the editing suite. Now, for our preliminary task, it took us quite a while to get around the program Final Cut pro. It was difficult to understand the new technology and it was also a challenge editing for the first time. When it came to our thriller editing, we were very excited to get started seeing as we were now more familiar to the program. Our editing pace increased quite a bit as we got used to the technology. It wasn't long until we mastered Final Cut Pro.

Other then Final Cut Pro, we also used the program After Effects to add text and sound. We hadn't used this technology for our prelim task, to which the only sound was the one recorded on the camera. For our thriller in addition to the ambient sounds, we added all sorts of sound effects and non-diegetic tunes to reinforce the tension in the scene.