Shooting, editing and performing preliminary task
During September, when we started work on the preliminary task, I was unfamiliar with most of the terms specific to filmmaking and had little knowledge of how to actually put together a short film. This quickly changed because I began to learn about camera angles and shot types, something that I felt was an extremely important part of my development and growth throughout the thriller film production. Prior to the preliminary task I began to find out about the different shot types and what kind of emotion or symbol that they were used to connote. For example, a close up shot is used to convey the emotions of the character and also to engage the audience, whereas a low angle shot is used to show that the character or object is intimidating and powerful or perhaps has a higher status than the other characters. Some of the terms that I had recently learnt were the 180 degree rule, an integral part of filming when shooting a conversation or a piece of action as to not confuse or disorientate the audience. In addition to this, I also learnt about match on action, these two techniques were used in the preliminary task and then developed in the thriller production; therefore I was able to incorporate them efficiently into my work, showing progression.
The preliminary task required us to shoot a brief sequence, however as I was acting/performing in the task I was unable to film any of the scene in which the conversation takes place. However I did manage to practice using the camera and the format of film during the walking scenes. Thankfully, due to my prior knowledge in photography (from using a stills camera for the majority of my Art GCSE) and also doing AS level photography, I already had sufficient skills in this area; therefore I didn't really gain any new skills that I could take forward to the thriller production seeing as I already possessed them. However, in performing in the preliminary task it allowed me to get a better idea of how we would do the casting for the thriller production and what we would be looking for in the cast, all because of my experience as a performer/actor in the preliminary task. For example, we would need to avoid casting people around my age to play gangsters or hardened criminals because it would not be credible or the slightest bit believable; I learnt this because during the preliminary task my group had to change our idea because of this very problem (I was going to play the role of a teacher). The easiest way for us to cast for the thriller production was to use people that we knew because we didn't have a budget and the time limit was pressing.
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| Learning to use titles in Premiere Pro. |
Research into the thriller genre
After the preliminary task I had to complete a number of case studies, looking at the openings to several thrillers in order to analyse the generic conventions used/challenged in the first sequence. This greatly helped myself and the other members of my group when it came to understanding what had to go into an opening scene for it to hook the audience in. For example, I researched "Once Upon a Time in America", "Taxi Driver", "Kill Bill" and other films that came under the genre of thriller in order to see the difference in techniques used and also the similarities in techniques; thus allowing me to identify the generic conventions of thriller openings and how to challenge them. Studying the openings to these films meant that I understood what an opening should look like, whereas during the preliminary task I didn't really know what should be in the miss en scene; therefore I have progressed in terms of knowing how to compose a shot in the style of a particular genre. Researching other films really did help when it came to planning our own thriller production because we already knew what kind of lighting, camera angles, sound and location etc. would signify the thriller genre; therefore we knew what to try and include in our thriller film to clearly connote the generic conventions of the thriller genre. Another aspect that we took more care with in the thriller production was costume, we chose each characters costume carefully; thinking about what each garment could connote and how similar their costumes were to those from other thrillers. This greatly contrasted the preliminary task, in which we simply wore our normal clothes without putting any thought into what they symbolise. My group also found that enigma and cliffhangers are a vital part to an intriguing and engaging film due to the research into the thriller genre (for example, the briefcase in "Pulp Fiction"); therefore we tried to incorporate these media techniques into our thriller production as fluently as possible in order to make sure the audience would be pulled in right from the start.
An example of the research that I carried out on "Taxi Driver".
Shot list and storyboard
When planning the preliminary task, one of the important elements that we had to carry out was the storyboard and shot list; actually envisioning what the production would look like. I learnt that a shot list (link to the shot list for the thriller production - http://hamishmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/thriller-film-opening-shot-list.html) is vital to a well organised shoot in terms of keeping on schedule and also remembering which shots should be used to signify the genre. Although storyboarding can be helpful to get an initial vision of what you may want the film to look like, I found that it was not an integral part of the actual production because it is often likely that the film will take a different shape when your shooting or you may have to improvise due to the location or environmental interruptions. Instead of storyboarding, I went to the location to take some still shots and experimental film; this I found to be extremely useful because it gave me a much better idea of what shots could be used where and how we could tailor the action to the location, ensuring a smooth shoot.
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| Example of a shot from the initial visit to the location (Anglia Square) |
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| Example of storyboarding from the preliminary task. |
Editing the thriller production
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| RGB curves and fast colour correction, used to add a colour grade. |
Prior to the preliminary task and the thriller production I had been using Adobe PhotoShop for photography and so I was already familiar with some of the layout and the functions. Fortunately this did help when using Premiere Pro because some of the skills and knowledge was transferable from software to software, such as using the RGB curves and changing contrast/brightness levels. With thanks to the preliminary task, I had basic knowledge and understanding of Premiere but I felt this was inadequate for the thriller production because I understood that it would need to be completed to a higher standard. With this in mind I began to play around with some of the different tools and functions in Premiere and also looked at some tutorials on YouTube to help me with specific points. For example, I looked up how to use keyframes in order to make the production name zoom in towards the screen. I have progressed greatly in the post-production side since the preliminary task and this is evident in the contrast between the quality of the preliminary task and the thriller production. Whilst the preliminary task gave me the basics, I then went on to learn about how to use audio transitions to make cutaways much more smooth in terms of change in audio levels; I learnt how to use keyframes to animate the production name, thus giving a professional/cinematic look; I learnt how to colour grade using RGB curves and fast colour correction and I imported non-diegetic soundtracks/sound clips and used them in the project. |
| Keyframes, used to animate the production title. |
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| Example of the colour grade used in Transit. |
Due to being in a large sixth form there were people in my class who I had not previously met or worked with before. During the preliminary task I was put into a group with other members of the class who I had not yet had the chance to speak to, this was actually a positive element of the preliminary task because it allowed me to develop my communication skills and team working skills, both of which where transferable to the thriller production. With thanks to the preliminary task, I was able to get my ideas and opinions across clearly when working with my group for the thriller production; I was also able to listen to others and accept their criticisms on my ideas. I found that this was extremely helpful when coming up with the plot because we could all be honest with each other and share ideas. Additionally, the class members who were part of my thriller production group where more familiar, so working and communicating in confidence was not a problem that any of us had.
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| Blog comment from my tutor. |
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| Footage shot in 1080p, showing the clarity of the scenes we were able to capture |
Individual contributions
For the preliminary task we were not required to find a soundtrack or add any extra audio, however for the thriller production the soundtrack and diegetic sound were an integral part of the overall film. When it came to finding a soundtrack my group looked at other thrillers that had soundtracks that helped to build tension. For example, Tick of the Clock in the crime thriller "Drive" was an important influence because it really adds suspense to the mise en scene. I went away with this soundtrack in mind and searched a website called Audio Network for similar soundtracks that would add a building tension to our production and would also help to set the pace of the action. This area definitely showed progression from the preliminary task because I faced a new challenge of finding an un-copyrighted soundtrack and incorporating into the project in Premiere. Once I had found the soundtrack and showed it to the rest of my group, I downloaded it into my iTunes before uploading it to the project in Premiere, adding it to my sequence alongside the footage. I had to shorten and change the sound levels a few bits in order to emphasise certain bits of diegetic sound.
Tick of the Clock, heard in the getaway scene in "Drive"
Even before my group got together to start planning I had already thought of the ideal location that our production could take place in, this being Anglia Square car park. I had been to the area previously to do some photography and quickly noticed its potential for a gritty thriller location. This idea was then further backed up when I began to do my thriller research because the car park was a generic location due to its claustrophobic atmosphere and intimidating stature. Several thrillers make use of car parks, such as "The Killing", "Drive" and "Emulsion"; therefore the location seemed fitting, especially as media productions such as "Kidulthood" and "Essex Boys" depict urban locations similar to Anglia Square. I approached the other members in my group and proposed the idea of using Anglia Square as the location and they agreed that it would make a gritty location for our crime thriller production.
When trying to think of names for the thriller, we tried to think of words that would like to the plot/action depicted in the film. I came up with the name 'Transit' because it directly links to the events seen on the screen, seeing as the main character is delivering unknown items in his rucksack and the antagonist is driving a van, commonly used to carry items; thus being in transit. When carrying out research I noticed that many films use this technique, such as "Se7en" and "Drive". I also used this technique when coming up with the production name 'Electric' because Bill, the antagonist of the film, is supposedly an electrician and the word electric connotes danger, power and death; thus linking to the plot. In addition to this we had to think of names for the characters, I came up with the name Hanna for the female character because we initially wanted to try and challenge the generic stereotypes of women in film. Therefore I based the name on the thriller 'Hanna' due to the main characters drastic change in representation of young women in film. This was also a progression from the preliminary task because again, names of production company, title of film and character named were not something we had to think about.
When we were making the preliminary task and actually filming it I didn't take a very active role in the actual filming part due to acting in it. This time round I took a more active role within the production of our thriller film by filming each scene on my DSLR along with another member of the group. This allowed me to gain a lot more experience using the format of digital film and meant I had a better understanding of what looked good from behind the camera.
At the editing stage of the production, we split off into groups to make our own edits/cuts of the footage. I was working by myself whereas when editing the preliminary task I was working with another member of the group. I think editing by myself allowed me to progress quite a lot in terms of the technological side of editing because I was preforming all of the functions/using all of the tools to create the final cut. After editing together the thriller production I feel that I am at a much higher level of skill when it comes to using Premiere Pro, I have shown that I am able to edit to a particular standard and the final cut of Transit shows this.
Audience Feedback
After finishing the post-production stage of the thriller film, I had to gather feedback from an audience in order to evaluate how well it reaches the target demographic. I did this by using questionnaires in order to receive feedback on specific areas/elements of the final cut. The feedback that I received was better than I had expected. The audience managed to follow the plot without any major confusions about the plot. One of the questionnaires did state that perhaps shooting the van and the girl together in the same scene would help to clarify the fact that Hanna, the female character, was murdered by the van driver, Bill. Other than this however, feedback was mainly positive.
The audience rated the camera work and editing very highly (either a 4 or a 5 out of 5), showing the progression from the preliminary task to the thriller production. I think that this shows particularly the development that I had made during the post-production stage in which I edited a cut by myself. Additionally the audience gave the overall production a 9 out of 10; this to me shows that we effectively completed the task to a very high standard.
Strengths
One of the strengths of my thriller production is the location as it really does manage to capture the genre. The car park helps to signify the genre due to its claustrophobic nature and dim noir lighting, especially as the location itself is a generic convention of the crime thriller. This is a generic convention that we used to establish to the audience that this is indeed a gritty British thriller, much like "Top Boy" or "Kidulthood". Additionally the camerawork helped to give the film a cinematic feel; thus the audience seemed to be more attracted to the production because of this fact. As the film was nicely shot it helped the audience to identify with the film through aspects of the mise en scene, which helped to make up for the detached characters. As one of the audience members said "nicely shot, great lighting too"; thus we efficiently made an appealing production.
As it is often said, the film is actually made in post-production because this is where footage either makes the cut or not and where things are put into order and perfected. I am confident in saying that my editing skills played a part in the quality of the overall product because the footage cuts smoothly and the way that I have ordered the footage within the sequence effectively builds tension. If the film had not been edited well enough then it could have easily taken away from the suspense that we were aiming to create.
Lastly, the soundtrack was definitely a strength because without it the film lacked tension. When the soundtrack was added the tension was subtly built throughout the opening and it also helped to set the pace of the action. In addition, this also helped with the editing of the footage because I knew when to cutaway to certain clips.
Weaknesses
When watching back over the footage with my tutors it was noted that some of the scenes weren't really well lit enough to gain a clear perspective of the action that was taking place. An example of this is when the main character, John, picks up Hanna's broken watch. This could have been improved through the use of artificial/non-ambient lighting, but seeing as this can often be a lengthy and expensive process we decided to leave it due to the time and budget restrictions. To try and combat this issue I changed some of the brightness and contrast levels in Premiere Pro but this was also a limited process because the more the brightness increased the more noise became present in the image, thus reducing the overall quality.
As highlighted previously, the connection between Hanna waiting for John, Hanna and the watch and Hanna getting killed by Bill could have been made clearer. This would have greatly improved the understanding of the narrative for some of the audience and may have made the overall production more appealing. After this was also pointed out by one of our tutors we were going to go back and re-shoot some of the scenes in order to try and gain more clarity, however this had to be scrapped again due to time restrictions.
After completing the final cut I noticed that the colour grade could have been emphasised slightly more in order to give the footage a gritty feel. This was also picked up by my teacher and a member of the audience. I could have improved this by going back to the footage and tweaking the RGB curves to give the film a blue or green tint. Therefore the overall production could have been more familiar with similar thrillers.
At the editing stage of the production, we split off into groups to make our own edits/cuts of the footage. I was working by myself whereas when editing the preliminary task I was working with another member of the group. I think editing by myself allowed me to progress quite a lot in terms of the technological side of editing because I was preforming all of the functions/using all of the tools to create the final cut. After editing together the thriller production I feel that I am at a much higher level of skill when it comes to using Premiere Pro, I have shown that I am able to edit to a particular standard and the final cut of Transit shows this.
Audience Feedback
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| Some of the audience feedback from the questionnaire. |
The audience rated the camera work and editing very highly (either a 4 or a 5 out of 5), showing the progression from the preliminary task to the thriller production. I think that this shows particularly the development that I had made during the post-production stage in which I edited a cut by myself. Additionally the audience gave the overall production a 9 out of 10; this to me shows that we effectively completed the task to a very high standard.
Strengths
One of the strengths of my thriller production is the location as it really does manage to capture the genre. The car park helps to signify the genre due to its claustrophobic nature and dim noir lighting, especially as the location itself is a generic convention of the crime thriller. This is a generic convention that we used to establish to the audience that this is indeed a gritty British thriller, much like "Top Boy" or "Kidulthood". Additionally the camerawork helped to give the film a cinematic feel; thus the audience seemed to be more attracted to the production because of this fact. As the film was nicely shot it helped the audience to identify with the film through aspects of the mise en scene, which helped to make up for the detached characters. As one of the audience members said "nicely shot, great lighting too"; thus we efficiently made an appealing production.
As it is often said, the film is actually made in post-production because this is where footage either makes the cut or not and where things are put into order and perfected. I am confident in saying that my editing skills played a part in the quality of the overall product because the footage cuts smoothly and the way that I have ordered the footage within the sequence effectively builds tension. If the film had not been edited well enough then it could have easily taken away from the suspense that we were aiming to create.
Lastly, the soundtrack was definitely a strength because without it the film lacked tension. When the soundtrack was added the tension was subtly built throughout the opening and it also helped to set the pace of the action. In addition, this also helped with the editing of the footage because I knew when to cutaway to certain clips.
Weaknesses
When watching back over the footage with my tutors it was noted that some of the scenes weren't really well lit enough to gain a clear perspective of the action that was taking place. An example of this is when the main character, John, picks up Hanna's broken watch. This could have been improved through the use of artificial/non-ambient lighting, but seeing as this can often be a lengthy and expensive process we decided to leave it due to the time and budget restrictions. To try and combat this issue I changed some of the brightness and contrast levels in Premiere Pro but this was also a limited process because the more the brightness increased the more noise became present in the image, thus reducing the overall quality.
As highlighted previously, the connection between Hanna waiting for John, Hanna and the watch and Hanna getting killed by Bill could have been made clearer. This would have greatly improved the understanding of the narrative for some of the audience and may have made the overall production more appealing. After this was also pointed out by one of our tutors we were going to go back and re-shoot some of the scenes in order to try and gain more clarity, however this had to be scrapped again due to time restrictions.
After completing the final cut I noticed that the colour grade could have been emphasised slightly more in order to give the footage a gritty feel. This was also picked up by my teacher and a member of the audience. I could have improved this by going back to the footage and tweaking the RGB curves to give the film a blue or green tint. Therefore the overall production could have been more familiar with similar thrillers.
British Film Institute (BFI) film academy
Alongside my media AS level I had applied and gotten into the BFI film academy. This course greatly helped me to improve in most aspects of filmmaking, especially scriptwriting and filming. This was because I took an active role in filming a short film with the group, as I was given the job of cinematographer along with another member of my thriller production group. This academy really helped me to develop and progress to where I am now; for me this is evident when you look at the thriller production and the short film that I made with the BFI.
What is the most important thing you have learnt about filmmaking since the preliminary task?
I have learnt that it is important to use generic conventions in order to make sure the audience understand what you are trying to achieve, but at the same time it is equally important to not be too rigid and challenge generic conventions from time to time in order to come up with an innovative production. The most memorable films are the ones that are different from the rest; therefore I learnt that it is a good idea to have a twist or something that challenges the norm in order for the film to have an effect. I have also learnt how to make a film, this is important because I can continue to develop filming and editing skills to make better productions in the future.
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