Chloe Daniels

Q7: Looking back at your preliminary task what do you believe

you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

I think that within this process I have developed personally as a filmmaker.

Regarding filming in particular I believe I now think more carefully about having a
steady hand whilst using the camera as well as thinking about using important
apparatus such as tripods. Ive also become to think a lot more carefully about shot
types and the variety we should include when filming anything, to avoid boring our
audience. We also thought a lot more about framing, specifically when revealing
character 1's identity. We did this in order to create enigmas as we didn't used this
technique in our preliminary. When looking back at our preliminary I am now aware
that there isn't enough variety of shot types or angles in that case, so i feel i've
improved in that respect as our final edit of Backlash looks a lot more professional. I
have also developed as a filmmaker concerning editing. I feel I have gained a lot
more knowledge since the editing process of our preliminary, I am now aware of how
to cut clips a lot more professionally so they flow well, still adhering to the continuity
we tried to achieve. When including our sound, I dedicated myself in learning how to
use garageband, I believe this process made the outcome of our opening a lot more
successful. This was due to the fact that the sound flowed in and out successfully as
well as stopping and starting when need be, compared to our preliminary which
couldve been put together a lot more professionally. After the process of editing so
many times I believe that the whole process of iMovie comes a lot more easy to me
now, developing my skills as a filmmaker. I believe this also evident when looking
back at our preliminary, every skill involved has clearly improved when looking at
our final edit of Backlash. As well as improving my technological skills, I believe I

Chloe Daniels

have bettered myself when learning to work in a team and produce a good media
product. Our preliminary was definitely hard work as everyone tried to take lead of
the group. However, when filming our thriller opening the roles within the group,
such as director and filmer were split equally meaning it worked better as a whole
producing a more successful final piece.

When looking back at our preliminary it was generally very successful as we included
the 180 degree rule, match on action, shot reverse shot as well as ensuring there was
clear continuity throughout. Most of the shots we filmed were steady and portrayed a
professional sense of continuity with no sudden disruptions noticeable. We took
these aspects into consideration when filming our thriller opening for Backlash. We
especially liked the point of view shot reverse shots in our prelim therefore included
this convention again in our opening, showing its successfulness. Match on action,
again was a very important convention used in our prelim that needed to be
incorporated into Backlash. This is evident as the perspective of the camera changes
but there is consistent continuity, something that clearly made our prelim look well
put together and professional. We also liked how the pans we incorporated gave the
production a sense of variety and excitement, so worked on improving the quality of
these before including them in our thriller opening. The editing aspect of our
preliminary as a whole was somewhat successful. The use of different transitions
helped to fade the shots in and out however this is something we were not too
concerned about when thinking about our thriller opening. Despite how well the
transitions looked and how successful they were this wasn't something we wanted to
incorporate into Backlash. We felt as if transitions somewhat slowed down the fast
paced narrative we were trying to create therefore did not include this successful
aspect of our prelim. However we did in fact like the idea of more than one
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soundtrack, so again we repeated this idea in our final edit. We believe that this
creates a sense of excitement as well as intriguing the audience, stopping them from
getting bored.

On the other hand there are various apparent weaknesses regarding our preliminary.
When looking back, specifically when Chloe and Natasha are having a conversation,
the shot used is too simple and definitely too long. This finding made us think a lot
more about how we could make our thriller opening more exciting through the use of
different shots. Therefore, when it came to filming we spent a lot of our time thinking
carefully about different angles to place the camera or a different shot altogether.
Ultimately this meant that we had a different shot type every couple of seconds,
ensuring our audience were entertained and intrigued throughout the whole
production. When thinking about the sound within our preliminary there were many
improvements that could be made. Firstly with the dialogue and musical soundtracks
combined it was hard to hear the characters talking. In order to overcome this in our
thriller opening we did not include dialogue, we believed it was too much of a
difficult task as well as slowing down the pace we were trying to achieve. As well as
these factors its deemed as somewhat unconventional also. The second soundtrack
within our prelim wasn't that fitting either, it was too intense and didn't in fact suit
the narrative very well. Therefore in order to improve this concerning our thriller
opening, we took a lot more time and effort trying to find a suitable soundtrack. We
eventually picked multiple and chose the one that matched the editing the most
appropriately. The quality of our preliminary also wasn't the best it could've been,
believed this was because of the camera we used. We used an iPhone instead of a
DSLR camera and this was evident when looking back as the image looks fuzzy and
somewhat unprofessional. To overcome this unsuccessful factor, we used a Canon
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DSLR camera. We also thought that improving the lighting of our shots might help
the quality overall. Therefore, we ensured the lighting was as high key as possible as
we could tone it down when editing. We also used flash lights to enhance the
brightness further, improving the quality. Theres a clear difference between the two
sequences as our thriller opening quality is significantly better and much more
professional than our first filmmaking attempt.

When filming our thriller opening we evidently expanded and developed the idea of
shot reverse shot regarding our preliminary. We felt that in our preliminary the shot
reverse shot was somewhat lengthy therefore in ours we only included this shot a few
times. However, it was still just as effective and professional looking, as well as
portraying our evident camera skills. We also found match on action a very useful
technique to incorporate into our thriller. It allowed the audience to view a specific
shot from a number of point of views, which ran smoothly with no disruptions. An
example of this in our thriller was when Chloe opened her bag and the camera
focused on this from a distance. However, in the next shot the camera transitioned
into an extreme close up of the same shot. This technique also displays a variety of
shot types in our thriller as well as portraying the idea we took serious thought in
trying to make our production look professional. We have also developed the idea of
continuity in our production. When filming Chloes daily routines we ensured there
were clips of her walking to each destination, we did this in order to make sure each
shot flowed successfully and made sense throughout.

In order to plan for each shot, ensuring they were appropriate and professional we
created a storyboard and shot list. The storyboard we created consisted of fifty shots
evidently denoting what each shot would look like through illustrations. We also
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created a shot list which in this case explained the action taking place within the
shot, what props were included as well as the angle of the camera. We referred to this
when creating our thriller opening as it us guided through what we needed to do.
However when we started to film we realised our plans were too vague therefore
added a bit more detail and expanded on them as we went a long. We feel as if this
was a good idea as it improved the variety of shots we included making our
production look more professional overall. We tried to include a massive variety of
angles such as birds eye view shots and canted angles into our thriller. The reasoning
behind this is because we didnt include these into our prelim which is maybe the
reason it wasnt as entertaining as wed hoped. Also before filming and creating our
plans for the shots we would include, we did some research regarding what
conventional shots were used in real thrillers. We found that extreme close ups as
well as close ups were very popular therefore these were the most common shots in
our opening. We did a lot of research overall in hope that our opening would look as
professional and conventional as can be.

Overall we believe that our thriller opening of Backlash is somewhat successful and
there are many strengths and weaknesses regarding filming and editing. One of the
strengths within our opening definitely has to be the soundtrack. The way in which
the music is upbeat and fast paced makes the whole production significantly more
interesting and intriguing. Furthermore, its very catchy and exciting with a clear
beat which overall makes it much more memorable than if we used a slow, eerie
soundtrack. We also believe that our range of camera shots and angles had a
significant impact on how successful our opening was. The way in which there is a
number of canted angles, pans, extreme close ups and birds eye view shots generates
such an exciting piece of work. These different shots used also helps to speed up the
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pace and make the opening much more thrilling and exhilarating for the audience
overall. We believe that our style of editing again had a massive impact on how
successful our opening was. Firstly, the way in which we used no transitions what so
ever meant that the shots were short and snappy, evidently mirroring the pace of the
music also. We also cut the shots down drastically so that they were shown for a
short amount of time, the way we have done this creates a very thrilling and exciting
atmosphere overall, further intriguing our target audience. Another successful aspect
of our thriller opening appears to be the titles and the way in which we chose to
present them. Instead of superimposing them into the small film we have created we
incorporated them within the narrative. In our opinion this idea makes the titles
stand out much more as well as creating a more adventurous atmosphere. An
example of doing this is the director's name in the shower written in blood, before its
washed down the drain. We believe this is significantly more interesting than just
having the director's name appear on the screen thus making it more successful. The
mise-en-scene within our opening is also perceived as somewhat successful. We have
incorporated key props such as knives as well as special effects makeup. These
incorporations make our production look less amateur and more professional,
connoting a sense of successfulness. They also intrigue the audience further, making
them somewhat more interesting and excited regarding the narrative of our thriller.

When evaluating what weaknesses are making our thriller unsuccessful there are not
many in comparison to strengths. Firstly, in some of the pans and tracking shots we
performed, the camera appears to be a little shaky. In order to avoid this, if we were
to refilm we would use a tripod at all times to ensure our filming looks as
professional as possible. We were also questioning whether the slow motion shots we
included work because they could be perceived as slowing down the fast paced
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editing we were trying to adhere to. Instead we couldve increased the speed of the
shots instead of slowing them down and this wouldve matched our editing better.
We also feel as if our narrative could also come across as somewhat confusing. This is
due to the fact that Natasha returns and they audience may not understand why shes
not dead. Therefore, to improve this we could make the narrative more clear by
adding extra hints and clues about what character 1 did. This could be displayed
through flashbacks or even a dual narrative.