Evaluation - Question Seven

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

The purpose of my preliminary task was to learn how to use the equipment correctly and to learn how to execute many different shots that we would be using in our own opening thriller sequence. I had to familiarise myself with different pieces of equipment such as the camera, the importance of the memory card and the tripod.
I learnt through my preliminary task that we could experience many difficulties in using the tripod in the correct manor and keeping it stable and positioned correctly with the camera inside as we moved it around and manoeuvred it in different angles in order for us to film the different shots correctly. I experienced so many difficulties whilst trying to use the tripod in the preliminary task that I decided to use a hand-held camera technique in order to film the preliminary task. We decided to turn to the hand-held camera technique because the shots we were producing whilst filming with the tripod was of low quality and were very shaky and unable to watch comfortably and easily. I later discovered that even this technique make the shots look very unstable and that I would have to practise using the tripod and inserting the camera into the tripod correctly so we could then be comfortable with using the tripod when filming our own thriller sequence in order for it to look professional and well executed.
Some of the skills that I learnt through my preliminary task was how to use the camera in a way that I could improve my work. Due to the touch-screen element on the camera I was able to watch back any clips that I had filmed as many times as I liked to see what had gone well and what needed improving once I had watched it back. This helped me to understand that some aspects of mise-en-scene and sometimes the cinematography that I had chosen may not have been the best choice for the particular shot I was trying to film. This helped me when filming my opening thriller sequence because it gave me the chance to watch back what I had filmed and improve it so I had the best possible shot I could have produced ready to edit and produce on Final Cut Pro X.
Overall I believe that my group worked well in considering the appropriate research and ideas in order to create a successful opening thriller sequence. My thriller production follows the relevant and appropriate guidelines and also the generic conventions of the thriller genre. This helps to attract our target audience and give them a potential narrative that will scare them and make them want to carry on watching the film.