EVALUATION - Question 8

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

I will be comparing our final product to our preliminary film: The Encounter.

In the preliminary film, we created a simple title in Final Cut Pro using a default font. For our final product we used a more custom font online and used LiveType to put it together, as we had more time to get the hang of this program. Editing as a whole was easier because of the previous practise we had but it still took a substantial amount of time to make sure I put everything together as best as I could.  Our shots as a whole were much better as I was more comfortable using the camera from experience and knowing what we wanted the shots to look like (importance of storyboard). In the preliminary film there was even a shot that wasn't filmed straight, so whilst filming Facade we made sure to use the tripod to stabilize the shots whenever possible/appropriate, whilst making sure the hand-held close-ups were as stable as possible.

Non-stabilized shot from The Encounter

This time round we used match cuts, as well as jump cuts, and didn't break the 180 degree rule. The preliminary filming helped us to achieve this. The mise-en-scène was very strong, as we took a lot of time to set up the props and lighting. We didn't have the chance to do this with our practice film. Our character was dressed in a typical school girl uniform and I think we did a good job making the setting appear like a bedroom! Sound improved our thriller opening greatly – especially where we made it match the action on screen (for example the chat sound effects and the music when the close-ups of the mood board appeared). Media technology has also been important; without the great equipment that was available to us (Apple Macs, camera equipment, etc) we wouldn't have been able to create a final product of the same quality.

The mise-en-scène of Facade

In the end our planning skills improved greatly; we had a bit of a hard time getting things together at first (for example, bringing props in and agreement on filming schedule) but eventually we managed to become more organized. Teamwork has played a crucial role in the success of our final product. Naturally, at times it was difficult working in a group, but we actually had some great ideas and I'm glad we were able to make some of them come to life with this thriller opening.