In our preliminary task we had to show we could successfully create a piece of film with a narrative and show proof of a match on action, a shot reverse shot and of obeying the 180 degree rule. The narrative was to follow someone's action down a corridor, into a room, across a room and then a conversation between two people.
The preliminary task introduced us to using formatting programmes such as Final Cut Pro. Although this was difficult to grasp at the beginning, I soon got the hang of it.
In using these programmes I figured out how to match on action and cut pieces of footage together to make a clean and clear piece of film.
This lead to our compulsory task 'The Package'. Each group was given the same objective: to create a film with the narrative of a package arriving and being placed on site at school. This process involved working in a group and learning how to incorporate transitions and music into our piece of film in Final Cut Pro.
These experiences were the foundation blocks of all the knowledge I have accumulated through completing this piece of media.
In working in a group, I learned that all shoots must be planned and organised with everyone's corporation. This lead to my development of my pitch and then story boards and shot lists of the piece to get an overall idea of how it would look. Planning like this allowed for mistakes and problems to happen and be solved quickly; a lesson I learned quickly from not having time to plan the shooting of 'The Package'. However, we still made mistakes during our shooting for our final piece, equipment was forgotten, not charged or even worse, left at school! Having already planned my piece and its shooting schedule before embarking on shooting it was valuable though, it allowed me in those moments of panic to think of a way around the problem and how what we were going to do instead.
'The Package' and my preliminary task helped me to understand that it was vital to take recce shots and to understand the location that we were filming in. Recce shots allowed us to see which locations worked on the screen instead of behind the camera. I learned that it was hard to get the perfect shot and you often weren't lucky in terms of lighting. However, through the recce shots, I was able to grasp an understanding of the location and are that I was filming in. Having already learned from 'The Package' that not only multiple shots are vital but multiple angles are vital too, I was able to get a clear image and understanding of each location I wanted to film in so that when it came to the shooting day, we were able to take more time on learning what shots we liked best rather than wasting time on setting up. Due to the planning we had done earlier, we were confident enough to experiment with different shots and angles and chose which ones we liked best with the location and lighting that we perhaps hadn't thought of on our storyboards.
In using these programmes in 'The Package', I began to get an understanding of how to use music, camerawork and editing to aid our film in creating a thriller atmosphere. In 'The Package' the camera had a perspective and a narrative of it's own. In our final piece I composed some shots from the new scenes that we added, to create a connection between the protagonist and the viewer. For instance the shot where our protagonist looks directly at the camera establishes a conversation and connection between the character and the viewer.
Or the handheld shot of the protagonist locking the door with keys which creates suspense, tension and thrills through the fast action and pace of the camera. This makes the viewer seem like they are in the position of the protagonist character themselves.
Or the over the shoulder close up shot that not only establishes the perspective of the protagonist but also makes the viewer seem like they are in the room with the character and experiencing the story themselves.
'The Package' and preliminary tasks overall gave me the tools and understanding work of the camera and the softwares that I needed to create a smooth shooting process and create a fluid clear aesthetic to our piece as a whole. They highlighted the importance of planning in advance and being confident when using the camera. They gave me the starter experience I needed to gain in order to tailor our piece to fit exactly the style and narrative we wanted to and therefore create as exciting a thriller as possible.
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