Q7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

In “The Confession”, our preliminary, the text is a bit out of context and comes up in a type

writer effect, which does not really have anything to do with the storyline.

However, with “Paperchain”, our finished thriller opening, the titles come up in a fade effect, in a simplistic white font on a black

background. This helps to establish the Mise-en-scene and we also added in a ripple dissolve to add to the tension and eerie

atmosphere. So I think the main thing I have learnt from this transition is the relevance of Mise-en-scene (involving the text) and how it can be used effectively to increase tension.

Within “Paperchain”, my camerawork had improved a great deal from the preliminary and I was much more aware of the diverse range of shots I could use for this opening. One of my favourite shots is the

one right at the beginning (the flashback sequence), I used a slow panning shot, and I believe this gives an overall successful effect combined with the background music. I learnt to think of the shots in

terms of the product as a whole.

Also, in contrast to the Preliminary, we used more technical transitions than the match on action shot seen in the Preliminary, such as this one…And I also experimented with shots from different angles… (far right)

The panning shot used demonstrates my ability of control using the video camera…Something I have learnt since “The Confession”.

I have selected these two shots from the Preliminary to demonstrate the amateur filming which was in “The Confession”.

The screen grab on the left, is from the hand held camera scene, even though it wasn’t as shaky as it could have been, it was still pretty bad! As you can see from the shot, the image is slightly off balance and this gives away the reality of the movement, rather than the projection of somebody walking into a room. From this, I have taken away the importance of the hand held shot, and how to make sure it looks fairly professional when necessary and importantly how to control this shot to the best of my

ability.The screen grab on the right is at a wrong angle. It is at a high angle, and it doesn’t look professional at all. Therefore, since this shot has been taken, I have been more aware of the angles of shots and

what they mean when in a film.

I feel I have learnt a lot about pacing and how this can really create an excellent (and appropriate) atmosphere. The shots below, from “Paperchain”, are a selection of shots which are short and ‘choppy’, therefore the pace is fast and tense, also the change in audio really gives this scene significance and importance. It was my idea to add in flashback of the childhood sequence (the

previous scene), to also reinforce the storyline and to also create a sense of confusion, and an enigma for the audience. Throughout the making of this thriller, I was always aware of the audience, and what

they world think of the shot, pace, audio, storyline etc, and this differs from my attitude towards the Preliminary, whereby I was not so assertive towards the audience.

Within the Preliminary, the shots we used were not very interesting, they were very simple and quite boring actually. Within our Thriller, we used a variety of shots and they were far more creative, for example this transition scene whereby I had the idea to use a random shot I had taken of a light in the studio we were filming in, it worked really well and linked the two separate scenes effectively.

I think the most substantial difference, amongst many, which separate the Preliminary to “Paperchain” is definitely the end scene involving the lake and the Paperchain. It is very dramatic, face paced and exciting to watch. It includes the main title, with a distorted effect (heavily influenced by “Seven”) and this really represents the time and effort I spent on trying to make this look professional-and most of all- intriguing for the audience.

The Preliminary exercise has helped me to establish basic camera work and to create a basic storyline , and I feel I have come along way since “The Confession”, and I am proud of my developing camera skills and editing technique.

It was my idea to add in the extra end bit, and this is to reinforce the idea of continuity and the fact that this is a title opening rather than a trailer. It gives the audience a little bit more to play with, and it also implies there is a new scene coming, which will produce more characters and basically reveal more of the storyline, whereby the audience may get some answers… THE END.