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

Planning

When we made our preliminary task, we did not plan it at all. We took a camera and filmed a scene a few times using different camera angles. I feel that the lack of planning shows when you watch our preliminary task compared to our opening sequence. Making the preliminary task however was a lot simpler than making the opening sequence, but from watching the preliminary task and then the opening sequence, I can see that all the research and planning that we did for the opening sequence was worth it and all the hard work was reflected in our opening.

Preliminary Task

Opening Sequence

Lighting

While making the preliminary task, we didn’t think about the lighting which is why in some shots, you can not see one of the actors. The opening sequence we made was very low budget. The only lighting we used for the opening sequence was natural light, but we made sure that we were filming during the middle of the day when it was bright outside so that the opening sequence is bright throughout. The lighting does change slightly during the course of the opening, however it was something that we could not control.

Preliminary Task

Opening Sequence

Camera and Camera Angles

When we filmed our preliminary task, all of the shots were filmed using a tripod to hold the camera. In our opening sequence we wanted the audience to feel like they were there with Millie so we used hand held shots instead of using a tripod.

Also, since filming the preliminary task I think my knowledge of camera angles has improved. I think that the camera angles that we used in our opening sequence were a lot more creative and more thought had gone into each shot.

Preliminary Task

Opening Sequence

Manual/Auto Focus

We wanted to use manual focus on the scene where we see Millie holding the medal and then change the focus onto the missing poster, but the camera we used will not allow us to use the manual focus while filming, thus we used a track shot with auto focus instead.

Characters

One of the most important things in an opening sequence is establishing each of the characters and the relationships between them. We did this by using camera angles (e.g. close ups so the audience can see the characters emotions) and dialogue (e.g. “Auntie Sarah”). In the preliminary task, this wasn’t that important due to the shortness of the clip.

ContinuityContinuity was another thing that we did not concentrate on during the filming of the preliminary task. We filmed all the preliminary task on the same day within two hours. This meant that the continuity was consistent throughout. However, some of the opening sequence was filmed on different days so there are a couple of continuity errors which we spotted.

In this example, in one shot there is a stripy blanket on Sarah’s bed and in a later shot, there is no blanket.

Music and Sound Effects

In our preliminary task, we did not use any music or sound effects. In our opening sequence we used both music and sound effects. Trying to find the perfect music and sound effect was a difficult task. We spent weeks trying to find the perfect music to match our opening, and eventually we stumbled across “A Beautiful Mind” by The Secession. As soon as we heard the song, we instantly fell in love with it and knew that it was perfect for our opening. Trying to find the perfect sound effect for Millie’s footsteps was also a difficult task. After going through multiple sound effects we finally found one that we were happy with.