V . S

Looking back at your preliminary task,

what do you feel you have learnt in the progression

from it to the full product?

Q7

THE PRELIMINARY; THEN TO NOW

T H E S K I L L S !e planning for Exit 24, the thriller opening (Le" downwards) is far more extensive the for M.P.D, the preliminary exercise. !is is because most obviously the research for the final piece was more i mp o r t a nt t h a n t h e preliminary, but also b e c a u s e f r o m t h e preliminary I had learnt that when going on set it’s best to have a clear idea on what you are doing and why you are doing it because when on a limited time frame it’s best not to waste time on set trying to decide what type of shot you want, or what the actors motivation in for a particular scene. !e animated storyboards (below) were featured in both films however the second one created for the thriller opening actually featured pictures from location, making filming that little bit easer because I knew where the camera needed to be and how the video should be edited.

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Camera Skills

Down to even the tinniest bit of framing, booth are quite good, however in the

preliminary sometimes the rule of thirds is broken for dramatic e$ect – it

works at times but then again it doesn't’t work at others. !e thriller opening

however follows the rule of thirds religiously, giving it a film quality finish;

whenever such rules are not followed (top row, middle picture” it works well

as it shows another thing of importance on screen and adds to the jumpy,

breath halting atmosphere the thriller is intended to produce. Also, when the

character played by Taija was running, the quick pulse editing and blurred

speed shots (top row last picture right) add to the intensity of the opening.

Since the preliminary was mainly focused and set around a table for two

layout, the 180-degree rule was easy to keep, however in the thriller opening

due to mostly movement scenes etc. it is hard to keep that rule, although I still

think it works well for what it is intended to portray.

Mise En Scene

!e mise en scene in the preliminary is non-existent as we wanted to

have just a dark room to create e$ect and develop ambiguity for the

audience, however in the thriller opening there are some

photography rich settings – Highgate forest and Abbey Ruins are very

rich shooting surroundings which is what helped us boost the

production value of our no budget opening. I feel that the mise en

scene in the thriller including the props, geek glasses, headphones,

cross necklace – is what enriches the film as a whole and although the

preliminary did well considering it was a simple dark room – it does

not match to the vast outdoors that is captured and used to the films

benefit as in Exit 24.

Editing & More

!e titles in the two openings di$er greatly, in the preliminary the titles are stand alone

however a"er some research I discovered most titles on a thriller are in fact superimposed

straight onto the action which is what Exit 24 does. Exit 24 also has a proper logo that was

developed on Photoshop whereas the preliminary simple had a title like the rest only larger.

Also the company ident for group 29 distribution changes, this is because the preliminary ident

was a mock copy of the paramount pictures logo, and so that the thriller opening was taken

seriously we created a more realistic opening. !e sound in both openings however are just as

good as each other, maybe even in the preliminary the foley sounds were better and so if done

again this would be something to pick up on.

TO CONCLUDE

I have learnt how to use new programs such as final cut pro and soundtrack pro as well as new equipment. My editing skills have been pushed to the max and my directorial thinking has been expanded. Never have I had to plan so much for such a shot amount of time and in that way, the course of creating these two openings has encouraged me to be innovative about my approach to filmmaking. My time management skills have improved form their previous high standard so much that when I have a task now I feel like the terminator. Also by being challenged by teachers and the course to use di$erent programs and the technological media around me has made me more aware of all the interesting (and sometimes wacky) ways I can optimize what little knowledge I may have and work on expanding it. It has been a productive and influential process and I feel the work my team and I produced was at our best. J

BY Khadeeja Paul