Q7: Looking back at your preliminary task what do you believe you have learnt in

the progression from it to the full product?

I think that within this process I have developed personally as a filmmaker. Regarding filming in
particular I believe I now think more carefully about having a steady hand whilst using the
camera as well as thinking about using important apparatus such as tripods. Ive also become to
think a lot more carefully about shot types and the variety we should include when filming
anything, to avoid boring our audience. We also thought a lot more about framing, specifically
when revealing character 1's identity. We did this in order to create enigmas as we didn't used
this technique in our preliminary. When looking back at our preliminary I am now aware that
there isn't enough variety of shot types or angles in that case, so i feel i've improved in that
respect as our final edit of Backlash looks a lot more professional. I have also developed as a
filmmaker concerning editing. I feel I have gained a lot more knowledge since the editing
process of our preliminary, I am now aware of how to cut clips a lot more professionally so they
flow well, still adhering to the continuity we tried to achieve. When including our sound, I
dedicated myself in learning how to use garageband, I believe this process made the outcome of
our opening a lot more successful. This was due to the fact that the sound flowed in and out
successfully as well as stopping and starting when need be, compared to our preliminary which
couldve been put together a lot more professionally. After the process of editing so many times I
believe that the whole process of iMovie comes a lot more easy to me now, developing my skills
as a filmmaker. I believe this also evident when looking back at our preliminary, every skill
involved has clearly improved when looking at our final edit of Backlash. As well as improving
my technological skills, I believe I have bettered myself when learning to work in a team and
produce a good media product. Our preliminary was definitely hard work as everyone tried to
take lead of the group. However, when filming our thriller opening the roles within the group,
such as director and filmer were split equally meaning it worked better as a whole producing a
more successful final piece.
When looking back at our preliminary it was generally very successful as we included the 180
degree rule, match on action, shot reverse shot as well as ensuring there was clear continuity
throughout. Most of the shots we filmed were steady and portrayed a professional sense of
continuity with no sudden disruptions noticeable. We took these aspects into consideration
when filming our thriller opening for Backlash. We especially liked the point of view shot
reverse shots in our prelim therefore included this convention again in our opening, showing its
successfulness. Match on action, again was a very important convention used in our prelim that
needed to be incorporated into Backlash. This is evident as the perspective of the camera
changes but there is consistent continuity, something that clearly made our prelim look well put
together and professional. We also liked how the pans we incorporated gave the production a
sense of variety and excitement, so worked on improving the quality of these before including
them in our thriller opening. The editing aspect of our preliminary as a whole was somewhat
successful. The use of different transitions helped to fade the shots in and out however this is
something we were not too concerned about when thinking about our thriller opening. Despite
how well the transitions looked and how successful they were this wasn't something we wanted
to incorporate into Backlash. We felt as if transitions somewhat slowed down the fast paced
narrative we were trying to create therefore did not include this successful aspect of our prelim.
However we did in fact like the idea of more than one soundtrack, so again we repeated this idea

in our final edit. We believe that this creates a sense of excitement as well as intriguing the
audience, stopping them from getting bored.
On the other hand there are various apparent weaknesses regarding our preliminary. When
looking back, specifically when Chloe and Natasha are having a conversation, the shot used is
too simple and definitely too long. This finding made us think a lot more about how we could
make our thriller opening more exciting through the use of different shots. Therefore, when it
came to filming we spent a lot of our time thinking carefully about different angles to place the
camera or a different shot altogether. Ultimately this meant that we had a different shot type
every couple of seconds, ensuring our audience were entertained and intrigued throughout the
whole production. When thinking about the sound within our preliminary there were many
improvements that could be made. Firstly with the dialogue and musical soundtracks combined
it was hard to hear the characters talking. In order to overcome this in our thriller opening we
did not include dialogue, we believed it was too much of a difficult task as well as slowing down
the pace we were trying to achieve. As well as these factors its deemed as somewhat
unconventional also. The second soundtrack within our prelim wasn't that fitting either, it was
too intense and didn't in fact suit the narrative very well. Therefore in order to improve this
concerning our thriller opening, we took a lot more time and effort trying to find a suitable
soundtrack. We eventually picked multiple and chose the one that matched the editing the most
appropriately. The quality of our preliminary also wasn't the best it could've been, believed this
was because of the camera we used. We used an iPhone instead of a DSLR camera and this was
evident when looking back as the image looks fuzzy and somewhat unprofessional. To overcome
this unsuccessful factor, we used a Canon DSLR camera. We also thought that improving the
lighting of our shots might help the quality overall. Therefore, we ensured the lighting was as
high key as possible as we could tone it down when editing. We also used flash lights to enhance
the brightness further, improving the quality. Theres a clear difference between the two
sequences as our thriller opening quality is significantly better and much more professional than
our first filmmaking attempt.
When filming our thriller opening we evidently expanded and developed the idea of shot reverse
shot regarding our preliminary. We felt that in our preliminary the shot reverse shot was
somewhat lengthy therefore in ours we only included this shot a few times. However, it was still
just as effective and professional looking, as well as portraying our evident camera skills. We
also found match on action a very useful technique to incorporate into our thriller. It allowed the
audience to view a specific shot from a number of point of views, which ran smoothly with no
disruptions. An example of this in our thriller was when Chloe opened her bag and the camera
focused on this from a distance. However, in the next shot the camera transitioned into an
extreme close up of the same shot. This technique also displays a variety of shot types in our
thriller as well as portraying the idea we took serious thought in trying to make our production
look professional. We have also developed the idea of continuity in our production. When
filming Chloes daily routines we ensured there were clips of her walking to each destination, we
did this in order to make sure each shot flowed successfully and made sense throughout.
In order to plan for each shot, ensuring they were appropriate and professional we created a
storyboard and shot list. The storyboard we created consisted of fifty shots evidently denoting
what each shot would look like through illustrations. We also created a shot list which in this
case explained the action taking place within the shot, what props were included as well as the
angle of the camera. We referred to this when creating our thriller opening as it us guided
through what we needed to do. However when we started to film we realised our plans were too

vague therefore added a bit more detail and expanded on them as we went a long. We feel as if
this was a good idea as it improved the variety of shots we included making our production look
more professional overall. We tried to include a massive variety of angles such as birds eye view
shots and canted angles into our thriller. The reasoning behind this is because we didnt include
these into our prelim which is maybe the reason it wasnt as entertaining as wed hoped. Also
before filming and creating our plans for the shots we would include, we did some research
regarding what conventional shots were used in real thrillers. We found that extreme close ups
as well as close ups were very popular therefore these were the most common shots in our
opening. We did a lot of research overall in hope that our opening would look as professional
and conventional as can be.
Overall we believe that our thriller opening of Backlash is somewhat successful and there are
many strengths and weaknesses regarding filming and editing. One of the strengths within our
opening definitely has to be the soundtrack. The way in which the music is upbeat and fast
paced makes the whole production significantly more interesting and intriguing. Furthermore,
its very catchy and exciting with a clear beat which overall makes it much more memorable than
if we used a slow, eerie soundtrack. We also believe that our range of camera shots and angles
had a significant impact on how successful our opening was. The way in which there is a number
of canted angles, pans, extreme close ups and birds eye view shots generates such an exciting
piece of work. These different shots used also helps to speed up the pace and make the opening
much more thrilling and exhilarating for the audience overall. We believe that our style of
editing again had a massive impact on how successful our opening was. Firstly, the way in which
we used no transitions what so ever meant that the shots were short and snappy, evidently
mirroring the pace of the music also. We also cut the shots down drastically so that they were
shown for a short amount of time, the way we have done this creates a very thrilling and exciting
atmosphere overall, further intriguing our target audience. Another successful aspect of our
thriller opening appears to be the titles and the way in which we chose to present them. Instead
of superimposing them into the small film we have created we incorporated them within the
narrative. In our opinion this idea makes the titles stand out much more as well as creating a
more adventurous atmosphere. An example of doing this is the director's name in the shower
written in blood, before its washed down the drain. We believe this is significantly more
interesting than just having the director's name appear on the screen thus making it more
successful. The mise-en-scene within our opening is also perceived as somewhat successful. We
have incorporated key props such as knives as well as special effects makeup. These
incorporations make our production look less amateur and more professional, connoting a sense
of successfulness. They also intrigue the audience further, making them somewhat more
interesting and excited regarding the narrative of our thriller.
When evaluating what weaknesses are making our thriller unsuccessful there are not many in
comparison to strengths. Firstly, in some of the pans and tracking shots we performed, the
camera appears to be a little shaky. In order to avoid this, if we were to refilm we would use a
tripod at all times to ensure our filming looks as professional as possible. We were also
questioning whether the slow motion shots we included work because they could be perceived as
slowing down the fast paced editing we were trying to adhere to. Instead we couldve increased
the speed of the shots instead of slowing them down and this wouldve matched our editing
better. We also feel as if our narrative could also come across as somewhat confusing. This is due
to the fact that Natasha returns and they audience may not understand why shes not dead.
Therefore, to improve this we could make the narrative more clear by adding extra hints and

clues about what character 1 did. This could be displayed through flashbacks or even a dual
narrative.