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

The preliminary task has put me in a good stead for the filming of my final thriller opening as I learnt essential skills such as making a shot list of where my cameras are going to be in the shoot. I was able to apply this to my thriller which made it much easier on the day of the shoot as straight away I knew what camera angles I would use and where the cameras will be situated on location of Intruder. I also leant to use camera techniques and shot types such as 180 degree rule, match-on-action and reverse shots, using all of these in my film in order to make it seem like a real film resulting in more marks. I was also aware during the filming of my preliminary that lighting is essential. The lighting must not be too dark or you will not be able to see any action when it comes to editing what you had done. I wanted to film my thriller in an apartment at night with low lighting, so I had to make sure there was still enough to be able to see, even if I did want dim lighting.
    Editing my preliminary also prepared me immensely for editing my opening. I learnt to use the input and output button to select which part of the cut I wanted to the exact second and drag it onto the timeline which allowed me to use the parts that I wanted making the film flow smoothly. I also learnt that diagetic sound is very important and sometimes the camera picks up extra, unwanted sound from the background so it is essential to be aware of anything else that is going on out of the mise-en-scene; for example, my footsteps as I hold the camera. Within the editing of my preliminary I learnt to add titles to my film as we had to have a slide at the beginning with our candidate numbers on so I was able to add the opening title also including this information onto my own thriller. I was also able to add titles which went over my thriller footage with information such as actors’ names and the names of the directors.
    I learnt that before I started filming, I had to make a detailed plan of exactly where I wanted to shoot, the camera angles and transitions between shots all ensuring that I develop and use generic aspects of thriller films at all times. I also made a character profile for my character of Jo so that I could cast a character to fit this description. We were going to use Evie’s friend, however I felt that this could prove difficult as she may be unreliable so I decided to cast my mum as the main character. She fit the description perfectly anyway with her blonde hair and the fact that she is 43 which makes the film more believable as someone our own age would not live by themselves in a flat.
      We came across various difficulties in the planning of our film, for example using a train station which would prove difficult when very busy and when using a knife which is what we wanted to do. As well as this, we also over complicated our narrative sequence using ideas which does not come from our age of experience. As a result, we decided to start again in our planning and found a much more suitable location with many generic aspects from thriller films, such as the lift and narrow corridors.
     I also learnt to search for un-copyrighted music which would be ideal for my thriller. I searched various websites and didn’t stop until I found the perfect one which heightens the audience’s emotions and the sense of tension at the exact moments necessary.
     I found it difficult working to such a strict brief but managed in the end as I stayed in during my free periods to finish the filming so I was ahead of deadlines meaning I could refine my film to perfection. To conclude, the preliminary task proved extremely helpful in the preparation of my thriller film and without it, I would have been virtually clueless!