The planning and preparation of our basic preliminary task consisted of learning how to set up a camera and tripod. We also got taught the basics of how to use final cut pro. We got taught different type of shot techniques and had about half an hour to prepare. During the shoot we also had to set up the lighting so that it suited the conditions and we were given a script to work with. We were given half a day to edit on final cut at the end. On our actual shoot we had to prepare and plan in further detail in order to create the right effect for our finished product. One of the areas we had to concentrate on was setting up the right mise en scene. We set up a set which was made to look like a small bedroom in bad condition. We also printed out pictures and maps of London and stuck them against the wall. When the set was finished we started filming. For the external location, we used the high street of Guilford. We were influenced by the opening scene of the joker in the dark knight, and we wanted to create a similar type of tension. We used a hand held camera for this and we followed the subject.
Our basic preliminary brief was much more basic than our main task, for example in our preliminary task we were given a brief and told what to do. In our main task we continually revised and rethought are narrative until we got it perfect. For example, we did not use much of the original storyboard in the final piece at all, as our idea and concept changed quite late in the process. We were well prepared for our shoot day as we had all the props we needed and wanted, as well as an actor and a location. It could have been better if our storyboard was closer to the finished piece. I produced my group’s second storyboard as well as drawing it. It was a lot more complex compared to the preliminary task, but also went into greater detail. I feel my film making skills have improved considerably since the preliminary task. For example I am now confident in controlling the camera and also setting up the lighting so that it suits the atmosphere that we are trying to create.
In our preliminary task we did basic shots such as over the shoulder and wide shot. In our thriller we did more complicated shots such as point of view shots and extreme close up’s. Our skills were greatly improved in the quality of work we produced and our knowledge of what was effective in trying to achieve tension in our thriller. For our shot choices we used extreme close ups of our actor building the 'bomb'. We also used point of view shots and gave the effect of depth of field with some of the shots. For our external shots we followed the subject by the method of tracking. We found that playing with the focus of the camera worked well with our shots as it gave the effect of panic and confusion. Some of our shots could have been improved however. For example I felt that we could of had more shots which were not extreme close ups. I think if we had more wide shots then it would have given the audience more of an idea of how the room was meant to look. For example the bed was dirty so we could have had more shots to show the filth and squalor that the bomber lived in to show his tortured mind.
We chose to use the studio as we could build the set of how we wanted it to be and have complete control over the lighting and camera angles. As this was no ones actual room, it meant we had more freedom to do what we wanted. This would of been good for our mise en scene as we would have more control over the shots. I think we could have had more shots of the room to emphasize that it was a small, dirty, dingy flat. We used Guilford high street as we wanted a busy area with lots of people that looked like it was in a city centre. This was meant to show the audience that the suicide bomber could do a lot of damage and kill a lot of people. Some challenges we faced when we went to Guilford were people staring at the camera and making it really obvious it was there, however the final shot worked well because we overcame this and we did a long tracking shot which then did a close up on the face.
For our props we used a 'bomb', which was constructed by me and was made out of a Interior of a mobile telephone, Some marzipan which was meant to look like C4 explosives, some wires and a ripped up memory stick. In the room we had a laptop on the desk and some documents, some pictures on the wall, a mattress and pillow and a teddy bear. We built up tension from these as we did extreme close ups on the pictures we had on the wall and cutting open the teddy bear. For the costumes we used fairly normal looking clothes E.G - Jeans and a jacket. We aimed to try and make the situation look as realistic as possible. We tried to reflect all of these props with the mise en scene and on the bomber to show that he had a suicidal and fractured mind.
In the preliminary task we only shot diegetic and ambient sound. In our thriller we used no diegetic sound, however I wrote the soundtrack. When I was writing the soundtrack to our thriller I was thinking of Hans Zimmer’s version of the joker music. With that in my mind I tried to re-create a similar sound. When constructing the sound I chose to use pitch bend so that the sound was manipulated into going into a higher pitch. This particular sound I felt created a sense of tension and created suspense. For the impact sounds I used a bass drum and added loads of effects including reverb. I also EQ it so that there was gain on the lower frequencies and a cut on the higher frequencies. I thought this would create tension as I was trying to match the sound with the dialogue to make our thriller more effective. We felt that by matching up some of the tense musical sounds to actions of our actors hands we would build tension without the need to show his face or here any diegetic sounds.
Before this year I had never used final cut pro and so it was a new and exiting new experience. I learnt so much during this whole experience of making our 2 minute main task. I have learnt how to log, to speed things up and create a narrative from a series of logged shots, I have also learnt how to use the camera and produce quality shots that you see in our final product. In the program Final Cut Pro we created titles. We looked through all the fonts to try and pick an appropriate one for our thriller. In the end we came to a decision as a group what font we should use.
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