Libby Nicholls Media

Question 7

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

Preliminary task: Feed the Fish

In reviewing the first preliminary and comparing it with our full product, I have referred back to Feed the Fish and looked at the problems we faced with it and if since then; we have improved these problem areas in our recent task using audio and annotations:

Planning...

* The planning process was very vital in the progression of the final product. Story boarding are initial thoughts as a group let us share are own ideas and start putting everyone's creativity together to make a good idea.

* The importance of planning was vital, having to discuss and confirm location and time to ensure it was convenient for everyone. Making sure we had the correct equipment and that we had left it enough time before to ensure we would be able to keep the equipment for the whole weekend.

* Making a Focus Group was definitely good for initial research, as I interviewed people of similar age and got there feedback on out Initial idea at the time.

* I have learnt that creating a happy environment whilst filming is essential in ensuring people feel enthusiastic and open to spend as much time that is needed on the task. We did this in out opening sequence of 'The Resistance' by feeding out actors and having regular breaks to relax.

* I have also learnt for next time we film, that a shooting script can be used as a guideline rather then a reliant concept that an actors feels they have to stick to. When filming our sequence we let the characters do there own thing, but on similar guidelines. This meant they could relax when acting as they feel like they are in a more natural environment.

* In the planning process we had just organised to shoot the certain scenes that fit the narrative, however when re-shooting we realised that the film may not be long enough, or it might be too reliant on dialogue rather then conveying genre. So we filmed props such as the fire and snow, inside and outside the cabin, so we could remind the audience of the location in which it is set and replace empty spaces with extra scenes when it came to editing.

* I also learnt that you should re-film the same scene a few times in different angles and proximity to give you an ensured variety when it came to editing.

* When it came to audience feedback, it was a lot more positive compared to our first Preliminary task, and the few things that needed to be proved we had already identified and planned to improve; showing a vast progression and natural feel of media technology and planning.

* This opening sequence has been worked on for a long time compared to Feed The Fish, so keeping your group happy is of vital importance as the team can work together and produce the best group work as they can due to individuals stretching there own ability.

Question 6

Annotated version of Opening Sequence

Summary

Question 6:

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

In this task I have learnt that having experience with the technology really does put you at an advantage, as learning new software means a lot of trial and error and can be very time consuming when trying to understand it. If I was to do the task again I would probably ask more for help and as advice to others taking on a similar task I would say to go and try software in your free time so when it comes to making your film you can get on with it and not be behind. Whilst shooting with the camera, I was quite hard to find a convenient spot to do the filming, especially as it was mostly inside the cabin, the space was very limited and the tripod could only be adjusted to a certain extent. For example, when filming the scene next to the fire it was very difficult to get a good frame. We had attempted to follow ‘Izzy’ inside the cabin as she got up to ‘get her phone from the car’, however the space was tight, so we resorted in filming from outside, looking directly through the window. This worked out for the better as it created a more dimensional edit. As we had to re-shoot due to timing issues, we noticed that the change of lighting from being light to dark was quite noticeable we attempted to use a light outside the cabin filming Izzy's exit, however it looked over staged so we scrapped the idea. Instead of altering the equipment whilst re-filming, we used our editing time to re-adjust the lighting by using the editing software, although finding a balance was difficult- it improved the shots vastly. The only health and safety issues we had was the fire. It took a long time to set up as it relied on flamed wood and newspaper, when working it would sometimes spit which was off putting and dangerous for the actors. I learnt when helping to edit the film, how to add and adjust sound on Adobe Premiere, use techniques such as fade to make it smoother. Using Livetype, although firstly complex, with help from a teacher Titles became easier to create and apply.