When looking back at our preliminary task and contrasting it with our thriller, it is clear to see how much we have developed our skills in filming as well as editing over this year. I think our preliminary task was much less challenging because for one we had a set story board, so therefore already had a script and a basic story line which we could adapt to. We were also limited in shots that we could use which, when you contrast it with our thriller, is very obvious as in our thriller we were in complete control of our shots and therefore used a variety. (E.g tracking shots, extreme close ups) Where as in our preliminary task we used basic shots such as high and low angle shots, shot reverse shot etc. However, at the end of the task we included a close up of our actors hands to try and make our prelim stand out over the others.
In our preliminary task we were given an outline of the shots we should use, however we didn't get this when making our thrilling, therefore we had to redraft our shot list many times in order to create one that shows our characters statuses as well as build tension and suspense. When given our story board for our preliminary task we were asked to interpret the script in our own way and come up with a plot, I think the story we came up with was different and unique. However, comparing this to the story line of our thriller i believe that the plot within is much more interesting and shown group creativity and originality, despite it being based on history that has already happened i think we made it more believable and interesting as it is based in a true story.
Through the mis-en-scene of our thriller you can see what era it was set in, for example the costumes that are use are clearly victorian as well as enable you to guess the backgrounds of the characters. Our thriller was set at Hurtwood House, we asked for all the current day items such as cars people dressed in normal clothes to be vacated as we wanted our thriller to be as realistic as possible. The location also has elements that resemble to the victorian ear, such as Victorian style lamps, a cobbled drive and old bricks. This allowed our thriller to look realistic and allow the audience to realise what era it is being shot in. If you compare this to our preliminary tast, we hadn't got a massive range of places to shoot in, so all the shots are shot in the same areaIn contrast for the preliminary task we had limited use of mise-en-scene as all of our shots were in the same location and so it was very simple as we didn’t have to add anything as it was set in present day. And used actors that were in our school that were free to act.
If you contrast the sound between our preliminary task and thriller you can see how much we have progressed. For instance, in our preliminary task we used the ambience sound of our surroundings, and then when we edited, we cut some of the script in order to fit the plot we had come up with. Comparing this with our thriller, we didn't use dialogue and neither of our characters spoke throughout, however we included sounds such as footsteps and a scream as our victim got stabbed in order to create suspense. We used final cut pro to add smaller sounds such as the stabbing sound of the knife as well as dripping sounds in the dungeon to create the illusion of being completely alone. Other than this we used non diegetic music all the way through, again which built onto the tension you can feel throughout.
When editing our preliminary task we had only used simple shots so therefore it was much easier to edit them as well as cut them on action. In contrast, our thriller used more complex shots, and therefore made cutting and editing a lot harder than we had thought. When cutting our preliminary task all we had to do was use simple tools on final cut pro, despite the tools being basic it gave us a good foundation for when it came to editing our thriller. Within our thriller we used advance editing tools such as slow motion and cross fades. Not only this but we made our own titles using Photoshop and 'After Effects'. In photoshop we created the paper and titles as well as burning them at the edges to create the illusion that the paper had been set on fire. Then, in after effects we made them turn and create movement such as burning at the edges and tearing. The reason for going through all this effort for the titles was because if we hadn't it would have ended up looking unrealistic and un- unique.
In conclusion I believe the preliminary task gave us a great foundation into how to use the camera, edit the shots, work the programs, and use sound and mise-en-scene to add atmosphere to the shot. I also feel as though doing our thriller after this allowed us to build on these skill, meaning that in the future we will be able to take on more challenging tasks.
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