Your use of Digital Technologies: how skilled are you in these areas?
Hardware like the cameras and microphones is my strongest in this. I know the in and outs of cameras (DSRLs in particular) and understand how different microphones and settings affect recorded sound. On the other hand, software like Final Cut Pro was used less skilfully, likely not used to the full potential available. Sound editing in Final Cut Pro can be improved. Some cases resulted in camera audio being used over externally recorded audio. This led to an instance where birds just begin to chirp but are abruptly silenced. Blogger saw a varied use of hyperlinks, images and other software such as Soundcloud. Photoshop was used briefly only to adjust and edit the film production logo. To improve for A2 I would use Garageband to assist in the sound editing prior to having it imported into Final Cut Pro. Perhaps also to create some original sound clips to add on. Photoshop will see a larger use with the poster, thus using more than just the preset filters will be crucial.
Creativity: In what ways did you try to be original?
Sticking to conventions with a chase scene in a flashback to build suspense, masking the characters' identity to then build enigma. I do not believe this was executed well because it is not clear in the editing that it is a flashback and if this is missed, it would seem as parallel editing. The narrative wasn't very original either. One man who lost his love decides to use his police skills to solve her murder. Every other detective thriller with very stereotypical characters. One of the more difficult shots in the short film was meant to be a spin track outwards from an Extreme Close Up on the 'dead' character's eye. The idea was that once the movement was completed, the character would gasp for life. shock! relief! The problem was that the movement was done handheld thus a lot of shakiness. There was also an audio malfunction which forced the use of camera recorded audio, which did not increase immersion. The best shot in the film is the transition from the attack to the police investigation. The film cuts to black but the transition back in is the camera adjusting to the lighting. Not very revolutionary, but it worked very well.
Research and Planning: How thorough and effective was your research into real media texts?
My research for the Thriller film opening was, of course, Thriller film openings. I analysed from the beginning until the title sequence, what and how these films conveyed information using the four technical codes. The three films were Rambo (2008), Mr Brooks (2007) and Reservoir dogs (1992). All very different to each other but Thrillers nonetheless. Rambo was the over the top violence and gore, while Mr Brooks was the calculated murderous psychopath, and Reservoir Dogs was the bank heist gone bloody. There is a common theme here. Looking at these it would appear that me and my team mates took these themes and flipped them on their heads. Instead of the story from the criminal, it's the story from the law officer. Perhaps going shot by shot to analyse these movies in detail threw me off the bad guys and the life of crime, thus, needing something new, we had a detective lead character.
Post production: The entire editing process (sound and vision).
Post production was (personally) the easiest part of the entire coursework. Despite the aforementioned sound recording difficulties, many things turned out very well here. For example, the soundtrack. While it can always be improved upon with a wider variety and better mixing and transitioning between the tracks, it was still lightyears ahead of the preliminary work. Next step would be implementing more foley sounds recorded outside of the shoot. Visually, the biggest eyesore is the first flashback sequence. Having mentioned it already, my idea for this was a vignette that covered the edges of the frame, giving a hazed and clouded feel, as if remembering. Instead, the corners were slightly greyed out from the oval shaped mask used in Final Cut Pro. The second flashback sequence was better with 90% drop in saturation making nearly full black & white. In hindsight, editing both flashbacks the same way would likely have made it a lot easier to understand the flashbacks. If they are to be done again to tell a story, a far simpler fade to white or gaussian blur would be much simpler, both for the editor and the audience.
Using conventions from real media texts: How successfully did you use them?
The central convention of any Thriller is suspense and enigma. The two really go hand in hand. The entire antagonist was meant to be an enigma, with only his skin and scar being an identifying marker. This was taken directly from The True Suspects with Keyser. What would have improved this is a tighter frame to conceal even more. Thrillers are generally met with dark or in some way twisted narratives that will often unsettle the audience. The ending of the short film has just this dark twist. The antagonist is implied to be beating up the girl from the film. Nothing is shown, only the room's light switch but these impactful sounds increase the suspense in the audience and makes them sympathise with the girl. Dark or poorly lit settings are also a part of Thriller because if done right, it can provide mood, atmosphere, suspense and antagonists can hide within the shadows to spring out at anytime. This was difficult to do, in an overcast English morning as light was reaching everyplace near and far. However the trees in the woods were providing a canopy of sorts, blocking large swaths of light.
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