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

Whilst our preliminary task was not bad for a first attempt, our final product is certainly a lot better, numerous instances of which are highlighted above. The two areas I feel we progressed in most were our use of Final Cut Pro and our filming outdoors, which we didn’t do at all in our preliminary task. There were a number of other areas that we improved on but I feel these two were the most important in terms of making our final product better than our preliminary task.

Filming outdoors meant having to learn quickly. In the natural environment there are constant changes, from the light levels to the external sounds. This means you have to choose carefully when to start filming your shots as sudden changes in these sorts of factors can lead to continuity editing problems, as we found out on two or three occasions.

Our use of Final Cut Pro, as I talked about when considering what we have learnt about technology, has improved vastly. We have learnt how to use the effects offered by the program to create effective sequences. We have also learnt how to edit sound and individual clips to create a desired atmosphere. Overall, our use of all features in the program has improved.

We also ensured we didn't make very basic errors like we did in the preliminary task (see images below). The first image shows a recycling bin which should have been moved out the way. It rather spoiled the atmosphere. The second image shows our camera bag in the background, which again has the same effect.

Other things we have learnt include how to use a Dolly, and how to plan properly for a film. In the preliminary task we produced a script and storyboards, however the research into genres and conventions of openings, etc didn't happen, and I see have definitely seen the benefits of doing this. Mainly, it helps to give your work an aim and some direction. It has also made me realise why films take so long to make, and I will no longer think production companies are being lazy when they say it will be three or four years until the next film in a series!