Primarily, in the planning section I went into much more depth for the main task than the the preliminary task. I completed lots of research prior to producing the film opening sequence which helped me know what I needed to include. I began by researching general thriller codes and conventions while also analysing existing thriller films so I knew the standards of which I would need to follow for my own film. Later on in the research process I focused on choosing my target audience which involved looking at different audience theories and researching what type of audience likes watching thriller films. After this, I created an audience profile based on three people who said they would be interested in watching my film post production. For my pre lim task on the other hand I didn't really do much research into audiences and targeted a more mainstream audience. After collaborating initial ideas with the two other members of the group (at the time) I had a rough plan of what I wanted my film to be based on; I had a vision of a bank robbery scene to start the sequence off and from there we came up with the idea of an interrogation style film which would be shown in the opening sequence. As soon as I knew what I wanted to do I began the next part of the research phase. I looked at different scenes from thriller films that would be similar to mine for example I analysed the police escape scene from 'A Kid Called Danger' and the interrogation scene from 'Night Crawler' as these scenes were similar to what I wanted to include in my own. I also looked at representation of different conventions within thrillers, such as lighting, location and costume.
After completing all the research that was necessary for when I come to make the film, I had to begin planning the production of it. This began with me creating a story board based on the plot of my film; I found that my story board for pre lim task was very different to my main task's. For the pre lim task I just briefly explained what shot type I would use for that clip but for my main task I went into more detail and explained how I would achieve this with the use of digital technologies such as the ken burns effect on final cut pro. Similarly, for the pre lim task, when stating the non-digetic sound I would be using for each shot I just described what kind of music I would be using, for example on one occasion I found myself writing "I will use a slow-tempo song that will gradually get faster to build tension," which wasn't really that helpful when I came to editing the footage because I didn't know what song to use. Whereas for my main task I had done research prior to the filming and editing so I already knew what songs to include at certain parts. Because of this I was able to be specific in my storyboard, "Jungle by X Ambassadors" which was helpful during the editing stage as I could simply just search for the song on iTunes. I also created a production schedule so I could stay on track and avoid running out of time. For the pre lim task I didn't have a production schedule and as a result I found myself being quite rushed throughout it and almost missing the deadline because editing took quite a while. For the main task the production schedule helped me a lot as I was able to stick to it most of the time and stay on track. However, I could not film on one of the allocated filming days because of bad weather which was unwanted in the shot. Because I missed that filming day it threw me off schedule and I fell quite behind because of an unfortunate run of bad weather.
The next thing on the agenda was filming the opening sequence. This was obviously a lot more complex than the pre lim yet I still think I managed to do it a lot better. Going right back to the preliminary task video I had a problem with filming location- the classroom we used for the first half of the scene was being used and thus meaning we couldn't film in the same place for the next part. Because of this we were forced to use a different room than before which made the sequence look unprofessional and probably confused the audience. In the main task I wasn't faced with this problem and we were able to film in the same location for both filming days. I think the quality of the footage was a lot better for the main task than the pre lim task, which I think is dominantly down to the technologies used during the filming process. Firstly, I used the iPad air 2 to film all of the footage which is known to have a better camera than the iPad mini used to film the preliminary task video. Furthermore, I used a tripod to film some of the scenes in the main task video which reduced the shaking of the camera which occurred in the pre lim video where we weren't able to use a tripod. The location of the scene for the main task was a really good place for the opening scene as it was an isolated place in the country side connoting vulnerability. I was able to use Bowdon Rugby Club as my location because I work there and so the owner allowed me to use it to film. The preliminary task location, however, wasn't very ideal for the plot because I was trying to convey a dull, mysterious atmosphere but the bright colours and child-centred displays contradicted this.
After the filming stage was complete I needed to edit my footage into a presentable format. When I went into editing the preliminary task I had pretty much no experience with Final Cut Pro X meaning I didn't know how to use some of the features of the programme. However, for the main task I had had some practice with the technologies and had done some research on some of the transitions and effects that may come in handy when I come to edit the footage. The preliminary video was very basic as I used barely any effects and transitions which was because of a lack of preparation in the storyboard, unlike for the main task of which I included specific effects like the 'Ken Burns Effect' which would allow me to zoom in on a desired character or prop. Additionally, I was able to use a filter, and a timer at the bottom of the screen, in one part of the interrogation scene to make it look like a real interrogation. When I was doing the pre lim task I think I lacked the creativity that made the main task so impressive.
On the whole I believe that, my main task was much more succsessful than the preliminary task and the main reason for this, from my point of view was because of the amount and quality of my my planning and research. Doing all that reaserch at the start of the course of this project helped a lot as it sort of created a checklist of vital codes and conventions that I would need to include in order to have a successful film.
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