1. Question 7
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt from the progression from it to
the full product?
By Ariana King
2. Pre- production
• The pre-production of my preliminary task consisted only having a script and a rough
storyboard. I did not prepare with the costume and locations as well as the angles and
shots were not clear in my head. Furthermore, the timing in the schedule was only
discovered last minute, which meant that myself and the actors were not prepared to film
the scene. This meant that the quality of the section looked very rushed and unfocused.
However, in my last product, I had a clear view of the storyboard and knew exactly what
the shots were going to look like. I had made a production schedule in order for my
actors and myself to prepare a reasonable time for the shooting, as well as leaving some
time for any shoots that did not achieve its potential. This therefore meant that the quality
of my film was higher and it also made me to have the time and effort to enhance the
camera shots and the mise-en scene in the frame. Similarly, to make the two minute film
engaging, I did an in-depth research on the Science Fiction genre and the target
audience. This lead me to create a film that completed the many conventions that suited
the audience and made me to develop the location, actors, costumes, props and
narrative. From the Science Fiction research, I had found out that special effects and
costume can improve the film significantly by putting in effort and time for the production.
This meant that the organisation and the planning has lead me to create the key
convention for a Sci-Fi genre as well as creating a professional look.
3. Sound
• In my preliminary, sound was a huge problem that affected the quality of
the scenes. This meant that the fixing the problem through the amounts
of editing, caused the issue to be very time consuming. This is because
in the dialogue scene, the microphone only picked up the strong wind of
the area. It meant that the actors were not properly heard, and therefore
it finished with an uncomfortable sound across the whole dialogue
sequence. This meant that it was very difficult for me to edit as I had to
try and pick out the dialogue that was mostly heard.
• However, in my final product I have managed to find a time of day that
had limited wind. The problem was also solved as the majority of the
opening was filmed inside. Additionally, as I had left myself more time to
create the script in the pre-production; I have also incorporated non-
diegetic special effects and voiceovers, in order to enhance the
soundtrack and the tension between the scene.
4. Lighting
• In my preliminary, I have always used natural
lighting, it was a huge issue as it was presented
during mid - morning. However, it resulted with a
dull and a basic look. Therefore, In my final product,
I used lighting to show the contrast of the dark room
and the actors face, in order to highlight the tense
and chilling atmosphere. However, I did not have
much experience with lightning from the previous
product, therefore the lighting was still not efficient
as it should have been. This is also evident through
the responses from my questionnaire, as the
audience pointed out that some parts of the shots
were a little grainy. This meant that in the dark, the
camera did not pick up much light, therefore it made
me consider to use more LED light, in order to
enhance the quality of the film and present the
actors in the light as much as possible. Overall, the
lighting managed to create the opening film to be
more eerie and engaging for the audience
throughout the opening film.
5. Camera Shots
• In my preliminary, the quality and the time spent for each
shot only took few minutes. This meant that camera shots
were not thought through and efficiently consistent. The
reason for this is because, I did not use a tripod in any of
the scene for my preliminary, This meant that each
individual shot reverse shot was slightly different than the
other, as the hand held shot is not as reliable than a
tripod. It also meant that some shots were slightly tilted
and jolted at points of the scene. The quality across the
opening, forces the audience to watch this uncomfortably.
• However in my final product, I took to consideration of
using a tripod and used it constantly though out the film.
Eventually, I had created steady and stable shots
throughout. Furthermore, I have also looked further into
my own research, on how to use sophisticated tricks with
only using a tripod, in order to create new skills of the
camera movements. For example, I used a steady pan of
the paper on the ground, panning up towards the
character. This enhanced the performance of the opening
sequence and made it appears more professional. The
questionnaire results also states that 56% of the target
audience think that the camera angles and movement
were the strongest point of my product.
6. Narrative
• To convey the narrative of my preliminary, I
began by having a sequences of shots and
sequences of long takes, that consisted a girl
walking from her house to her destination. I
felt that this did not grab the audience’s
attention and became very basic and
repetitive,therefore when planning my opening
scene, I set the scene with a sequence of
short takes through a cctv camera with a long
shot of the girl walking. I felt that this was
effective as it hides the obvious question and it
enables the audience to want to know who
and why the character is there. The sequence
of different angles and shots, makes the
audience wonder what the character is doing,
therefore becoming a more efficient and
engaging narrative. The idea of using a
narrative that opened up to many question
forces the audience to continue watching
through till the end.
7. Mise-en- scene
• Costume - In my preliminary, I have used the genre of the film to
be a comedy. The actor was dressed in an old grey jacket and
colourful, knitted, patterned jumpers and green, sparkly scarf. The
clash of the combination of the colours made the actor to be very
funny and comical. However, as I wanted to present the actor to be
an old lady, this did not create that effect, as the actor was only16
years old and the jeans and the no make up clearly demonstrated
that she was in fact a young girl. I have used an effective use of
costumes, similarly in the final product. In order to show the sci-fi
conventions, I have used a white, sterile overall cloak, mask and
gloves, to immediately highlight the protection and the danger from
the character’s surrounding. The sterile costume also significantly
makes the audience engaged to the character and it also made her
look authentic. Furthermore, the use of normal black top and
leggings at the second part of the opening, also makes the
audience relate to the character and her age.
• Props - In my preliminary, I did not focus on the props as needed.
However, I did use a phone for the young girl actress, in order to
show that she is a teenager as well as presenting a green bucket,
in order to create a comedy effect of the grandma. I have similarly
used props in my opening to show the high advanced technology of
the Sci Fi genre. However this time, I had time to focused on the
minor details of the location to create the scene as scientific as
possible. For example, the mask onto of the laptop, the earth globe
and many more.
8. Location
• Due to the minimum amount of time in the
production, I had to find a convenient location for
the scene to take place. When reflecting on this,
the end of the scene did not make sense as to why
the character has missed the bus, since the bus
stop was not shown in the shot. However, I felt that
the location did suit well with the particular
convention of the comedy genre, and it made a
family audience to relate to the characters as it is
set in a subordinate rural location, making it very
recognizable for the audience. Therefore, when
planning the location I had to find an area that
suited well with a sci fi convention. Eventually, I
had settled with the a isolated forest with solar
panels, in order to create the furriest atmosphere. I
have also chosen an ordinary, typical British home,
in order for the teenage audience to connect well
with the character and the family drama.
9. Actors
• For my preliminary, I had only prepared the scene on
the weekend, which meant that I had actors that were
convenient to shoot at that particular time. This meant
that the actors were not prepared to deliver their lines
and develop their characterisation. It was very time
consuming as myself and the actors did not focus and
the delivery of the lines and it was less effective as
myself and the actors had no knowledge in delivering
them, therefore making the editing much harder to
create. Learning from this experience, I had cast an
actor that has had acting experience, who would
therefore understand my point of view and would take
the acting seriously. I have also chosen this actor who
had a lot of free time, in order to shoot the film and to
fix any mistakes. This lead the time efficiency to be
more successful and it also enabled me to have a
rehearsal before shooting. Reflecting on this, I feel as
though the actor’s facial expression and the pace of
her movements to deliver the characterisation was
accomplished well in order to set the tense
atmosphere. Using an actor that was a similar age to
my target audience made the character believable and
relatable, which was a key feature that was lacking in
my prelim.
