3. My film was strongly influenced by the research I did. Having looked into the different styles and themes within
both the horror and thriller genres, I knew what I wanted to accomplish and which areas to look at. I focused on
different defining moments in horrors, evaluating their success and how it could be implemented into my own
film. On top of that I also looked at user reviews of a select few horror/thriller films ranging from the 1970s to
present day. By looking at such a wide variety of films I was able to gain an understanding of what was needed
to create my own movie.
One major weakness in my research was that I had watched very few horror films. Due to the low amount of
access I had to the films the overviews may not have been in as much depth as I may have wanted. This said,
all the films I had described I had watched at least once but the ability to watch them again was not there.
Another weakness was that I did not review too many films that were similar to the product I wanted to make. A
few were of that specific category, being a ‘found-footage’ style mockumentary, but the rest were of an entirely
different style.
Had I looked at these types of films I may have gained a much better understanding of what was needed to be
done in order to create my own. I looked at horror in general which gave me a useful insight to what was
necessary for a horror film to work but knowledge in the specific field was lacking. This would have had a
positive effect on my film as the more experience I had the better the product would have been.
4. My planning was very useful when it came to the final processes of my film. I made very clear documents such
as the Structural Breakdown. This came in use as a began to edit the film.
The editing of the final product went very smoothly as I had plenty of resources to help to me structure the film,
as well as time. This was due to the quality of all the planning that I had done. Even the research into the
production techniques kept some editing ideas fresh in my mind because of the plans.
A weakness of the planning was that I had not done any outside of the documents, meaning that all my work was
spread across multiple presentations. Although this did not hinder production, it did cause inconveniences
throughout. Had I thought through this style of documenting ideas I may have done it slightly differently.
Although the production went smoothly I often found myself slightly frustrated at the strange format that all the
documents were in. Had all the work been one presentation it would have been much better. Production may
have even taken less time and my work would have been more concise.
5. My time management was not my greatest strength nor my greatest weakness. Like all of the projects I have
taken on, progress is very steady to start off with. This is usually due to the amount of time I spend deciding what
to do. This is an important decision but I can spend a long amount of time thinking of ideas before I settle on just
one.
However, once I had thought of an idea I really picked up speed. I was able to work quickly though not due to
lack of content, and catch up to where I was. This was unfortunate and not something that I enjoy, but it meant
that I was at where I should have been once again.
My own idea for the film meant that I did not have to spend time actually filming it as this was already complete,
so this gave me a lot of time to perfect the final edit, which would have taken the same amount as the filming
process.
Had I more time in this project I would have added some additional editing stages, such as more effects. I think
that, for example, some disturbances in the frame would have increased the action on screen. Things like this
would have increased the quality of the production, but on the other hand my own film looks like the low-budget
mockumentary that inspired it.
6. The camera work done for this film was not intended for this use but this, I would argue, enhances the
experience as an audience member. All the footage is genuine and it not filmed in a professional manner, so it
really is a down to earth sort of experience. In films such as Cloverfield, which I took inspiration from, the camera
mostly shows the action in very calculated ways, but in my own film this is not the case.
This could be seen as a negative, but I look at it as a realistic technique of cinematography.
7. Through the entire film there is no diegetic sound at all. All audio has been silenced and replaced with a (hopefully)
disturbing soundtrack. This soundtrack was created using Garage Band and influenced by many composers and movie
soundtracks.
An effect I had with the music was the building of tension. I did this with the use of a clanging noise which slowly builds
in tempo. This was inspired heavily by a piece of music by Henry Jackman that was used in a scene in Kingsman: The
Secret Service. That scene was a highly tense situation that the characters found themselves in. Jackman used lots of
synthetic sounds to create an eerie atmosphere, in addition to this he implemented a metallic clanging sound of what
seemed to be a bell. This slowly got faster as the character edges nearer to his apparent demise.
Another aspect I implemented was an occasional unnatural sounding blast of a trumpet. This was inspired by the noise
of the ‘tripods’ from War of the Worlds. The tripod noise was used in he film to alert the audience to the alien visitors
until they associated it with the close proximity that the danger was in. The similar sounding trumpet blasts were used
to interrupt the other sounds and noises in the music. It is an unsettling noise that may seem out of place, but that was
the point of integrating it.
I also added the sound of voices into the music. Entirely synthesized, the effects of an instrument were changed to
reverberate into the sound of vocals. This was something inspired by the music used in the opening title of Jurassic
Park. During this score vocals were added in addition to the ambient noises of the jungle and plucks from a stringed
instrument. Unlike my own score, the voices fade in and out with each strum of the cello or double bass. I kept mine
continuous to increase the noise and depth of the music.
8. Editing is where I spent the most time on my project. It was where I was going to correct any
parts of the process that had not be evened out yet. The music was going to be fitted with the
visuals and the visuals were going to be constructed in a coherent manner. As I did not do any
filming this is where my previous experience was going to shine.
I did not do any reshoots for my film so I had a small amount of footage to work with, but this
was intentional. If I had done reshoots I may have had a harder time telling the story, the
abundance of shots would have pressured me into using more scenes and trying to include
more than was necessary.
The way I did it gave me enough room to work well in but did not leave me drowning in footage.
The lack of shots makes others longer and gives an insight into what is happening more than it
would had there been a cut every second.
The effects were sublt and well achieved. Throughout the film I would progressively make the
image darker as time wound on, along with the advancements of the clock in the bottom corner.
Together they show the movement of time as the days progress and although subtle they speak
loudly and add a lot to the film.
9. The film’s aesthetics is something that I am very pleased with. The film has a moody, slightly
sombre tone to it that makes it an effective thriller. The environmental factors and post-production
techniques both play a part in this.
On the day that the footage was filmed it was drab. It was overcast and it had rained earlier in the
day. This is evident in the footage but it the miserable weather adds to the film. It feels dark and
moody, as it often does on rainy days, and so the audience can relate to this.
The time of year was around late winter, early spring and so many of trees had not yet fully grown
back their leaves. This again gives imagery of the cold, wet environment.
The title card and credits fit well with the film. They are not flamboyant or eye-catching, they just
seem to blend in, which in my opinion looks professional.
10. The film fits the target audience very well. I originally intended for the film to be made for males in their
late teens but the film can appeal to all. It is not specific to any gender and it can be classed in a lower
certificate than I originally intended.
This is due to the lack of horror in the film. My vision was that it would not be suitable but after the post-
production process it would seem that I was too cautious. Despite a much younger audience being able
to view it, I still think that a much older audience will still be captivated by it.
The film may not have the shock aspect or the intense nature that some of the most successful films
have but I would argue that it will still fit into the horror/thriller genre. The film may seem tame
compared to them but it still contains the certain aspects and tropes that all the others have.
12. What did you like about the product?
I liked the way that the movie was filmed, it looked like a found-
footage documentary. The music was a nice part to the film. It
progresses with the film as it ramps up as the film ends.
What improvements could have been made to the product?
The film’s plot could be improved as it was confusing to start. There
is no explanation for the events they just seem to happen. The
ending is good though.
13. What did you like about the product?
The music is fits well with the film as it becomes very intense
towards the end when everything goes wrong. The date on the
screen is useful as it shows when the events happen.
What improvements could have been made to the product?
The film needs to have more explanation as it just looks like some
people running away from a camping trip. The titles are a little basic
aswell.
14. What did you like about the product?
The editing was well done as it does not jump around too badly.
The effect used to cut between the different days was a good idea
as it a cliché in the horror genre. The music fit really well with the
film too.
What improvements could have been made to the product?
The plot was hard to understand at first but after a couple of
watches it made sense. The end was weird as they just start to run
for no reason.
15. What do you agree with from your peer feedback?
I understand what my peers were trying to say as my film did lack in the way of plot, but it was sort of
supposed to be like that. They commented on the music, which was good because I had spent a fair amount
of time on that.
What do you disagree with from your peer feedback?
I did not agree with a comment that said that the titles were too basic. I strongly disagreed with that as I
thought that the minimalist style was exactly what the film needed. Apart from this, the feedback was well
received and I now know what I have to avoid or improve upon in future.
Editor's Notes
What were the strengths of your research? How did your research help your product?
What were the weaknesses of your research? What could you have done better/improve? What effect would this have had on your product?
What were the strengths of your planning? How did your planning help your product?
What were the weaknesses of your planning? What could you have done better/improve? What effect would this have had on your product?
Did you manage your time well? Did you complete your project on time or would your products have improved with additional time?
What would you have done if you had more time to produce your work?
Compare your work to similar existing products and discuss the similarities and differences
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page alongside an existing product
Use text boxes and arrows
Compare your work to similar existing products and discuss the similarities and differences
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page alongside an existing product
Use text boxes and arrows
Compare your work to similar existing products and discuss the similarities and differences
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page alongside an existing product
Use text boxes and arrows
Does your work look good? Was it creative? What aspects of your game’s visuals do you like? What would you improve? How would you improve it?
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page and analyse them
Use text boxes and arrows
How have you appealed to your target audience? What specific bits of content would appeal to your target audience.
Refer to your findings from your questionnaire.
Put your final piece(s) in the centre of a page and analyse them
Use text boxes and arrows