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

1. Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it the full
product?
Our original Preliminary task was very messy as it did not completely follow our
guidelines that we were given for our preliminary brief which therefore lead us to
filming another pre-lim. The storyboard was well planned however it was planned
that the character B who played a female colleague would remain “mysterious”
and therefore the audience will never see her face. It was also extended to the
aftermath of the conversation which portrayed some drama in character A, the
male focus’ life. This was completely unnecessary for the preliminary task as it
went into too much detail and also didn’t meet the guidelines of what was
required for the preliminary task. Therefore, my group and I went away to create
another preliminary task and therefore better our listening skills.

2. Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it the full
product?
➲ In terms of time management, our organization was very poor. Although
we had a paper schedule of shooting as well as what to do, when it
came to putting this in action we were quite disorganized and we didn’t
follow what was set out. Also, my group kept discussing about filming
details on the day as well which put us back in time and therefore led us
to being the last group to finish filming. In order to combat this issue, we
decided to stop the excessive chatter and get on with it even though we
still ended up finishing the latest. Clearly, my group and I should have
planned in more detail as well as more effectively. From this mistake, I
learnt that planning is key when it comes to time management as
otherwise you go off schedule.

3. Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it the full
product?
Our shooting schedule was properly planned, however we did not follow
this as well as we should have due to the encouragement of filming
extra shots. If I were to film again, I would ensure that the basic shots
that were listed down took priority in filming as well as keeping in mind
the availability of the location. Location was quite key in terms of
shooting schedule as we had limited time for certain locations as well
as the fact that there was always the possibility of interruptions
whether it being a teacher or a student. To combat this problem, we
filmed afterschool where the presence of students would be virtually
non-existent and notified every teacher with links to the location the
importance of no disruptions therefore enabling the filming to run
smoothly as this had limited interruptions. From this, I learnt that
cooperation with people who had links to our locations was vital in
order to prohibit interruptions which would overall enable filming to go
smoother. I also learnt that it is important to stick to what was
previously planned in order for filming to be smoother as well as
swifter.
➲

4. Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it the full
product?
➲ The shooting schedule for the main task was quite difficult to complete
as there were more shots we had to plan and each shot had to be one
within a certain location. I, given the task of the shooting schedule,
therefore planned that the outdoor scenes would be done first as we
were going to start filming quite early in the morning and this would
stop/ limit all outside interferences. My next priority was filming the
indoor kidnapping scene as this room would not be at our disposal due
to scheduled lessons. In order to combat confusion on the day for
filming, our team booked the room for the majority of the day in order
to prevent continuity mistakes. This task was quite smooth, however in
order to improve, next time I would make drafts of shooting schedules
and therefore run them by my team in order to keep them included
with decisions as well as improve the shooting schedule in case they
pointed out issues that I was quite ignorant to.

5. Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it the full
product?
➲ In terms of timing for pre-production, I feel that we should have spent
more time planning/ used our time more effectively in terms of what
was needed to be done on the actual day for our filming as planning is
vital in order to enable everything to flow more smoothly. The fact that
we didn’t plan more effectively did result in a few squabbles amongst
the team due to the fact that there was some confusion on how certain
scenes were going to be filmed. From these issues, I learnt that
communication with new people in a new group is key in order to make
sure people are on the same page otherwise it results in squabbles
and I shall therefore keep this in mind for future references.
➲ In our preliminary casting, we used people from our group to cut down on time
and make the whole process more effective. This made it more effective as the
people in our group were already familiar with what the roles were for filming
and what each role had required of the actor. However, an issue that were
raised with this task was the fact that there was no solid script organized for
the preliminary task and therefore had an impact on our timing and continuity
as the conversational sequences were messy and unrealistic at times. From
this issue, I learnt that a script must be agreed on and learnt prior to filming as
this would therefore keep up the continuity and the timing.

6. Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it the full
product?
➲ In terms of location, we pre-booked as soon as possible as
this would give us the advantage of sticking to our
storyboard. Overall, our locations were closely knitted
together and therefore enabled filming to go smoothly in
terms of location as we had unlimited time to work with the
advantage of our ideal setting. However, it was quite difficult
to book as this area as many other classmates were rushing
around to book their ideal filming locations. Overall, I think
my team were quite smart in terms of booking the ideal
location as we were very swift and quick to book it therefore
I would say that this was the most smoothest task in our
history of tasks for filming.

7. Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it the full
product?
➲ Continuity was closely monitored for the preliminary task. The weather
was very important in terms of continuity as it had affected our lighting
for when we came on set for our filming. In order to combat this issue we
made sure that the blinds were closed throughout filming as well as
keeping the lights on. From these issues, I learnt that location checks
were quite important in terms of continuity as well as how time sensitive
filming actually is if you want your film to be consistent.
➲ In regards to casting, Aaron was perfect in terms of fulfilling the role of
bandit/teacher as his physique, with the right direction could be shown as quite
menacing. He was perfect for the role and was also our first choice for the role.
This role was therefore smooth in terms of casting. In order to combat the issue
of using too many actors for our opening sequence we used our actors for
double roles. This was quite effective on our part as filming was therefore split in
two parts due to location issues. This actually helped in some ways as most of
our characters would come in school uniform anyway and would save them from
the nuisance of having to get spare clothes to school. I believe this also made it
more effective for our film as it enabled us to emphasise how Shamus’ daydream
was different to his reality. Shamus and AJ’s clothing were kept the same or
similar to show their importance to the film as characters.

8. Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it the full
product?
➲ Due to exterior reasons, we were unable to film our opening sequence
in one day as our location had ordered that everyone should leave the
premises at one o’clock. This therefore broke our working streak in a
way as well as some infringement on continuity as we were only allowed
to film during lessons and this therefore enabled people to interfere with
our set even though we left a note asking them to do the exact opposite.
This was our most major issue with the location as this didn’t enable our
filming to go in more of a flow. From this issue, my team and I therefore
aimed to complete all the shots we needed for the drama room as this
location was quite difficult to book in the first place.
➲ There were some obvious mistakes in continuity for our main task .e.g. when
Shamus walks towards the door we see that the machine gun is no longer in the
place that he left it behind in. Also, when Shamus walks into the room where the
hostage is held, you no longer see Bandit A’s dead body in the background
which also affected the continuity. In order to prevent a reoccurrence of these
issues, I would ensure that we filmed more viable shots to use in the editing
process and keep an even closer eye on the continuity of each shot. In order to
ensure this does not happen again I would also make sure that I am stern and
more vocal when it comes to continuity issues for future films that I will hope to
make.

9. Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it the full
product?
➲ Feedback was quite vital for our preliminary task. Through watching the
other preliminary tasks from other groups, my group and I noticed that
we had not stuck to the guidelines of what we were asked to do. The
majority of our shots were of good quality however some shots were
formed in what seems to be quite a lazy manner although our over the
shoulder shots were good. The sound effects for the phone ringing were
said to be quite unrealistic as well and the fact that the actor didn’t let
the phone ring for very long was quite unrealistic as well. In order to
combat these issues our teacher allowed every group to go back and
film the task again. From these issues, I learnt that whenever we film we
should rehearse the shot first to see how it looked on the camera and
also work on listening as well as cooperation skills in order to not
commit the same mistakes again.

10. Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it the full
product?
➲ In terms of sound, we had to ensure that dialogue was very
clearly heard as our preliminary task was centered on
dialogues exchanged between our two characters. In order
to ensure that speech was clearly heard, we filmed in a quiet
classroom/office environment and notified people related to
the building that we were filming. This therefore prohibited
background noise. However this did not stop all the
background noise. However this incorporated quite well with
our preliminary task as it made it more realistic that our
actors were teachers working within an educational
environment. From this issue, I learnt that dialogue is very
important in order to be heard quite clearly as this would
therefore enable our audience to keep track of what’s going
on otherwise they would just lose interest.

11. Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it the full
product?
➲ In terms of editing our original preliminary task, it was very time effective
as we only spent a couple of lessons. However, from this I learnt that it
is important to watch over the film as the parts that I was unsure of
ended up being picked on at the preliminary task .e.g. in the beginning
there is a continuity issue of the character B just standing there although
she has supposedly walked through the door already. This could have
easily been fixed up within the editing. From this I learnt that it is
important to check over your work.
➲ Audio and music were very important in the main task as my group and I
had decided to limit the dialogue. Originally there was no link between
the music of the opening credits and the music used for the actual
opening sequence. However, this affected the flow of the opening
sequence and therefore was changed due to feedback given by our
teacher so that the second set of sound would therefore begin when the
actual fighting began which was all in all quite effective.

12. Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you
feel you have learnt in the progression from it the full
product?
➲ Feedback played a massive role in the flow of our film. Originally, we
missed out an opening title by mistake; however feedback reminded us
that a key opening credit was missing. This therefore enabled the music
to creep in and make it more effective. The props however, looked too
unprofessional however to combat this issue you could say that it adds
to the effect of the unrealistic nature of the daydream. Audio on Aaron
was brought down in the end to make it more focused on the dialogue.
This helped to improve our film.
➲ The editing process took about a couple of days. The editing was swift
and quick which therefore enabled us to gain some feedback from our
teacher and improve our work. In order to improve the editing process, I
would make sure everyone has more of an equal hand in editing