The student saw significant skill development over the course of their production work. For their AS work, they used iMovie and Garageband which were sufficient but limited. For A2, they learned to use Photoshop, a better version of iMovie, Logic, and Final Cut, allowing more precision and flexibility. Their research and planning improved from AS to A2, incorporating more audience feedback. Post production enhanced the AS work by improving low light footage. For A2, they aimed to be less conventional while keeping genre themes through a 1970s setting.

1. Question 1a) prep
Describe and evaluate your own skill
development over the course of your
production work

2. Digital Technology

3. AS
• Used school camera – found it to be too low
quality and could not deal with low lighting
conditions.
• Used iMovie, in terms of editing ability it was
sufficient as I was only using straight cuts and
fades but the sound effects library was too small
for what I wanted to do with it
• Used Garage band to create the soundtrack but
found its audio library lacking and the precision
to which I could edit quite low

4. A2
• Used Photoshop for a lot of my materials (poster and magazine) found it to be
incredibly useful and precise, although at first it seemed to difficult to use
eventually I taught myself how to use it effectively
• Used iMovie again for editing but a more updated version (iMovie 10) that had
some bugs removed an gave me more flexibility with audio layering
• I took audio effects from inside Logic and Final Cut and used those in iMovie as I
felt they fit the genre better
• For example in my trailer when we first see the killer I used LFE Impact 01 which
really gave the impact and shock that I wanted to, but I had to unpack Logic
program and extract it from there
• I used Logic to manipulate my soundtrack as it is much more comprehensive that
Garageband which limited me to the precision I could cut my tracks to
• I used various websites to help me with my research and planning, for example I
used Survey Monkey to collect audience feedback, this was much more efficient
than printed surveys and I can reach a lot more people through the email system
• I used a vintage video camera to give my film and old style but also one that was
capable of shooting in low light conditions as I had struggled with the school
camera last year

5. Creativity

6. AS
• I was attempting to create a very conventional
horror film in the style of Blair Witch Project and
Paranormal Activity
• I feel the intended outcome did come through
and it was conventional but I feel this made it
quite dull and not that intriguing to the audience
• I used a combination of camera work and editing
to create this style of film, with shaking camera
work and fast editing. I also laid a green filter
across the whole film as a stylistic choice to give
it the horror film impression

7. A2
• With my A2 piece I decided to make it slightly
more subversive of the conventions, with
stylistic choices such as the fact I set the film
in the 1970s, to give it more style than an
average horror film
• I used costume and editing to achieve this
with era appropriate costumes and props as
well as using a tape camera to record and an
additional old style filter over the top

8. Research and Planning

9. AS
• For my AS product the research and planning was much
more about the actual production research e.g. location
shots, storyboarding etc. as opposed to audience research
and feedback. Although I did have some audience research
it wasn’t that detailed and I didn’t follow up on it that much
• My research into existing products was slightly more in
depth and did influence my product greatly with the shot
types and editing
• My planning was quite effective in terms of the
development of an idea and when and where I was going to
shoot but I failed to prepare for the possibility of reshoots
and pick up shots and struggled to get cast members
organised for these

10. A2
• My research and planning for my A2 product was much more
comprehensive and was far more focused on audience feedback, at
each stage of the production I performed audience research to
tweak and alter my product as I went, as opposed to showing the
final product and having to go back and change it all at great
difficulty
• My research influenced almost every key decision in my film, from
the title of my film to the fonts used on the poster
• My research into similar products was also much more extensive
this year and I compared my product to similar products throughout
my work
• My planning in terms of prop sourcing and casting was very
effective but there was an oversight into timing of filming, I did not
have all the principle photography time in the time scale I thought I
would, therefore had to push all my other work back

11. Post Production

12. AS
• My post production enhanced my product
greatly as I struggled to film in such low
lighting, so post production was the only thing
that made my product visible
• I used filters quite heavily last year to give my
film the horror look particularly with the
‘night vision’ when Emily is crying

13. A2

14. Use of conventions from real
media products

15. AS
• I conformed very much so to the found
footage horror genre
• The only point in which I didn't was the fact
that I used non-diegetic sound, which they
often don’t in found footage film
• However the characters that I chose were very
conventional (innocent female, black male
dying first etc.) and the way it was shot fitted
the found footage genre

16. A2
• For my A2 piece I wanted to go slightly less conventional in terms of the
style, but still keep the key themes usually found in my genre
• I chose to set my film in the 1970s, with the use of costume, sound and
post production filters
• This is not a typical setting for a film, they usually take place in present day
as it is usually more relatable for the audience and brings them into the
fear
• This is because most horror films are aimed at demographic, the
unemployed and students who seek escapism and want to immerse
themselves in the story. However I was aiming my film more at there
demographic B, more creative media types (which is why I conducted
targeted audience research on media students) that will take a step back
and appreciate the work gone into creating a 70s style film
• The genre of this project was thriller, more specifically stalker thriller. I
conveyed this through the use of sound and editing, with long
uncomfortable noises to build tension, as well as shocking ‘jumpy’ noises
to coincide with the fast paced editing