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

2. The preliminary task was a great
opportunity to practice the different
techniques we would need to use
when actually filming. It gave us a
chance to experiment with different
shots and angles and enabled us to
test out the school’s editing
programme, Adobe Premiere Pro, for
the first time.

3. Although the preliminary task was not difficult to
master, I feel that it allowed me to get to grips with
what I would be working with later on in the year. As
the preliminary task was the first time we were properly
able to use the equipment and film, I was able to get a
slight taste of what filming our thriller would actually
feel like; including allowing me to discover the different
problems that may arise on the actual night of filming
and throughout the editing process.

4. For our preliminary task, Rachel and I did not create a storyboard or
script, therefore when it came to the filming of it, we were unprepared and had to
improvise. This caused the filming to take longer than it should’ve of taken as we
were pondering over what should be said and what angles we should use.
Therefore, before filming the real thing, Rachel and I created a precise, detailed
storyboard, which included pictures and dialogue as well as the different props that
would be needed on set and what type of lighting we would use. We found that this
enabled us to get through filming a lot quicker and easier. Although we did not stick
to the exact storyboard, we still stuck to the majority of it and as it was so
detailed, it was easy to figure out what we needed to do without many problems.
We fully intended to stick to the storyboard, however on the night, things panned
out differently and some shots were taken away, whilst others were added in.

5. Whilst filming our preliminary task, although it would’ve
taken us quicker to finish if we created a
storyboard, we still managed to meet the deadline, as
it was only a short piece of work. On the other hand
when filming our actual thriller, Rachel and I had to
stick to a schedule as our main actress had to leave by
a certain time. Unfortunately, we did not manage to
finish filming that day and therefore, we had to arrange
another day to film.

6. On the second day of filming, Rachel and I wrote a
specific schedule of what shots we would film and
estimated how long it would take to film them.
Thankfully, this detailed schedule helped us
immensely and Rachel and I were able to stick to
the timings, even having a few minutes to spare!

7. In our preliminary task, although we were only filming
a short conversation, we decided to play around with
the lights a little. We used two key lights in the room.
However, when we looked back on our recording we
realised the lighting was overexposed. Although this
was not a major issue considering it was only our
preliminary task, we had to ensure that in our actual
title sequence, the lighting would be perfect.

8. On the first day of filming, as we filmed in the middle of a pitch
black forest at night, we had to use a 50 metre extension cable in
order for the red-head light to reach the set. Manoeuvring the lights
around proved to be a difficult task and therefore from what we
filmed on the first day, our lighting was not as perfect as we wanted
it to be. However, on the second night of filming Rachel and I filmed
at my house. This time, because we had learnt from our mistakes in
both the preliminary task and our first night of filming, Rachel and I
were able to master the lighting with barely any trouble at all.

9. When filming our preliminary task, it was easy to
organise our crew as there was only our friend
Amy, Rachel and I. The task was very short and didn’t
require much organisation and a big crew.
However, when filming our actual thriller we needed
help occupying the children, pitching the tents, creating
the campfire and so on. Rachel and I managed to form
a little crew of our friends and family who helped us
sort out all these problems.

10. We mainly communicated through text, emails and
Facebook. Rachel and I however had to
constantly stay in contact throughout the
preparation, the filming and the production
process. We mostly communicated through text
and Facebook, constantly letting each other know
when we had come up with new ideas.

11. In the preliminary task, I did most of the filming, whilst
Rachel and Amy were the actresses. Editing was split
evenly between the three of us. For our actual
thriller, the filming and editing was split evenly between
us, but we still had different jobs that we each took care
of. For example, Rachel was the one who booked the
location, whilst I was the one who found all the music.

12. In the preliminary task, the actresses and myself were the
only people involved in the filming and editing process.
From my group, I was the only one who was not on
camera so Rachel and Amy were the decided actresses.
Since we were filming during school time, we just wore
what we usually wear to school. However, Amy was
wearing a hoodie and since she was playing quite a
menacing character, she lifted up her hood to make her
look more intimidating.

13. We didn't use many props in our preliminary
task, as it was a simple conversation.
However, we did use a table and chairs to make
it look more like a business meeting. As a result
of our lack of attention to detail, the preliminary
task ended up looking average, as the
actresses, location, costumes and props were
not properly thought out.

14. In our actual thriller however, the actors, location, costumes and props were all
very central towards our film. We had difficulty managing the actresses in our
thriller. For the main actress, we needed to find someone who was willing to
play such an obscure character. This was particularly hard to do as she was to
be played by a woman. Additionally, we had to have loads of little girls on our
set. It was hard to find young actresses whose parents were willing for their
children to stay out late at night and film a thriller in the middle of the woods.
However, after asking our sisters and friends if we could ‘borrow’ their friends
for the evening; since the parents knew who we were, they were happy to
oblige. We communicated by emails to sort out specific details, and in the
end, everything worked out perfectly.

15. The location was one of the first things we
sorted out. Since Rachel works for Brownies she
was easily able to secure our chosen location
and we could go there and film any time we
wanted, free of charge. The costumes were also
simple as Rachel gathered all the spare uniform
she could find in the Brownies storage
cupboard.

16. We created our own props from household items. For
example, the bottle of chloroform was in fact an empty
medicine bottle with a label printed from the Internet.
As our preliminary task was not well prepared, we were
able to realize from that what a major difference paying
attention to details could do and therefore, in the actual
film, we ensured everything was though out precisely.

17. In both our preliminary task and actual thriller, Rachel and I
ensured our editing was continuous. Continuity is a major aspect
that needs to be taken care of whilst both filming and editing.
Part of continuity editing is ensuring you stick to the 180-degree
rule. Although we re-filmed it, Rachel and I initially broke the
180-degree rule in our preliminary task. Therefore we had to
make sure than when filming the actual thriller, we stuck to this
rule. We managed to do so successfully as we had learnt from
the initial mistake we had made in our preliminary task.

18. In conclusion, I believe that because the preliminary
task allowed us to experiment with the equipment and
editing programme, we were able to manage this
aspect of filmmaking much quicker when filming our
actual thriller. Additionally, it made me realise the
importance of paying attention to detail in terms of
storyboarding, lighting, costumes, location etc. The
preliminary task allowed me to develop my skills in
filmmaking and organisation, which helped me a lot
when making the actual film.