My preliminary task:
This is our final cut:
RESEARCH
When doing our preliminary task we hadn't done any research into shot types, filming, editing, SFX, mise-en-scene etc. Because the prelim prelim had no particular genre this was fine, but for our specific production we had to do a lot of research into all aspects of the slasher genre, to try and get the most accurate portrayal of a slasher film. The prelim definitely helped us when learning how to work with the camera, the different shot types and how to use the editing software. At first when doing the prelim we did struggle with all these aspects, but when it came to filming and editing multiple rough cuts we got very used to how everything worked, and what would look most effective for the slasher genre.
PLANNING + PITCHING
The planning for the preliminary task was very minimal, as all we had to do was quickly write down the shot types we were going to use and roughly what we would say. We didn't think much at all about the narrative, just something very basic so we could focus more on the cinematography. However for our production we had to make call sheets, story boards and lots of plans to make sure we were prepared for the shoots and managed our time properly. Because we had actors involved we had to make sure none of their time was wasted and we knew exactly which shots needed to be done and at what time. As our rough cuts progressed, we improved on this and the very last shoot we did was the most productive and best planned and organised. Unlike the prelim we did multiple shoots and we had to constantly evaluate and criticise our own footage to see if it needed to be re-shot or improved. Originally when we did the prelim we didn't have to pitch an idea, but for our production we spent time planning an idea and pitching it to the class to persuade people to work as a team on your production. A first this seemed quite daunting but the most effective way of hearing everybody's ideas and constructive criticism.
ACTORS
In mine and Hannah's prelim, me and Poppy were the actors in it as it was easier and quick to film. In our production we used different actors for different rough cuts before deciding our final cast. We wrote scripts for our cast and we gave it to them in advance so they had a good understanding of what we needed them to do and say exactly. Also we tried to cast our actors as close to the stereotype of their character as possible, for example choosing a blonde to play the scream queen. None of the actors we chose were very experienced, but they all acted very professionally and were very willing to help with our production. However, our production could have been improved if we had very experienced actors.
MISE-EN-SCENE, COSTUMES + PROPS
There was no mise-en-scene, costumes, props or set dressing. However our production was the opposite. We changed many aspects to improve our mise-en-scene for example we changed the scream queen's phone background to anchor that her and the jock are a couple. We asked the individual characters what to wear and we planned this in advance, as well as taking precautions such as buying extra white tops for the scream queen so the killing scene could be reshot if necessary. As for props we had to take the knife as well as the phone used and we had to purchase flowers for the group to put on 'Mikeys' grave. Every time we did re-shoots it was helpful that we knew exactly what shots were needing to be done so we could take the appropriate props for them. For our killing scene to look realistic we had to use fake blood. We made our own fake blood, because it was cheap, easy and it looked very realistic. Here are our posts about all these mentioned in more detail:
LOCATION
The location for our final production was 2 different places. For our original rough cut we filmed the whole thing at Linton Camp. However for our second shoot and third shoot we thought it would be more effective to edit in footage from a wooded area as it came across a scarier and more realistic. To film our wooded footage we went to some local woods. Filming in the woods was quite challenging as we had to walk quite far to the location and we often had to stop filming due to it being in the area of a public footpath and people and dogs sometimes walked or were heard in shot. However we filmed the prelim at lunchtime inside so there was minimal noise.
ROUGH CUTS
We only did one prelim, and we didn't think it was necessary to have any rough cuts or re-film, however we filmed and re-edited our production several times. Here are the rough cuts for our final production:
AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
For our production we had all of our rough cuts on youtube for audience feedback, as well as screening them to people our age and videoing their reactions. From these reactions we improved our production, especially their critique on what kind of sound we could use to create suspense. As our first rough cut didn't have good feedback this is when we made the decision to reshoot the whole production. This was a very good decision as the final product was much better than it would have been if we had used that majority of that original footage.
SOUND
For our prelim the only sound involved was the diegetic sound of what we were saying. In our production, as well as enhancing diegetic sound for affect and turning down diegetic sound when necessary, we also spent time on non diegetic soundtrack to improve it. We used quiet music throughout our production to make it more intense and eerie. Also we uses used a specific sound whenever the killer is shown. In the killing scene we used string instruments which helped replicate the sounds of screams that were heard.
IDENTS
In our production we included 4 idents, mine, Poppys and Kates and a company one for us all. This made our production look more professional and they also helped introduce the slasher genre with the last few idents. In our prelim we didn't use and idents, or special effects. However, in our production we used a mixture of effects and transitions in our work to help improve it. We used layering over our killing scene to help make it look more realistic and to show the groups reactions at the same time as the scream queen being stabbed.
SHOT TYPES
In our preliminary task the main shot types we concentrated on using was, match on action, 180 degree rule, over the shoulder shot and shot reverse shot. In our production we tried to include as much shot variation as possible as the slasher genre is quick paced and this can only be maintained by many shots. We tried to use our location to our advantage when thinking of shot types, framing them around the trees in the woods. We also tried to use a dutch angle in our production during the chase scene. This is used to signify that something isn't quite right and that the scream queen was in danger. As we were new to filming with the prelim task the camera was not held steady. As this is part of the assessment criteria we made sure we tried to stop this in our production. We did this by using a tripod for the stationery shots and a fig rig for moving or tracking shots. By doing this it majorly improved the stability of our shots, and any mistakes we had made were easy to edit it out post filming.
ROLES
In our prelim the group of 3 we worked, nobody had specific roles. We took it in turns to each experiment with the filming and editing. When doing our production we thought we would better organised if we were all gave specific roles. Poppy was director, Kate was producer and I was the cinematographer. We all contributed with the editing and made sure that major decisions were discussed as a team so we made sure we were all happy with final decisions. This is also meant that there was three people watching the editing to make sure there were no continuity errors or mistakes that needed to be cut out or improved in our editing.
In conclusion, we have learnt a lot since we started our preliminary task, but it was a major part in starting us to discover all the necessary things to be thought about when creating our own film opening. I think we have learnt most about cinematography and editing, but also a lot about the organisation and how to be productive when organising shoots. There is a huge difference between the quality of our preliminary task and our final cut of Camp Ivy.
Here is a timeline of all the videos we shot and edited so you can see the gradual improvements we have made:
