Question 1a) prep

Describe and evaluate your own skill development over the course of your

production work

Digital Technology

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

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

Creativity

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

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

Research and Planning

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

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

Post Production

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

A2

Use of conventions from real media products

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

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