Overall, as a group we learnt a great deal about technologies
through the process of creating our final media product.
Firstly, we learnt a great deal about using a digital video
camera, this was mainly due to the fact that none of us had ever used a camera
such as this therefore the entire first part of the filming process involved us
learning all the features, strengths and weaknesses. We used a variety of shot
types in our production and this was possible due to the capabilities of the
camera. We used close-ups, extreme close-ups, tracking shots, mid shots, long
shots, over the shoulder shots and some POV shots. In regards to camerawork, we
learnt a great deal about how to shoot effectively using the cameras strengths
avoiding meeting some of its weaknesses. For example, the camera performed a
lot better in areas of more light, therefore we avoided filming closely in
shadowed areas.
We also learnt much about editing and the editing software
specifically that we used. We learnt so much due to the fact that none of us
had ever had any past experience with editing such a thing as the production
except for the knowledge of editing the preliminary task, but this editing was
done on a completely different editing software, we had less time to edit
therefore we only explored some of the most simple features. We used Pinnacle
19 studios for editing. With this editing software being new to us we had to
learn how it operated, how to use its interface and where to find and use all
of its available features. We viewed a lot of tutorials online on YouTube,
these tutorials involved someone doing a voice over instructing the viewers how
to do a certain task, this method of learning proved to be very effective since
we could watch the video with the editing software open at the same time and we
could follow the instructions as we watched the tutorial.
We learnt how to use transitions, and where they are most
effectively used. Through watching online tutorials we learnt where to find the
transitions menu and the basics of how to operate it. After discovering the
transitions menu we then began to play about with all o the different options
available, we mostly used trial and error to get to grips with using
transitions in general. After inserting a transition onto a clip we learnt very
soon that even though a default size was given when the transition was inserted
the length of the transition (when it begins and how long it takes) could be
altered, this was a useful feature of transitions that we discovered because
sometimes the transition was nearly as long as the clip so consequently the
shot isn’t shown for long enough therefore shortening the transition allowed
the shot to appear on screen for a longer period of but a quick transition is
seen at the end joining this shot to the next. We also learnt that transitions
can not only be used on video clips but can also be inserting into titles as
well. This was discovered when we had finished editing and we wanted to create
for an atmosphere with the titles, we were happy with the font of these titles
but we wondered if transitions could be used on titles, and after testing it
out we learn that it was achievable. We chose to use the flicker out transition
on some of the titles due to the fact that the main footage we had edited
contained mainly straight cuts with only few transitions therefore adding
transitions to the titles made the pace of editing seem a lot more fluent and
it was a lot more synchronous with our soundtrack.
We also discovered that this editing software supplied a wide
variety of effects to be used in video clips. We had to search for a while as
there was such a variety but we wanted to add an effect that drained some
colour out of the shot but all colour so it did not seem cliché, we used this
effect in the flashback scenes just to separate colours slightly so it was
obvious that it was a flashback.
With
the main editing itself, we made it a very fast pace with many montages of the
table which had the weapons and tools on. We learnt that these montages could
be created due to the fact that we had captured a variety of shots of these
props, so creating montages with a fast pace would be very effective in
creating a tense atmosphere. Throughout the opening a pattern in editing is
easily noticeable. This being that we were very careful with what types of
shots we used in different stages of the opening, for example we tried to make
sure we kept gradual pace of the appearance of the flashback shots, the amount
of shots of the Vitim tied up and the montages of the tools and weapons. Our
opening began with the victim waking up tied up, we then showed a bit of the
setting, then the revelation of the villain from behind, then there is the
first flashback with intercutting of a shot of the victims chest heavily
breathing, then the table of tool and weapons is slowly introduced to the
audience with the victim struggle being shown in between these shots, then the
flashback scenes are constantly seen in almost 3, 4, or 5 shots. Towards the
end when the story of the flashbacks has been told and there is no more to show
the pace is dramatically increased with the soundtrack becoming more intense
and with this we editing the shots to a great speed which gave us the best
opportunity to add in the fast montages of all of the tools and weapons. 
The meaning of the flashbacks in our opening was to show the
audience how this victim character ended up tied up helplessly to a chair. With
this we thought we could create an interesting narrative to the opening because
at the beginning of the opening when the audience is only shown the victim
waking up in panic tied to a chair, immediately there is an enigma created,
this being how this character got into this position, why and who put him
there. As the opening progresses you discover more about the location this
character is at and we later discover who presumably put him there, and then
there are many implications of why the villain has kidnapped him and for what
purpose.
We learnt a great deal about camerawork through the process
of constructing our media product. We learnt more about how we could use
equipment such as the tripod more effectively. For example, we were able to
perform certain shots that could not be possible or would have been very
difficult to achieve. An example of this would be the tracking shot we used;
this was a lot more effective since we had the tripod as we could keep the
camera completely steady whereas it would a lot more difficult if we had to
film these tracking shots hand held.
Continuity was also a big factor we had to take into
consideration. Through previous experience e.g. preliminary task, we learn the
overall importance continuity in a product like ours and how to maintain it. In
both scenes (flashbacks and torture room), the major parts of continuity we had
to make sure we maintained was the props. With props, mainly the tools and
weapons, at the beginning of filming we arranged them in a specific way on the
table, throughout filming we our biggest concern was someone moving a tool and
returning it in an incorrect position. There was a high risk of this happening
due to the fact that various shots involved the psychopath character handling
the tool in one way or another. In preventing breaking continuity here, we had
to be very strict in regards to remembering where the prop was positioned so
that we knew the exact place where to place it back after it had been used.
Another big part of continuity was the weather and time of
day. This was very important for many reasons when filming the flashback
scenes. We began filming these scenes in the late morning, it was quite cloudy
on this morning and the sun only came out when there was a gap in the clouds as
they moved. This proved to be an obstacle we had to overcome since we wanted
this scene to have as little sunlight as possible therefore we stopping filming
for a short time so the clouds covered the sun again. We wanted to avoid this
continuity issue because it would have been very noticeable if each shot has a
different amount of sunlight.
Weather could have also been a continuity issue if it had
rained half way through filming when the first half of filming is seemingly
clear. There was rain forecasted for any time after 12:00 so we set a strict
time of filming from 10:00 to 12:00.
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