When creating my media product, through both practical and
post production stages I feel my knowledge and understanding of different
camera shots and editing techniques have expanded since the first initial practical
assignment which was the preliminary task. I feel with the knowledge I have
gained has enabled me to produce a successful opening sequence to a film. The preliminary task was the stage where I was first introduced to techniques such as the 180
degree rule and match on action. The preliminary task was the first opportunity
I got to use and develop these skills. Up to this point I had worked solo in
media and this was my first opportunity to work as part of a group, this meant
I was able to gain everyone else’s opinion on the shot, edit etc. which enabled
us to gain a joint successful result. During the preliminary task
stage ‘Hollywood style editing’ was also introduced which was a development
from GCSE work. This edit allowed us to create more professional looking
outcomes which were a development from work I had previously attained 
We learnt about time measures during the preliminary task
process, for example, the outcome had to be a minimum of 30 seconds. When we
first filmed initially we discovered that we didn't have enough
footage to fill the time requirement, therefore this meant we had to re
film. This is a skill we carried over when filming our opening sequence
as consciously we filmed more footage which meant if clips appeared
to be unsuccessful we had backups and alternatives. When the preliminary
task brief was set we had to include a minimum of ten shot types. This made our
final product appear to be more interesting due to the fact we had previously
had the opportunity to practice shots and see what worked the best. I
feel since the preliminary task my editing skills have hugely improved as
now I am able to create varied sound levels, overlay shots and produce titles
with greater ease.
The preliminary was a task which
enabled us to practise our camera shots and editing skills. We also
were given the opportunity to test new knowledge we had learnt including
‘Hollywood style editing’ and the 180 degree rules. The storyline wasn’t
important in this case. However we learnt how to create a symbolic and
representational meaning for our opening sequence after further research e.g.
watching opening sequences from our chosen genre. We now had to apply both our
camera and creative skills together in order to create diverse and interesting
shots this including the positioning of the characters, props included and
specific actors performance. We followed aspects of Barthes Enigma codes
in order to grab the attention of our target audience and made it interesting
to watch both visually and phonetically.
Before starting our opening sequence, it was
essential I was aware of other film openings which followed the genre I did.
Therefore I took the time to research films from a thriller genre. I looked out
for common things which occurred in the sequence and noted this down as a
thriller convention. Examples of these are low key lighting and a non-diegetic soundtrack.
This process gave me the opportunity to replicate successful conventions which
are used in media today, this gives us the chance to produce a symbolic representation
and meaning to the audience. I feel I have learnt
many successful skills during this process in order for me to continue to
progress in my media career. One of the most important lessons I feel I have
learnt is the process of time keeping as at points I felt we struggled to
co-work with our initial practical product schedule due to availability of
participants/equipment, interruption from exams/insects days and being unable to film
due to the weather conditions. Overall I have learnt many techniques in how to
attract the audience’s attention and keep them engaged in the footage which
previously I wasn’t knowledge on. These include: film conventions and different
narrative approaches, for example, Barthes Enigma Code.
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