Evaluation Question 6

1. Evaluation Question 6 What have you learnt about technologies through the process of making your product?

2. Pre-production • During the pre-production stage I conducted extensive research, mainly through the medium of the internet, into the thriller genre and its many different styles and conventions • During this process I mastered the art of using websites such as Wikipedia and IMDb to garner the information I wanted • I also frequented YouTube and different DVD software programs to conduct textual analysis’ of the films Collateral and Brick

3. Pre-production continued • During the Sexy Beast workshop and preliminary exercise I developed the skills needed to work the – and all other relevant equipment, such as the tripod and boom mic • During the preliminary exercise I was also introduced to the edit suite and the Adobe Premier software for the first time – over the course of making our final OTS I learnt to master the skills needed to use Adobe Premiere • I also learnt to use sites and software such as Google Maps and Google Earth when it came to conducting recces on possible shooting locations

4. Production • During the production stage I mastered the use of the camera, such as the technical aspects that need to be considered when filming – manual, white balance, exposure and focus (remembered using the handy mnemonic Must Wait Before Everything Fails) • I also developed an understanding of different shots and their varying purposes/effects – such as how shooting a character from a low angle makes them appear bigger, more important and in control

5. Production continued • I developed a strong understanding of the use and importance of editing and its different techniques – such as continuity editing and match on action • I developed a knowledge of sound recording and editing – terms such as diegetic, non-diegetic, pleonastic and contrapuntal sounds were completely new concepts to me! • I also learnt about the art of adding sound into film during post-production – Foley sound – this came in handy as our boom mic was faulty during several scenes and we had to make use of Foley sound to achieve the desired effect, such as in the scene where the killer is washing his hands

6. Post-production • Hours were spent in the editing suite during post-production using the afore-mentioned Adobe Premiere software • What skills I already had on this program I developed and fine tuned, learning how to add Foley sound and create special effects • I also learnt how to use websites such as Incompetech to procure royalty free music to use in our piece and then how to place this music on our film

7. Post-production continued • During the rough cut process I developed an understanding of which shots worked, were relevant and added to the atmosphere and quality of the OTS – I felt this entire process enhanced my decision making skills • During post-production I also gained an insight into the importance of titling in films, through websites such as Artofthetitle – I now understand the relevance of the titles font, positioning and shape – such as how it is key that movie titles are ‘sans serif’