Preliminary exercise: Feedback and learner response

1) Type up your teacher's feedback in full.

WWW:

• ·         The narrative fits the horror genre well – age of cast, death of a friend at a party etc. This shows you’ve researched the genre.
• ·         The performances are OK – unrehearsed but that’s pretty common with a preliminary exercise. 

EBI:

• ·         Technically there’s a lot to learn for the real coursework project. The scene begins with a 33 second long shot for the conversation. Can you find me a single example of a film scene conversation between three characters that is shot in one long shot? This is where you needed close-ups, over-the-shoulder shots, shot-reverse-shot, adhering to the 180 degree rule. We are looking to reach close to professional standards so this is a huge learning point prior to the real coursework.
• ·         It’s good that you’ve tried to use lighting but it’s very clunky – for the real project I would try and use ‘natural’ lighting (e.g. street lights etc.) It’s too obviously a drama studio so it lacks authenticity for the audience.
• ·         Music is appropriate but starts very suddenly – you need a lot more control over the audio (slow fade in of the ominous music etc.)

2) Using a combination of your own reflection on the preliminary exercise and your teacher feedback, write three WWW bullet points (What Went Well) and three EBI bullet points (Even Better If...) for your film.

WWW: 

• good build up of non diagetic sound to imply something intimidating was about to occur
• sound effects utilised to show character expression and build suspense within the demographic
• low-key lighting applied well

EBI: 

• Should have used a variety of shots - cinematography
• Editing could have been improved - ensure continuity
• setting should have been more clear to the audience

3) How effectively did you complete the objective you laid out in your preliminary exercise statement of intent?

I think i completed it well to an extent as i generally conformed to all the aspects i was including, however, some parts of it could have been improved and filmed better. For example, i could have used various types of shots to make it look more professional. 

4) What have you learned from the preliminary exercise that will help you in the actual coursework project?

Overall, from the preliminary task i have learnt that, i need to take time in order to perfect the scene so it is more realistic and thus will aid within my editing. Additionally to use more than a few shots for effect, profession and create an impact on audiences. Also when including sound, i learnt for future references to make certain aspects within my soundtrack match with the scene for a sense of realism as the demographic have to feel like they are within the movie. Also that their are many steps that need to be taken in order to achieve a good movie production.

5) Now you have completed the preliminary exercise, what are your current plans for your actual coursework? This could include genre, narrative, characters, filming locations etc.

Brief plan:

Genre: Horror

Narrative: could extend my idea, however change the setting and I might include a different type of villain to make it more thrilling.

Characters: 2-3 main characters, one protagonist that is always targeted, a false hero (Vladimir Propp - seven spheres of action), 

Filming locations: a typical school, dark alley way, etc.