Preliminary Task vs Final Opening Scene

Preliminary Task vs Final Opening Sequence

The main difference between our preliminary material and final piece is the skill in post-production editing. For example, the sound in our prelim is nowhere near as in sync, realistic and professional as in our opening sequence, especially shown through the use of a zip sound in comparison to the clear gunshot at the end of our sequence which we also managed to create a smooth sound bridge continuing into the title page.

Another clear improvement is within camera movement and shots, which are far more varied and professional in our final piece. As seen in the above video, in our preliminary, the pan following Lucy walking up the stairs is quite shaky and it is obvious that it is hand-held, and that we have not used camera equipment such as a tripod. On the other hand, in our opening sequence, the majority of the shots were filmed using a tripod and that is evident through the smoother movements with the panning shots.

Furthermore, the mise-en-scène used in our prelim is a lot more basic and less thought out than in our final piece. In our prelim we only used two cups of water to display a dinner table, whereas for our final piece we created props such as the wooden sign, bloody fur strips, lump of meat, and a multitude of tools within the shed. This highlights how our planning process has become a lot more developed, and we have realised that creating a film opening is a very intricate process which requires well thought out mise-en-scène to attract an audience.

Lastly, the unfocused, low key lighting in our preliminary task takes away from the atmosphere and makes it a lot harder to see the character's face, in contract with the natural lighting used in our final opening sequence which is very consistent throughout.

Overall, it is clear that our group have learnt a lot throughout completing our opening sequence, and after reflecting upon our prelim, we have realised how far we have developed our skills; not only in using a camera, but also in post-production too.

As you can see in the video above, we have, as a group, come a very long way in producing media products.