Evaluation: Skills Development

• Throughout the process of planning and creating our film, I have learnt many new skills and/or have improved on the ones I wasn't comfortable with. Here is a rating out of 10 of how much understanding I had with the different tools and ideas before and after carrying out the project: 

• Codes and Conventions: The research I have done on films relating to my project helped me to pick up on different thriller conventions that reach out easily to an audience.  Due to our inspiration from films such as The Silence of the Lambs, we quickly drew in what was considered a convention e.g. dark lighting to indicate ominous presence, closed spaces to evoke hopelessness, tension-building music to create anxiety etc. This was really useful when we started filming as the shots can be thought out with more fluidity as we are already familiar with existing ideas. 

• Planning & Organisation: This part of the project was improved on massively by the filming day. We had to create group chats and meet-ups to select a time that would be suitable for both the actors and us. In the end we managed to secure all of our first choice actors by constant persuasion and some compromise. The location was my attic which took quite a long time to prepare but I feel that this has given me a chance to play with the mise-en-scene of the project. I had to look up different rooms in thriller films to be able to fully capture the eerie and tense ambiance that is needed for our storyline. Our props were collected just in time for filming and I think they all looked professional which steered the film towards a strong amount of verisimilitude. 

• Camera Work: We didn't have a lot of time to sit and think about all the different types of shots during filming, and so most of it was based on initial planning and instinct. We understood what kind of image each position would create, and had to analyse some of the shots as we went along. I think this was my most productive and efficient use of the camera as we agreed with most of the angles from where we would take the shots. 

• Visual effects: We didn't use many effects due to the chosen filter which cloaked the whole film. I think this helped to create authenticity and a sense of still consistency amidst the chaos of the plot. However, we had to mess around with the tools in the editing software to integrate some shots that were filmed later outside of the scene. A dark tone was added to the music box shot to blend it in with the rest of the video. 

• Editing: Our edits revolved around minimalism and long, still shots. This is because of our preference for touches of realism and slow absorption of each imagery in the frame. We tried to time each shot perfectly e.g. an immediate cut to another shot from when the doll suddenly blinks. 

• Creative Confidence: This was where I felt a vast improvement on in comparison to all the other skills. I think filming this opening really revealed to me the essence of thrillers and how they are distinguished from other genres of film such as horror. The hesitation and on-the-edge feeling of our opening really reflects what I feel is at the heart of thrillers- a churning discomfort and unease.