The camera angles and movements within our preliminary task are basic and boring, due to our undeveloped skill set when it came to filming. Throughout the production of our prelim and our final media product, we have all developed our filming skills and are all able to shoot a variety of professional looking shots. My role in the preliminary task was to act within the video and to edit the video together. Preproduction had a massively positive effect on our video as it allowed everyone in the group to be clear on what was happening and when it also allowed us to have a clear plan to take when beginning to film. The video could have been improved massively by the addition of some key shots we missed out on such as a shot of an actor in a chair, a hand on a door handle being pulled open as well as a shot reverse shot of two sides of the door. We were unable to add this into the video because the camera we were using was wiped accidentally after a filming session. The addition of more fitting sound effects would have also improved the prelim task as the loud bang sound repeatedly put in the video to add suspense had to be modified when taken into iMovie to adjust its pitch to fit in with the level of fear portrait in the shot, this was not carried out with the level of skill that we would be able to achieve now. The editing within our preliminary task is extremely basic, the transitions mainly consist of cuts with the addition of very obvious fades and dissolves which should be edited into the shots in a way that makes it subtle and not noticeable. This again relates to the lack of editing experience and skill when producing our preliminary task. There is no credits or text of any form within the preliminary task, this shows that we missed the opportunity to try out the range of editing options on offer. The shot showing a leaf falling from a tree has been slowed using iMovie, this is a shaky and unrealistically edited shot, however. This could have been perfected by adjusting the speed of the shot with an advanced editor (which we used in our final media product to give it a professional feel). In addition, all of the shots could have been stabilised when in the editing stage to give the final product a precise and professional look. Finally, the sound effects and soundtrack are badly planned as they do not work well with the genre and setting.
The overall tone of our final media product is of much higher quality when compared to our preliminary task and is far more professional. This is due to a combination of a more developed skill set in relation to editing and filming as well as a more developed idea of sound and how it relates to the product. The soundtrack we chose to use in our media product is unsettling, a typical convention of any thriller soundtrack. In addition, the sound effects used to add to the build up of tension created throughout the two-minute opening. Whereas when comparing this to our preliminary task the soundtrack and sound effects did not create the level of tension and suspense we needed it to, also the soundtrack was unrelated and did not work well with the video as a whole. I filmed shots in the media product consisting of the flashback scenes and the shots of Lucy with the crime board. These shots were some of the most effective as they held meaning. The split-second flashbacks are important as it is the first insight the audience receives about the events that will occur within the film and are also introduced to the film's non-chronological order. Comparing the establishing shots used in both our preliminary task and our final media product, there is a key difference in the speed and accuracy of the pans used. In our preliminary task, the pan is shaky and long. Comparing this to the establishing pans used in our final media product, where the pans are stabilised and focussed. This difference is due to a more civilised and developed editing skill set I have developed over the duration of the production process of both of these productions. We learnt to allot from the production of our preliminary task, we made sure to include a variety of shots within our final media product as we had left out vital shots previously, this let down the overall look of our preliminary task due it looking unappealing and unprofessional. Looking at the typical conventions of the thriller genre we stuck closely to these within the preliminary task as we did not understand how to developed and challenge certain conventions as we do now. Whereas in our final media product, we chose a subject that is rarely touched upon in films, mental illness. Those suffering from mental illness also often think of it themselves as a weakness. this challenged various gender stereotypes, making our sequence very unique as we wanted to cross boundaries and portray a male (who are usually less vulnerable that females) with a mental illness to make him appear more vulnerable, showing that males are just as vulnerable within the media, meaning we challenged the convention of having a typical vulnerable 'damsel in distress' the main character, as the male has to be saved from his mental illness. As a group, we decided to build upon this and use it as a foundation to our opening. Looking into the representation of stereotypes within real media products and my own I notice both similarities and differences. One common stereotype is that women are portrayed as shy, passive and submissive they are also organised and clean, whereas men are portrayed as tough, aggressive, self-confident and dominant they are also lazy and messy. We have stuck closely to this stereotype as Ellie is shown in the short flashback sequence as submissive as she is the weaker in the argument between her and Lucas, despite Lucas' mental state he is still physically stronger than his girlfriend.
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