Preliminary Evaluation

The name of my short film is ‘Evicted’ due to it being short, snappy and relating to the
storyline of the film. This film is about a young female who recently gets a flat of her own
however struggles to keep up with paying her rent and debts on time. A consequence of this
is that she gets evicted from her home where she then has to move into a friend’s house
until she is stable again. However, things take a turn for the worst throughout her rough
stay at her friends’ house. She begins to hear strange noises each night till one day she is
completely distressed and confronts her friend about the issue where he then
unsuspiciously explains that he hasn’t had any issues before. One night, the house owner
then mentions that he will be going out with his mates asking if she would be safe alone.
The question is, was she alone?

My short film is a hybrid genre of thriller and horror. I chose this genre in particular as I
believe recently the target audience for horror and thriller films are expressing the
repetitiveness throughout horror films and the predictability within each. Although this is
ideally conventional, due to the predictability, it tends to make the film boring as the
audience are able to correctly guess what will happen next. This causes the audience to get
frustrated as they don’t get a sense of fear and tension. Nowadays, horror films usually end
with an antagonist killing a protagonist especially linking to films with damsel in distress.

My idea for my short film was to ensure that it is conventional in order for the audience to
quickly identify the genre from a variety of different things included in a horror/thriller film
such as low-key lighting and props ranging from blood to masks. I believe it is vital to make
the genre easily identifiable as it makes it more engaging from the audiences’ perspective as
they are able to prepare for scary scenes and be able to link the film to the genre through
props and other techniques. To add to this, my idea was to completely differentiate my
short film to other hybrid horror/thriller films as I didn’t want it to be acknowledged as
predictable making the audience more engaged due to the fact that they want to find out
what will happen next. This also draws their attention, making them unprepared throughout
the film even during jump scenes. Furthermore, I also wanted the film to end on a cliff
hanger to make the audience want more and unpredict the film to end in such a dramatic
way. This is mainly because the storyline of my film links to Propp’s theory of damsel in
distress suggesting that within every film there is an antagonist and a female character
relying upon a protagonist in order to be saved. In order for my film to be conventional, I
had decided that it would be ideal to use common props that intertwine with the usual
horror/thriller film such as masks, which are used to hide a persons’ identity and low-key
lighting in some scenes as it adds to the idea of mystery and thriller.

Micro-aspects

From reviewing and editing my film, I acknowledged that there had evidently been a variety
of different ways in which I met the conventions of a horror/thriller film. This was
particularly shown throughout the film specifically focusing on props. The most significant
prop used in my short film is the mask. The mask used in this film was intentional due to the
ending of the film when the antagonist was hidden making the film end on a cliff-hanger as
the audience are left unaware of who may be beneath the mask. However, due to the
storyline of the film the audience are then able to guess who the character may be, but they
are not left entirely sure. In addition to this, I had included low key lighting and shadows
which both add to the convention of horror. Low key lighting is particularly significant as it
creates shadows and hide elements of a scene which creates suspense and engages the
audience. Furthermore, it quickly alerts the audience on the genre of the film which is
important as they are able to identify this through different elements such as props and
camera shots. Another way in which I have met the conventions of the genre was through a
variety of shot types such as the tracking shot. This particular shot is commonly used in a
various of different horror films as it helps create tension and makes the audience more
engaged as they may feel as if they are featured in the film. Also, the tracking shot allows
the audience to witness everything at the same time the victim does.

This screenshot I took

is an example of when
the tracking shot had
been used which
demonstrates the
significance of it from
the audiences’
perspective as they are
able to watch the
characters every move
and be engaged with
the storyline and what
is going on. To add to
this, it allows them to
independently piece
together the different
parts of the film
without being
confused.
Throughout the short film, I ensured that I used a variety of different cinematographic and
editing techniques in order to keep the audience engaged so that they didn’t become
disengaged from the film. For example, I used different camera shots in order to show the
film from different angles and to make the audience feel both involved and connected to
the short film as if they were in it. The most common shots used throughout the film is the
tracking shot; which is a shot whereby the camera follows a subject in a fixed position as if it
is on a track. This was intentionally done as these shots connote movement. This is
significantly used in both horror and thriller films as it suggests that a character is being
followed or watched. It also could establish a scene, so the audience can see the full view.
Furthermore, another reason as to why this shot is used is that it creates a feeling of
suspense and tension building up from the audiences’ perspective as they don’t know what
may happen next. Another example of a camera shot used within my short film is the hand-
held camera shot. The reason as to why this was used is it makes the audience feel involved
and links to the convention of horror in the scene as it makes the audience engaged. The
final identified shot type used in this film is the over-the-shoulder-shot. This is a good shot
used specifically when deliberately trying to create tension. This is commonly used in horror
and thriller films in order to add suspense and is used especially around mirrors and
reflections in order for the audience to establish what is happening as soon as the character
does. However, within my short film this camera shot is used when the victim acknowledges
the strange images of herself being left around the kitchen, almost intentionally.

Cinematography and Mise-en-scene

During this scene, I used a pan shot
to show the audience the setting so
that they could get an
understanding of the layout of the
house. In addition to this, I added a
well-known song in the background
to keep the audience entertained.
Within this scene, the mobile phone
is a common prop to show the
victim chilling and how quickly
things can change. The mobile
phone is a vital prop as it is used to
piece together the film. This creates
meaning as it allows the audience
to understand the significance of
the mobile phone as the victim is
frequently on it and uses it
throughout the film such as when
the power cuts, she uses the torch
to help her find the
switch/generator.

Editing, sound and Mise-en-scene

In this scene, I added sound effects
to show the power cutting as in the
original version of the film I had turn
the light switch off, so I ensured that
I found sound effects that would be
louder than the switch. Allowing the
switch to be off adds to the feeling of
fear as parts of the film are hidden
and you are only able to see
whatever is wanted to be revealed.
 Sound and Camerawork
During this scene, the spooky sound
begins in order to create tension for
the audience. The handheld camera
technique is used as it makes the
audience feel engaged to the
storyline and as if they were part of
the film. The non-diegetic sound
within this scene is footsteps
showing the victim travelling around
the house. Adding a common sound
is useful as it allows the audience to
realise the normalisation of the
setting.

Effectiveness of camerawork
The effectiveness of camerawork
within this shot is really good as it is
a mid-wide shot which shows both
characters in the film. This shot type
is commonly used within
horror/thriller films as it creates
adrenalin rushing through the
audiences’ blood as they are able to
see the killer behind the victim, but
the victim is completely unaware.
This usually makes the audience
shout at the screen as if the
characters could hear them. I
deliberately used this shot type for
this scene as it is a conventional
shot type identified within horror
which shows that I carefully
considered different ways in which I
could make my film similar, but
better to already existing
horror/thriller short films.
 Sound and Camerawork
This screenshot was taken from the
last scene of my short film and I
specifically chose this screenshot as I
believe the handheld camera adds to
the effect of the film and the storyline
of the film. this is useful as it links to
the damsel in distress theory showing
that the person behind the mask is in
control and the victim is in danger.
Focusing on camerawork, the camera
slowly pans upwards giving the
audience a feeling of fear and tension
as they are engaged to find out how
the film ends. The sound used within
this shot is both diegetic and non-
diegetic as I found sound effects on
YouTube that would connect well with
the film. Also, as I had difficulty
operating the gimbal it made an
unusual, spooky sound but I kept it
within the film as it also links to horror
and scarce.

Pre-production tasks

The first pre-production task I had to do was the mind map and idea development which
was essentially a plan of my idea and a brief synopsis of the film. For the mind map task, I
created four different ideas of a short film and then shortlisted them to conclude which idea
I wanted to develop. I decided which idea by thinking which one was completely different as
if there was a gap in the market. This is to ensure the predictability of the film is unknown
allowing the audience to be engaged to the film and want to find out what happens next.
After careful consideration of my idea, I then had to develop it onto another mind map
however it was more in depth. This was useful as it had many different titles, so I knew what
I wanted my idea to be and the title of the film. within the idea development, I then had to
think of a different title name that would be short and snappy whilst linking to the storyline
of the film. Once I came up with the title ‘Evicted’ I then used a website where I found many
different fonts and was able to choose my favourite from the list and explain within the idea
development why I chose that font in particular.

Call sheet and crew roles are both useful parts of the pre-production and planning as they
contain the vital information such as contact details and nearest hospitals which may be
needed based on health and safety regulations. Also, the call sheet has contact details
which could be used if needed to contact or rescheduling was required. On the other hand,
crew roles are just as important as they state who is responsible for what and links to
accountability if something goes wrong. In the future, if I were to re-do this task I would
work with more people as myself and my partner were allocated all the roles making it
slightly confusing at times in regard to who is in charge of what as we both had more than
one single role within the production.

The paper edit sheet was useful as it was a breakdown of each scene with brief detail
showing how long each scene should last. This was a useful part of the pre-production tasks
as it was a plan of what should be happening when, and how long it should last. The
purpose of this is that it avoids confusion when coming to the actual production which was
successful as on the day as I knew what I wanted to record and roughly how long I wanted
each scene to last. Having a rough idea of how long each scene should last is useful as when
added up, I was able to receive an estimate of how long my film was and if it went over the
limit of five minutes. The paper edit sheet also had an image description box which allowed
me to visualise what each scene would look like as I had done this pre-production task
before my animated storyboard. I was able to decide whether I have a variety of different
shot types which is essential within film as it makes a film more interesting, whilst keeping
the audience engaged throughout.

This screenshot is
an example of a
part of my
storyboard. I
included this as it
shows the amount
of effort and time I
had put into
creating this which
as a result added to
the overall success
of my film as it is a
plan of the main
scenes within my
film; displaying the
location and other
important factors
such as props in
order for me to
acknowledge what I
needed to include
within each scene.

The interview analysis was another successful part of the pre-production as I had thought of
ten differentiated questions in order to find out from my peers what they expect from a
horror film allowing me to further my knowledge and ensure that I include everything they
expect. The purpose of this is that it allowed me to understand what audiences expect
within horror, so I knew what to most certainly include within my film. once I had recorded
the footage from the interviews of other students within my class, I then re-watched the
film writing a short list of different things to ensure that I include within my film to add to
the overall success of the film.

All risk assessments are important as no filming production is immune from safety issues,
even careful preparation cannot prevent things from happening but implemented a risk
assessment could be the major contrasting difference between a minor injury and
something far more serious. In simple terms, a risk assessment is an essential
documentation that ensures that the person accountable when at a location has considered
the vital safety of everyone involved in the filming. Furthermore, it is a plan of what hazards
there could be on filming day and how specific risks could be deducted or completely
avoided. The majority of my film was set in a house making the risks reduce, however there
were different risks that applied to my film due to the location such as tripping over wires or
other dangerous hazards that could be in the way whilst filming. For this task, I had created
a table including different titled headings such as potential hazards and how it could be
prevented. The production crew and I then read over the different potential risks that could
partake when filming to ensure that we were extra careful. This was extremely important
particularly with equipment and ensuring that it didn’t get damaged as this would mean
that it would need to be bought again and going above the planned budget. Linking back to
accountability regarding health and safety, another key risk included within the risk
assessment table was allergic reactions to make-up or the breakfast scene. This is crucial as
if one of the crew members did have a reaction, it would delay the overall production of the
film and hinder with the production schedule as dates would need to be amended. For my
short film, I should have listed more potential hazards that could prevent a delay in filming
or injuring someone such as a crew member. As it is my short film, I am held accountable for
the safety of all people and characters that contribute towards the film therefore it is
important that I plan properly to prevent any risks.

I created the logo of my film myself as I thought it would be more exciting and original, once
I had created the logo on Photoshop and added it to the beginning of my short film it looked
plain so I decided to animate it by making the panels move and changing the cover of the
film so that it fades from a darker red to a bright red as this will automatically connote the
feeling of fear and allows the audience to acknowledge the genre of the film before it
begins. The logo has strong implications of a movie as the image is of a video camera where
the background is black, and the title is red which both link to the theme of horror.

For both the animated online storyboard and the hand-drawn storyboard it was a vital part
of the pre-production process as it is essentially a rough plan of the storyline of the film and
different scenes within the film. This is useful as it helps in terms of creating the official
storyline of the film and giving an understanding of which camera shots may be used in
different scenes within the film. This is particularly important within hybrid horror; thriller
films as conventional shot types are commonly used such as over the shoulder shot which is
often used as it is known as one of the best shots to build tension. Furthermore, this is used
in horrors and thrillers to add suspense and is used especially around mirrors and
reflections, so the audience can see what’s happening as soon as the character does. This is
usually used to show a figure behind a victim. Linking back to storyboards, it allows me to
expand upon my idea and possibly think of better ideas as was creating the storyboard. This
is good as it would allow me to elaborate my storylines and scenes therefore it is basically
me improving my idea as if it were a self-evaluation. In conclusion, using storyboards in the
pre-production is vital due to without it, filming would take twice as long because it isn’t
properly planned and would be more time consuming whilst making errors as the storyline
may not make sense. However, the impact of creating a storyboard is that it is a draft and
done in pencil, therefore ideas can be amended or erased wherever necessary.

The script of my film was done on a well-structured template which easily portrayed which
crew member said what. If I were to improve my script for the future I would extend it so
that the production of the film could be longer, and I’d aim to shorten some of the lines for
the crew members. As they only had a short amount of time to familiarise themselves with
the script I would cut each scene allowing them to split their lines up and have more time to
learn their lines.

A location recce is just as important as a storyboard in film production as it more or less is

visiting a shoot location before filming in order to assess its suitability for shooting and to
ensure that the actual shooting day goes as planned in order for the film to be a success.
The main reason as to why location recces are carried out is to access how safe the location
is going to be. This is to ensure that on the day, hazards are avoided, and people are less at
danger from getting injured or equipment getting damaged. Another important
consideration was space so that it was obvious how much space there was to work with and
if any equipment needed to be moved around. Relating to my short film, space wasn’t an
issue as it had been filmed in a large sized house and barely anything needed to be moved
around as the background was intentionally meant to look real as if the two characters were
actually living there. As significant as location recces are, due to the usefulness and the way
they contribute towards the planning of the film there are small ways in which I could have
improved this particular task for my pre-production. The first way in which this could have
been improved is by including a differentiation of shot types and more detail explaining the
significance of each shot, why each shot was chosen for what scenes and what was the
purpose of each shot. This would be useful because I would easily be able to look at the shot
when planning and read the brief description beside it which would allow me to
acknowledge why I had chosen this shot.

In terms of an equipment list, it is vital within film as it immediately adds to success in

different ways such as engaging with the audience. This determines success due to the fact
that if audiences enjoy the film, they are then able to recommend it to family or friends
allowing the profit to increase. When creating the equipment list for my short film, I was
inspired by other horror/thriller films such as Halloween. This is mainly due to the mask
being a conventional prop used within horror films as it creates fear and a feeling of hidden
identity from the audience’s perspective which is what makes a horror film good. Taking this
prop into consideration, I had then thought of different ideas of how a mask could be added
into my short film, matching the storyline. Once I had created my storyboard, I was then
able to work on my equipment list as it helped me to visualise my short film and then list all
of the different props that I would need to include for my film to be a success. After listing
all of the different equipment needed in order for the production to run smoothly, I then
included rough, estimated prices for each product allowing me to have an estimated
budget. This was significantly useful as it quickly assisted me to know how much of my
budget I was spending on each product. Beside each product, I included descriptions of
what the product was and when it would be needed. This further helped my planning as it
created less confusion and is more organised in terms of knowing why each product was
needed and which scenes it would be used. For future, when making another equipment list
I will properly plan all the different props and equipment needed. I will also try to add in
more props allowing the film to be more conventional which would easily alert the audience
of the genre without confusion. This is important as it keeps them engaged and they may be
able to enjoy the film more and talk highly of it whilst giving a review or synopsis to other
potential audiences.

The proposal document I created had a range of different slides explaining in detail how our
idea is different to what already exists in the market and where we gained inspiration from.
Talking about our idea in depth is useful as it allowed me to familiarise myself more with the
idea and where I gained inspiration from whilst not completely copying already existing
ideas but making sure its different. Analysing inspirations and how they link to my film is
good as I was able to criticise other existing films and explain how my idea is different and
how it can be improved upon.

The purpose of a production schedule is it organises the production team and is simply
planning in advance. It allows all people involved within the short film to plan ahead and
know what they are doing on which date. To add to this, it ensures that each person
involved within the film is alert and has a clear understanding of what each date will entail.
Production schedules are simplistic that usually only include the date, location, scene and
characters as these are all vital elements needed within pre-production in order to make the
planning stage successful. Therefore, allowing it to be brief is useful as it avoids confusion
and lists all the necessary information such as location allowing the production crew to
acknowledge where to meet and which scenes they could be recording. In terms of
improving for next time, I would ensure that the production schedule dates are not as
spaced out in order to let the overall production take less time, so more time could be spent
elsewhere such as on editing. In addition to this, I would also ensure that everyone involved
within the film is aware and writes down the dates in their calendar or some other way in
order to make sure that everyone fully knows what will happen. As a result of this, it will
avoid confusion and allow people to be more prepared as one of the characters within the
film did often ask to reschedule as they had studies to revise for. Due to this, it resulted in a
delay of getting the production recorded meaning that overall it took longer than
anticipated, therefore it was important that I carried out each pre-production process as it
leads to the success of the film due to it setting out what should happen when and allowing
the idea to be brought to life. Overall, the pre-production tasks did take longer than the
actual production and editing of the film which is normal as it always takes longer to plan an
idea and consider all of the important risks beforehand. Pre-production tasks helped
dramatically towards the outcome of the film as it allowed me to ensure that I knew what
was happening when, (due to the production schedule) and actually visualise it through the
animated storyboard; this was very useful as I was able to acknowledge the setting of each
scene and what props need to be within each scene.
The benefit of doing the pre-production tasks is that it helped me to plan towards the film
also adding to the overall success. From reviewing time, I spent doing the pre-production
tasks, I easily concluded that I spent a huge amount of time on planning in contrast to
actually filming and editing. It is important to plan properly as if plans are followed, it means
that the film could be done correctly, and it avoids confusion. Therefore, I am satisfied with
the period of time I had spent planning as I was then able to record my film without any
issues due to the overall planning being a success. Tasks specifically such as equipment list
and production schedule were highly useful as they allowed me to acknowledge what
equipment was needed and what my budget varied from for each necessity needed in order
to benefit the production success. The production schedule was most important as it was a
brief summary of what would partake which date informing the crew so that they could
ensure they are available in advance. If I were to redo the pre-production tasks in the
future, I would change the flexibility of the production schedule and amend the dates so
that they are spread out. However, due to the fast approach of exams, I wanted to keep the
dates closer together as it would allow the crew members to finish quicker and get on with
their revision. The purpose of finishing the film earlier meant that I was able to edit at a
sooner date and reshoot scenes wherever necessary. Due to the rush of my production, I
was unable to develop my idea further and extend my film. because of this, next time I will
ensure that the production overall isn’t a rush. It was important that I did each pre-
production task as they all contribute to the success of the film allowing me to follow each
procedure so that I knew what to do during the actual production saving time.

Production

Overall the production of the film was good but could have been improved for the future in
terms of planning and ensuring that each date stated on the production schedule was stuck
to plan and done as productive as planned. The importance of this is that it allows each part
of filming to be done professionally and as planned then can be edited. Keeping to dates is
not only professional, but it also shows determination into getting something done.
Throughout my film, I had ensured that everything went as planned, however when some
scenes needed to be redone, there had been slight difficulty as one of the crew members
had stated that their availability had been massively reduced due to revision and upcoming
exams. This had impacted the overall production as the whole film had to be re-filmed
meaning that the location had to also change. If this was stated in advance, it would have
changed things such as my determination to finish the production and be able to edit as
soon as possible. Other than this, other elements were done significantly well in terms of
pre-production such as the script and risk assessment. The script was useful as it allowed
the crew members to familiarise themselves with their lines. Even though some words used
in the film weren’t the exact same, I was then able to go over the script and improve it in
order to improve the accuracy of the film. In addition to this, the risk assessment was useful
and didn’t need any amendments as the film was still set in a house, however the houses
only switched.

Throughout the production process, I had adapted upon a range of different vital skills in
order to guarantee the overall success of the film. This meant that I had to familiarise myself
with new elements that make the film enjoyable to watch. Adding to this, it also made the
film professional whilst teaching me new skills and how to overcome challenging parts of
the film such as editing. Editing is often referred to as ‘invisible art’ because when it is well-
practiced, an audience can become so engaged that he or she is not aware of
the editor's work which links back to the significance of professionalism as it keeps an
audience attached to the storyline of the film as they are desperate to find out what
happens next. The first challenging part I found of my short film was elements within the
pre-production stage; focusing on the production schedule and location recce. Even though
these two tasks are rather straightforward, it was hard to arrange availability that was
suitable for everyone yet alone arranging multiple dates to carry out different parts of the
film. On the other hand, the location recce was also slightly challenging as the majority of
the film was set in one of the crew members’ house; therefore, at the time I thought it
would be much easier for that particular individual to take the camera shots and send them
to me, so I could evaluate each image and explain the purpose of them all which would have
been a much quicker process. This part of the pre-production was stressful as the images
weren’t taken accurately. As a result of this, I then had to arrange a date to go to the crew
members house to take the images myself to my satisfaction. Overall, Editing was the
hardest part within the overall production as I haven’t edited before meaning I had to learn
from the beginning. In order to be good at editing, it requires creativity and a good
technique of assembling shots together whilst cropping shots that may be unnecessary
especially if a scene is too long. Relating to my film, I used Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe
After Effects as they are both used within the post-production process of film making and
television production. Premiere Pro is a video editing app as they bring ideas to life whereas
After Effects can be used for a variety of different elements within post-production such as
tracking and animation. In terms of editing, I had to practice and get a good understanding
of the different available tools relevant to my film that would help me to edit and improve
the quality of the film production. I did a range of different things to familiarise myself with
the different tools such as watching YouTube videos to creating a brief practice short film
then work on improving and editing it on both Premiere and After Effects. With these two
software’s, they enabled me to improve the overall quality of my practice short film. If I was
to redo this in the future, I would be more familiar with the different tools as my
understanding with Adobe has hugely expanded from editing.

If I was able to change any elements in the future, the first element I would change about
my film would be the location of the film. The location of a film is crucial as it adds to the
overall success of the film. When deciding a location, it is important to consider different
stages that may impact the overall filming production such as availability of location and
distance of the location from the production team. Considering availability of location is
extremely important as it also adds to the success of a film by ensuring that there are no
delays in terms of production and that it is not of an extremely far distance from one
particular individual. In addition to this, the location needs to be fully available and safe in
order to avoid health and safety hazards or danger zones. This wasn’t applicable to my film
as it was set in a house. However, for the future I would strongly consider the location more
and possibly using a different setting as it was quite challenging to schedule a date where
the house is fully available, and no one is home to distract the crew and rest of the filming
team. Due to this, it caused delays in filming as people were frequently home and
distracting me making it time consuming and the process longer than it needed to be. if I
were to change another element of my film, it would slightly be the storyline of the film.
Even though I met the conventions of my horror/thriller film, I would end the film
differently as horror films never usually end on a cliff hanger. Therefore, I would have linked
my film to other horror films by the usual ‘damsel in distress’. However, the effects of this
would make the film predictable and less engaging from the audience’s perspective. The
final thing I would change would be the budget of my film. I would have increased the
budget as I didn’t consider a range of different things such as paying for different locations
and paying for the delayed production schedule. This meant that crew members were
underpaid, and their time had been wasted.

After filming, I began to edit the film on two software’s, After Effects which is a digital
motion graphics, visual effects and compositing software and Premiere Pro which is an
editing software where you can create motion in text, images and much more. Firstly, I had
to familiarise myself with both software’s and come to terms with what the different tools
do which may be useful when editing such as the razor tool found in Premiere Pro which is
simply a tool where you can cut parts of your footage. The majority of my film was edited on
Premiere Pro as I understood this software much better even though it is known to be the
more challenging software. Due to my understanding of After Effects, I thought it would be
a good idea to change the opening of my film from a plain logo to a moving logo therefore I
had to access Photoshop in order to edit the parts of the image I wanted to move; other
than this, I edited the remaining of the film on Premiere Pro. Once I had successfully edited
my logo, I then merged my film altogether and began to crop different scenes of the film
that didn’t need to be included. This shortened my film as I was cutting a lot of unnecessary
footage. Elements of the film that needed to be included but were boring parts of the film
such as the time lapse showing the transition from day to night, I sped up in order to keep
the audience engaged as it didn’t need to be as long as the original clip. My next step was
adding in sound effects and voiceovers. This was a fairly simple stage; however, it took long
to find sound effects that link to the scenes where necessary. Once I had found decent
sound effects on YouTube, the next step was to convert each audio on the MP3 converter
then add it into my film, this stage required concentration as I had to ensure that the sound
effects matched the scene at the right time. I used a variety of different effects and
techniques when editing my film such as changing the brightness of different scenes so that
it could match up with my film without having to reshoot. This was done particularly well as
it blends in and wasn’t time consuming in comparison to alerting the crew members that we
may need to refilm a scene. After my next stages, I then watched the film over several times
to see what else I could improve upon.

Analysis of Production

The biggest challenge regarding my production was the filming as I was unaware of how to
film including a range of different shot types. The filming was the biggest challenge as two
of the scenes I recorded needed to be refilmed as the camera was shaky due to my basic
understanding in terms of operating the gimbal and recording over the correct shoulder
when necessary. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t acknowledge this until I began to edit my
film and once I had informed the crew members, one of them had explained his
unavailability to refilm as he was busy due to the fast approach of upcoming exams.
Because of this, I then had not much time to find another crew member and a new location
to refilm the whole film and edit with not much time left. As a result of this, I was then able
to improve the film and include different camera shots as I acknowledged my mistakes and
understood how I could improve the film. To add to this, due to the change of location and
crew member, I had to amend some of the pre-production tasks such as the location recce
due to the setting being different. This was time consuming as it meant I had to ensure that
I could balance editing my film and amending the necessary pre-production tasks. If I were
to redo this in the future, I would definitely ensure that I watch over the film as soon as it is
finished and look out for any scenes that may need refilming and quickly alert the rest of the
team so that they are alert and can make themselves available to improve the requested
scenes.

In my opinion, the process that went particularly well was the refilming and improved edit
as I had done this in such short time close to the deadline. I had to refilm during the half
term and come into school to use the school computers as they have the software’s needed
in order to edit my film. I had come into school during the half term where there were no
teachers around to help me identify specific tools and give a second opinion on the new
version of the film. Due to this, I watched many clips of which showed me how to do
different things such as speed up individual clips of the film. Once I came back to school, I
was proud of the feedback I received in contrast to the original version of my film. I was
particularly impressed with the motivation I had to refilm in such short time and how I was
able to improve my grade for the overall production.

Another process which went well was the pre-production tasks such as the animated
storyboard and the crew roles. The animated storyboard was a visual idea of what the film
would look like, it helped significantly as it is essentially a plan of what each scene will look
like and the props needed in each of those scenes. Therefore, even though this task did take
a while to complete, it helped dramatically as crew members were able to visualise what
would be required of them and get a better understanding of the film from looking at the
animated storyboard. The other task I found went well was crew roles, this is due to
everyone being able to identify their roles within the film and their accountability as they
would be held responsible for different parts making it easy to manage and know who is in
charge for what.

The most successful element of my short film was the overall editing of the film as the
original version of the film didn’t seem as conventional as it could have been. However, the
editing allowed me to not only crop some scenes that may be too long, but also add dark
effects and sound which adds to the horror convention giving it that feeling of fear towards
the ending of the film. It was important that I found accurate sound effects and audios that
fit in with the film in order for it to make sense, for example during one of the scenes where
the victim is chilling in the living room I ensured that I found background music that fits in
with the scene. For this particular scene, background music had been playing in the original
version of the film of the modern song by artist Ariana Grande. Due to it being quite I did a
voiceover of the song so that the audience are able to hear the song playing in the
background and familarise themselves with the song which would give them that feeling of
recognition and able to identify the film is modern as the song is a new release.
If I were to redo the short film again, I would choose a completely different storyline
whereby the ending isn’t as predictable as this is a common complain from audiences as it
takes away the feeling of fear and tension due to them being able to guess what happens
next. I would slightly change the storyline whilst sticking to the feeling of fear so that the
audience are able to gain that thrill feeling and be engaged to the film as they are desperate
to know what happens next. Doing this differently would certainly make me feel more
confident as it shows that the audience are unaware of what will happen next, so they are
more likely to be attached.

Another amendment I would make if redoing this short film again would consider all of the
props used in different genre films and think of how they are conventional as this would
make the genre clearer from the audiences’ perspective. For example, within my short film,
I used a mask which is significantly used in horror/thriller films as it adds to the idea of
hidden identity as you can’t see beneath the mask. I used this mask in a clever way as I had
recorded it mid-way through the film and at the ending of the film allowing the audience to
put the pieces together and identify who was beneath the mask. This was a good idea as it
allows the audience to think and be surprised and moralise the storyline.