Short Thriller Film - Preliminary Task 3
- Mar 31, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 8, 2023
For Preliminary Task 3, our class went on a field trip to Devonport Tunnels to film a 2 minute thriller film sequence, about a character who is on the run or is being stalked. We had to ensure that we used thriller conventions and also apply a narrative theory that we have studied in class.
My group consisted of myself, Asher Ballantyne, Matthew Somervaille, and Oscar Neville-White.
Attached below is the planning my group used prior to filming, as well as the DEEP reflections after we completed the task.
Planning/Reflections:
Attached in a pdf document below, to open it you may need to click on it for a tick to appear, then click again.
The Short Film:
DEEP REFLECTIONS:
D - DESCRIBE
What was your role/s in this task?
Actor, Producer
Myself, Asher and Oscar acted in this task, and I played the main character that was the victim. Since Matthew was camera man and edited the short film, I had quite similar roles to Asher and Oscar. We collaborated on planning and organising everything that occurred behind the scenes. This included, coming up with costumes, bringing those costumes as well as equipments and props, and helping Matthew set up shots.
What did you do well?
I think I didn't get too stressed, I realise that it is a strange thing to consider and that sometimes stress can be beneficial in some situations. However to elaborate, it was a hot day and there was a time limit to finish filming, and some of my other group members would let that get to them! I believe I managed to stay calm, and motivate my group member to keep on going. I also think I did a decent job at acting, I obviously see there are some improvement needed to be made and I'm not perfect, but it was our first time working as a group and I managed to not let the jokes get to me and laugh on camera!
What could have gone better?
I believe we should have taken more time on filming the shots in the dark tunnels. This obviously was quite complex to film, and it took a while to set up with the lighting practicalities. Therefore, we should have dedicated more time to film these shots - as they are the climax of our film! We also stressed way too much, we should have remembered it was just a preliminary task, obviously we wanted to make it as satisfactory as possible, however these tasks are here to help us develop our skills, and learn from our mistakes.
What skills did you learn/develop from this experience? (Refer to the technical elements and any other elements - eg. group dynamics, planning etc.)
I learnt a lot just from working with Matthew! He is very impressive with cameras, and his terminology about the tools within the camera made me realise more aspect about a camera. We also brought more equipment from our teacher to the trip, like a boom mic, and camera monitor to help with filming. I learned about the purposes of these, and how much of a difference they can make! The four of us were already pretty close, however this was our first time working as a group. We got closer and and our group dynamics worked pretty effectively. This allowed us to self assign our own roles as we all had individual strengths within the group.
E - EVALUATE
Why are these skills important?
I am passionate about film and media, so learning about technical elements can grow my abilities, preparing me more for future tasks. It is also important to work as a group in other situations, and to be able to have shared knowledge and different perspectives on your task.
How might they be useful outside the school context?
These can be useful in many other circumstances. My production and film - making won't just end after school, I am willing to continue it in my future, and developing my knowledge about technical aspects will help with that. Working as a group also helps with social interactions, and fulfilling work and having a drive when it comes to seeking achievement.
E - EXPLAIN
Why do you think you did well in your success areas?
I think due to the time limits, and stress, we had I acted through my scenes as efficient as possible. I wouldn't want to be the one ruining a good scene by laughing! I also think I worked well to help with the pre - production side of this task, and helped with planning everything prior so we were all ready for filming when it came around to it.
Why might you not have done so well in other areas?
I think, we realised that our script may not work with certain shots, and that we didn't have enough time to film certain shots. I think I just needed to participate more in the changing of our script during filming. I believe I should have helped out more with organising new shots, and alternating plots within our film.
What did you do differently in this task?
We should have had a more basic script, our script was quite specific, however it should have just served the foundation for our story and that it was something to base it off. Instead, we had to make so many changes to it due to time management, which made the process even more confusing due to the specific list of camera shots we had to re consider.
P - PLAN
How will you make sure you continue your success for your future production tasks?
This is quite similar to the reflection from preliminary task 2, but just to not underestimate time. Obviously in future productions, there probably won't be such time restrictions, however we spent far too much time on the establishing shots and didn't take to encounter the length of time needed to film the more complex shots.
What do you need to help you improve?
Honestly, more practice, and better planning. These two combined will ensure that filming will go more smoothly and that I won't need to make changes during filming like I did in this task! I think prior to this, I underestimated aspects within pre - production, and I want to improve my effort towards it in the next task of the coursework (thriller opening).
(Back to previous post on this page, Preliminary Task 2)
Comments