Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

My preliminary was essentially an exercise in continuity. It displayed only a basic filming and editing processes and ability. My final piece was a far more complex production.

In my preliminary, I showed a complete action. The audience watches everything from when the character walks through the door to where the clip ends. I then began reading about ellipsis (as documented on my blog) making use of this in my final production. This allowed me to take out parts of particular actions, whilst maintaining the audiences understanding and perhaps most importantly - interest.

In my preliminary, I made very basic use of editing, using no effects on my footage, and no clip transitions. In my final, I made frequent use of clip transitions, titles and I also changed settings on the footage such as Exposure and Saturation. I learnt that these were very important in establishing a mood, and also pace, within a strictly visual piece.

My preliminary only contained sound recorded on the shoot by the camera microphone. In my final piece, I used not just a soundtrack, but also non-diagetic sound in the form of the lighter clicking. This not only involved recording the sounds, but also using audio software to edit them and video editing software to paste them into my final cut. I found that using sound to accent particular actions emphasized their importance and interest for the audience. The use of a soundtrack was very, again, in establishing pace and mood.

The photography on my preliminary was extremely basic. Following my audience research, I learnt that many people saw choice of shot as very important within an opening sequence. I decided to focus more on choice of shot in my final piece and found this to be very effective. Considering my piece was strictly visual, the photography became very important.

I paid much closer attention to mise-en-scene within my final piece, that my preliminary. My preliminary had a very plain mise-en-scene, with very little effort made to create a mood, leaving it somewhat generic. I learnt very quickly that mise-en-scene was possibly the most important factor in creating the right mood when using film as a media. Thus, in my final piece, a paid close attention to choice of setting, as well as costume and other visual factors within the scene such as the black and white colour scheme.