Editing

Well thank goodness for that- it's finished! After the re-shoot, I went to the lesson much more confident that we could create a good piece of film; And I think I was right.  Below is the final product of mine and Susannah's Preliminary Task.

I'm really happy with how the final edit of the Preliminary Task turned out, and I think the editing process was a great success.  Susannah had never used a Mac before, so whilst I was mostly in control of the mouse, I wanted to give her a go at getting familiar with the idea of using one.  She did really well, as using a Mac isn't the easiest thing in the world.  I think that we fulfilled the brief well, and demonstrated all of the required continuity techniques.

The 180° Rule is seen most clearly when the two characters are talking to each other, in the form of an over-the-shoulder shot.  From 0:23-0:26, it is easy for the audience to recognise what what 'side' each character is on.  In the same time frame, the technique of Shot/Reverse Shot has also been used.  I am really pleased with how this shot was demonstrated, as I think it shows clearly to the audience that the characters are speaking to each other. 

The technique of Match-on-Action has been used from 0:11-0:14 when the character opens the door.  I think this was used very effectively, as only having one shot to do this action could have made it a little boring.  This technique was also used when the same character picked up and put down a chair, from 0:17-0:20 to add variety.  Although the shots are fairly similar, I think the use of Match-on-Action was very effective as it gives a slightly different view point.

Eye Line Match was used in several places in our footage, such as when the first character is looking through the door at the second character, from 0:11-0:12, and when the two characters are smiling at each other, from 0:26-0:29.  I think that the use of this technique was very effective, as it allowed the audience to see what the character was seeing.

Changes From The Animatic

There have been a number of changes from the animatic to the final product of the Preliminary Task.  One of the biggest changes was adding a couple of more shots.  In the animatic character did not sit on a chair as the brief required, so we therefore decided to add these whilst filming.  We felt that it was important to stick to the brief, even if it meant straying slightly away from what we originally said we'd do.  Another change that we made was the music.  After watching the animatic again, we decided that the music did not suit the theme and atmosphere we where going for.  It was also a bit boring, as it was a generic tune taken from GarageBand.  When we changed the song, I think it suited the whole story-line much better. 

Improvements
To improve the Preliminary Task, I think I should have maybe focused on the smaller details, such as the positioning of the props.  Paying more attention to detail is something I would look at, as in one shot the blind is open, and in another it is cosed.  I would also use some different angles for a couple of  shots, as I think the would have been more effective from a different point of view.  In general, I would film more footage, and have the characters saying more lines, as what they said was limited.  I think if these improvements where to have been made, it would have been a much better piece of work.

Overall, I am really pleased with the final result :)