Audit of AS skills - Research and Planning

Research and planning was absolutely crucial throughout the duration of AS Coursework.

We had to develop our knowledge of Opening Title Sequences and their conventions in order to produce a successful final product. I looked into the history of OTS', Representations, stereotypes etc... As I knew my product was going to be a Thriller film, I did a lot of research into similar products and creating many PowerPoints/Textual Analysis'. In recreating the OTS for the film Se7en I got practical experience before filming my final product. Also with the Preliminary task we managed to experiment with camera shots, angles and techniques. Due to the task not being of a quality we wanted to achieve we knew that we would have to make adjustments for out OTS. Certain adjustments included the use of a high quality camera, creating smoother panning shots, use of a RODE microphone and more...

Research from our target audience also was crucial in creating a successful piece of work. In order to get the most out of audience contact, I created Facebook and twitter posts, sharing initial creations and asking for feedback before coming to our final product.

When planning for the OTS, I myself did a huge amount of work. The planning that needed to be covered included - Filming Schedule, Character Development, Storyboard, Location Recce, Props list, Equipment List and Shot List - In giving specific roles to team members, it allowed us to keep on top of our work and work efficiently. However at times this failed to work with team members not always meeting deadlines.

I was specifically allocated Shot List and Character Development working closely with a fellow peer in creating accurate storyboards etc. This part of the project took a huge amount of time and concentration as it was crucial that we tied together all research in order to create a successful piece, applying what we have previously learnt.