Audit of AS skills:Research and PlanningFateh Khaled A2 Media

Introduction

• Research and planning is essential when making any product, I believe research and planning was one of the most significant role in creating our media product, because without it our final product would have not been as successful.

• We knew that the opening title sequence (OTS) had to be of thriller genre, therefore excessive research was done into what makes a successful opening title sequence.

• Throughout this PowerPoint, I will be explaining different aspects of researching and planning and how effective each aspect was.

Textual Analysis• In order for me to produce a great final piece, I analysed three

individual opening title sequences all of which were thriller.• Textually analysing the opening title sequences enabled me to

get a better understanding of representation, camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene; I knew exactly what types of props were used (predominantly weapons in thrillers such as guns), and what types of cuts were used (fast cuts when tense) but also the use of hyperbolic non diegetic sounds (such as the sound of explosions).

• I spoke about each aspect on soundcloud using my iPhone and embedded it onto my blogger, the film I analysed here was

Jack Reacher.

Analysis of previous students’ OTS• I also analysed previous students’ work to see how they

constructed their media product; I analysed what they done well and what the lacked in.

• By doing this enabled me to make a checklist of what to do and what not to do when constructing. For me, one of the main successful aspect was to maintain continuity, in contrary the most critiqued aspect was not to use an internal microphone but an external microphone because the sound was too distorted thus hard to hear.

• A closer look, an analysis of previous OTS’

Preliminary Task• The preliminary task was a fun exercise that taught me a lot, I

edited the whole preliminary task and got familiar with the software ‘Adobe Premiere Pro’ as I tend to use ‘Final Cut Pro’.

• The task itself was to have a character walk into a room, engage in a short conversation, and leave the room.

• Editing the preliminary task as well as filming it made me understand continuity editing more, for example filming in multiple angles but when it comes to editing it seems like it was shot all in one piece and in a continuous prose.

• We also used a video camcorder which I hadn’t used before which made me explore some e of the features which I had not yet experienced.

Screenshots

• Screenshots are provided here of the preliminary task, the full video will be posted below this slide on blogger.

Pre Production• My role in pre production (in terms of research and planning)

was to create the shot list and the risk assessment.• Pre production is crucial when creating a media product

because without it your product can easily fall apart.• Creating the shot list enabled myself and my group to know

what scenes to shoot step by step; therefore we know how we were going to construct our product and picture it in our heads without even filming it.

• The risk assessment was also important because I outlined any hazardous risks that could be a potential danger to us as a group on the filming day, by outlining the hazards enabled us to be extra precautious on filming day.

Screenshots

• Pictured: Shot list and risk assessment.