Sec A 1(a)

Describe and evaluate your skills development over the course of your production work from Foundation Portfolio to Advanced Production in relation to creativity

My prelim was a limited, prescribed task involving an establishing shot, two-person shot and shot / reverse shots: some room for creativity in that I learned to shoot, capture and edit in iMovie
 I felt the real creativity came with the thriller opening task: my challenge was to devise a thriller which focused on a father protagonist, involving repent, mystery and the supernatural. The mise-en-scene (a house in the woods), character casting (father, son), props (such as Christmas cards and dripping taps) all required creative planning; creativity is nothing without organization and i learned the importance of detailed storyboards, recce shots, call sheets, equipment lists and cast meetings. For example, the storyboard, formed although not 100%, the main body of the thriller opening. These fundamentally formed the organisation required throughout the process. These were all part of my creativity because they turn visualization into reality. 

From the start of my thriller, i used original raw home footage to open the scene using certain codes to emphasise a dream-like state. These codes included post production effects, such as slowing down the motion and using colour correction so i could produce a more vivid and surreal world for the viewer. The mise-en-scene was carefully thought about and scenes, such as the father walking through the kitchen were planned carefully in terms of prop use. For example, symbolism can be seen by the dripping tap in the background as the motion is mysteriously started by someone or something unknown. It also connects the previous scene of the water almost violently falling in the sink when the father leaves it on. I decided to incorporate this to also suggest the motion and action is forever moving almost like events in a lifetime and the notion that these are unstoppable to hinted. Moreover, the flora butter and cup left on the table also conveys the idea of unknown presence in the story- the father is as curious as the audience.

Perhaps my greatest achievement was towards the ending when the father moved outside the house. For this scene i realised incorporation of different camera techniques was vital in order to make it work. Without any prior knowledge of filming, i decided to 'trial and error' and found myself using techniques such as hand held to use for scenes of running and high tense shots. The overall outcome was positive and it seemed to work well in finding a way to entice and draw in the audience whilst telling the story i had created. This was another point in the story where i used the effects (colour correction) to emphasise meaning and again, symbolism. The aim for this particular section was to recreate the fantasy world whilst making it seem real and ordinary. The result was very vibrant bright colours whilst neutralising some colours such as my protagonist's face.