Personal Skills Audit

Digital Technology;
In AS I used various different programs to create my horror movie. The mini dv cameras were the thing I used the most to capture the actual movie and was able to capture the various camera angles that were needed. The macs were used throughout the coursework because that’s where all the other programs are. Final Cut was the program we used to put each scene together and the skills it contributed to the coursework were it was an advanced program and made it look alot more professional. Livetype was used to create our titles for our film and it made them look alot more professional and linked to our genre (horror) well. I used Photoshop to edit pictures linking to our genre and also add the titles to each of them. I will develop these skills in A2 by making the most of each program and using more of the effects given eg Final Cut I will use more editing techniques to make my film look more professional and also develop my editing skills.

Post Production;
I used all of the above programs to create my film but mainly used the mini dv cameras because they captured each of the shots for our film. Then the main program we used was Final Cut because it made my work look alot more professional compared to I Movie which is very simple but in final cut there are alot more editing techniques you can use such as the colour wheel to change each shot separately so it looks more like a film sequence. You can also render each shot after editing it to make sure that it saves. Markers are then used to separate the sound and shot from each other so you can join them up so they are in sync. Livetype has a text feature also so you can choose from a range of texts which can relate to different themes. The rest of the programs were used frequently but were not the main ones. To develop my skills at A2 by using a wider range of programs to make my work stand out from others and also make it look alot more professional.

Research and Planning;
I completed a range of tasks for my research including a mind map relating to my specific genre to help me realise the themes that are included, also various analysis of films linking to my chosen genre give me some idea on how the films are set out and what the storylines usually are. I then had to choose a specific horror film for a 9 screen analysis and talk about what was in the different shots and what the storyline was behind it. Research was then completed on BBFC which is the company behind the age limits on each of the films that are released. Audience research was then completed to see which type of people watch horror films which would help me when creating my film because I would then know my target audience. After my research was completed I then came up with some ideas for an animatic storyboard to show how each shot would link back into the genre. These skills helped me keep to my deadlines as I handed all my work in on time so showed I had good timekeeping skills which helped me get all my work done quicker. In A2 I will plan a lot more efficiently to make sure all my work is up to a high standard and also do a lot more research into digipak and advert analysis.

Using Conventions of Real Media Texts;
The texts I analysed all linked back to my chosen film genre including; Orphan, Turn of the Screw, Scream, Freddy Kruger and Nightmare of the Elm Street. The only film I took inspiration from was Orphan because I really like the storyline because it contained a young girl and that’s exactly what I wanted to include. By using these films it give me the skills to create my film by using the media conventions and inspiration from other existing films. In A2 I will develop my skills by looking at more of a range of media conventions linking to the specific themes and also challenge them by using my own ideas.

Creativity;
Some of my portfolio in AS contained some imaginative ideas including our storyline, when linked to average horror film conventions the storyline normally ends with one of the characters dying. In our horror film the main character survived which shows we thought in depth about our ideas and challenged the media conventions. The props we used throughout the film linked well with the media conventions for example using rope as an element to try and kill our main character could be used in any type of horror film also when our main character runs away from the stalker this always happens in horror films to add a lot of suspense. By using existing conventions and challenging them with my own I believe it give us more of an idea on how we would put the film together as well as what media conventions we would link into the overall film. I will develop these skills I used in AS in A2 by using more of my own ideas to make the overall filming and the end product more interesting for example making the storyline have a completely different background and give the viewer’s more to think about.