Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

During the early stages of the AS Media year each member of our group had a very basic level of skill in terms of filming and editing. This is represented within our preliminary task, shown below, which provides a short clip involving very basic editing skills such as match on action, the 180 degree rule and shot reverse shots, techniques learnt in the first weeks of our academic year. Despite the clips simplicity the experience provided a platform for us to expand our skills.

As our academic year continued we furthered our skills. This is conveyed through our final film 'Z-bola'. We furthered our skills through research into editing and filming techniques such as documentaries showing representations of the techniques in action on well known films and television shows.

In order to finalise our skills we had to apply them practically. We did this through the production of our film 'Z-bola' which involves a difficult level of editing such as a fight scene and coloured overlays. Providing a successful, efficient filming process within our time period involved the formation of a shot list, as also used in our preliminary task. This is an example of how our preliminary task taught us how to be successful within the filming process. The filming of 'Z-bola' was also our second attempt of production as our previous attempt taught us that we needed a more in depth shot list in order to have a successful filming process.

In addition to this whilst filming the dialogue within our first few minutes of our film 'Z-bola' we used the 180 degree rule in order to create continuity and verisimilitude. We had originally set up the camera in a way that would have caused a break in the rule however our previous experience from our preliminary task highlighted to us that it would cause a break in continuity.

We also ventured into different methods of editing such as the use of a green screen. The green screen allowed us to recreate a 'news room' setting. This added verisimilitude to our film and realism. By using the green screen in our practical work it has opened up new editing opportunities, for example if I needed to use the green screen again to recreate a setting in a second piece of practical work I could do so confidently.

Overall I feel we have improved vastly as a group over the course of the year. This is displayed through the difference in quality between our preliminary task and our final film 'Z-bola'. We improved thanks to further research into the logistics of editing in addition to practical application. This is especially thanks to the fact our final film is our second attempt of filming.