Rehearsal Shoot Footage Reflection

I think that our idea has translated well to film. I think because of the non-diegetic soundtrack, the audience get a sense of anticipation as it is fast paced and dramatic, however, I don't think that it suits the theme of a church particularly well because it is quite frantic. Although, this could be a good contrast to the calm atmosphere of a church. The dark filter used also helps to show the audience that it is late at night, giving a sense of fear as it is the unknown.

The dark filter used helps to give the impression that it is the evening/ night time.

One element that I think did not translate as well to film was the anti-climax. At this point, I feel as if the scene becomes more comedic, however I like the idea of having the anti-climax to keep the audience on edge and so to incorporate it we could try filming it a number of ways.

The scene is fast paced which is good because it helps to keep the audience engaged in the action and means that they aren’t focusing on one thing for too long. I think it is important for the focus to be mainly on the policemen, however I think that there needs to be slightly more focus on the psychopath to add the tension and suspense for the audience as I feel that it wasn’t clear who the police were after. Possibly some shots of the church and him walking down the aisle during the police searching would add more interest and intrigue for the audience.

At the moment, the thriller is 2 minutes long which is a good length, so I think would should aim to keep this length but change scenes around and add shorter or longer clips of certain parts to keep the audience engaged and excited by the sequence. 

I think that our idea is clear to a viewer however we may need to make it more obvious that the police are searching for this certain psychopath. However, the actors we used fully understood our concept and were able to understand what was going on. It is also important for our group to think about using older actors for the policemen, otherwise the audience would not understand that they are policemen. 

Tension has been created through the use of the anti-climax, however this does need to be altered as previously mentioned, to make the audience feel more suspense and fear. The contrast of the frantic pace of the policemen and the calm and steady pace of the psychopath make the audience feel uneasy and so it is thrilling to watch because they cannot predict what will happen next. The changes in pace again make the audience feel on edge because what should be a frantic pace, immediately changes once they are inside the church.

I think that the shots we have chosen work effectively, however some could be changed and developed to improve the overall look and atmosphere of the sequence.  I think panning on the gravestone is very effective because it sets the scene for the audience and gives off a creepy and eerie atmosphere, causing tension and suspense for the audience. Again I think tracking from the bottom of the crucifix to the top also adds a lot of tension and helps to further set the scene for the audience, so I think these two elements should be incorporated into the final opening sequence. I also think that the different shots of the policemen hiding and searching at the start are good because they help to add intrigue for the viewer as they have no answers as to why they are there.

The shot from behind the policemen I think is less effective because I think that the audience don’t see the fear and serious facial expressions that the policemen have. I think it would be more effective to shoot this from in front of the policemen and have it look as if they are walking towards the camera.

However, I think that the close up from the side of the policemen is extremely effective because they audience are able to see their facial expressions up close and so they are more intimate with the characters and they know that they are supposed to be on the side of the policemen.

I think that the high angle of the policemen coming down the stairs is also particularly effective because it shows the audience the power that the policemen have and so when the psychopath is intimidating them, it is a strong contrast between their superiority at the start of the sequence.This shot also adds suspense because the audience can’t see what is at the bottom of the stairs and so increases the tension that the audience feel.

The use of the hand held camera is particularly effective because it makes it appear as if it is the policemen running down the stairs and so it further increases the intimacy that the audience feel with the policemen and so they want them to find what they are looking for. The rough effect that the hand held camera gives adds to the frantic, fast paced sequence and makes the audience tense and suspenseful, waiting to see what the policemen will find.

The use of the low angle further on shows the audience the power that the policemen are losing and it makes them seem inferior. This makes the audience sympathise with the chase that the policemen are on and adds a more relatable and human element to the characters as they are subverting the stereotype that policemen are  strong and  dominant authority figures. 

The long angle of the policemen up the aisle of the church is effective because the audience can only see the silhouettes of the policemen, giving a mysterious atmosphere. This shot changes the mood of the sequence  because the scene becomes less frantic  and is therefore filled with anticipation and suspense for the audience. The fact that they are at the end of the aisle, however makes them appear weaker yet again because they are so far away from the camera and therefore the audience. 

The slight high angle and extreme close up used on the psychopath is effective because it shows the power that they hold over the policemen as they appear slightly higher up. The extreme close up means that the audience feel more intimidated by the character. However, I think it could be more effective to not show the psychopath’s full face because it adds more mystery for the audience and makes them even more intimidating.

I think it would be effective to add a few more shot of the psychopath throughout the sequence to give the audience subtle hints as to what it going on. I think there could also be more variations in the way the policemen are looking for him and perhaps more anti-climaxes could be included in this to add tension for the audience. However, I think the sequence would also be effective with no anti-climaxes but there either needs to be a few or none because one on its own can be slightly comedic and take away the tense mood from the scene.

Overall, I think that doing the test shoot was a very useful exercise because it helped us as a group to see what our idea would look like and see if it translated well to screen.  Seeing the footage has made it easier to develop our ideas and make the necessary changes to ensure that the sequence is as suspenseful as possible.