reflective analysis

Robyn Matthews Reflective Analysis

For my AS film studies production coarse work I planned and created a sequence for a comedic thriller. I decided the target audience would be between 11 and 21 year olds. This is because younger audiences may be disturbed by the dramatic ending however as their isn’t any grief I felt 11 was a suitable minimum audience age. I used certain micro features such as cinematography and sound to employ a understandable clear narrative with different dynamic qualities.

My film is a collection of shots exploring the peculiar habits of my cat. In the opening sequence of my film You see a DVD being posted through the letter box. I then cut from a mid shot into a close up where you see the film is entitled Biscuit the movie this Is then placed into the DVD player. I feel using a close up of the case was a key shot in the story of my film. The viewers attention is then drawn to the title giving them an insight into the movie to keep them engaged and focused. This was an easy sequence in the film as the planning I had done allowed to be organised and know what I was shooting.

I then progress into the next sequence, which is an inception of footage. It is from the viewpoint of my cat walking through the garden towards the cat flap. I don’t like the shot I used for this because it was taking from eyesight level of a human where as it should have been a worm shot as my cats viewpoint is much lower. I feel after reviewing my film that this may confuse the audience from who the perspective the film is from. Therefor when planning for films in the future I am gong to make sure I write the purpose of the shots and specifically how to shoot it to prevent mistakes.

One of the micro features I focused on was sound.  I muted all my video clips and added additional music tracks as the complement. In the beginning I used a slow upbeat song for the introduction and the affect of a broken record and crickets to go into the following scene with classical music. This contrast in sound influenced the viewers emotions and thoughts towards the film. As the music in this section is happy and smoothing they feel relaxed and can appreciate the shots. However in the latter half of my film I used music with a large amount of suspense to build the tension and arouse the audiences fear. This suspense  I feel kept them focused on the plot and make them want to continue to watch to discover the upcoming events. It also added to the narrative and gave a plot to my film. An improvement I would make would be to add a storyline earlier on in my film. This is because as it is I feel that the beginning sequences are meaning less and irrelevant to an extent. In future film I will add a voiceover to create a deeper understanding of the characters to the audience and put context to the footage.

The setting I chose for my film was in my house. This was suitable and relevant as this is the environment suitable for a domestic pet. This gave a relatable context to the audience as they all have a homely environment that they can associate with. This allows them to emphasise with the characters and create an emotional attachment to them. They subconsciously develop a relationship with the cat similar to one they have for their own person pets or even family members.

One specific shot I feel went well was the two lines of action editing. I altered between a medium shot of the “murderer” picking up a large amount of washing and a medium shot of my cat walking up the stairs. These are placed between one another showing that both events are happening the same time. This adds suspense as it foreshadows the forth-coming events. This is a key sequence of shots in my film as it is the centre of the plot where the film has reached its climax. The audience is aware that all the next shots will be a result of this key sequence so their attention is held. 

Whist filming I found it difficult to use a variety of shots in an innovative way. As my character was small it was difficult to get a successful close up of him. Perhaps I should have done a few close ups of objects in my house to highlight the location and the cats association with the family such as a picture framed of the cat.