My feedback upon presenting my film opening was mostly positive; my use of specific effects and camera shots was praised by my audience, who consisted of both peers and members of the older generation, and many commented on the sense of mystery conveyed by the disjointed combination of the shots used.
Although most of my feedback was positive, I was told that the setting seemed a little too bright, and that my production would benefit from having the colours a little more distorted, to make the setting seem less bright.
One of my focus group commented on the deliberate off-centering of the title screens.
Although this was an artistic choice, and meant to represent the nature of the film, the audience member disliked it because it wasn't a commonly-done thing.
My soundtrack was commented on, as the audience claimed that it created suspense and had a slightly menacing undertone, as well as how the music lapsed into more diegetic sound before resuming, e.g; the actors running.
The audience said that the flare effects used in the title screen text worked well, and fit with the overall theme of the film.
A member of my feedback group also commented on how the quick transition between clear and blurred shots accomplished what the film intended, keeping the audience uncomfortable and on-edge.
The ending was also seen as being a little obvious, and could have been a little more vague, to keep the audience in suspense.
I attempted to mix action with a more psychological element, infusing shots from a chase scene with various shots of someone writing in a book, who's face is never seen by the audience.
In terms of the more technical aspects, time and care were taken with the positioning of the camera, and the angle of the shot, so that we could attempt to get the best result possible.The location was expansive, allowing for a multitude of shots that could easily be made to look like the area was larger than it actually was.
The camerawork itself was expertly done, using a variety of shots, including tracking, panning and point-of-view shots.
These were muddled together to form a montage that would both confuse and entice the audience to continue watching.
The montage makes no sense in a chronological context, though this is purposefully done to convey a sense of mystery, with some of the shots being characteristic of films like Se7en.
Overlaid with the slower shots of a person writing are flame effects that discolour the overall appearance of the shot, meaning that it seems to shimmer or even flicker, perhaps creating a feeling of suspense amongst the audience.This particular effect was well-received as a visual effect that helped bring the opening together.
The same effect was used with the text on the title screens, giving it a mottled, orange-red effect, as well as making the text flicker.
This effect was done in the final edit, as a way of adding to the sense of foreboding created by the musical score, which was compiled out of a number of harsh, metallic synthesized noises that fit the genre almost perfectly.
In terms of creativity, I stuck with my original concept of the main character being mentally deranged, but the premise of the actual filming had to be altered at several points, particularly when original footage (later used as a rough cut) wasn't sufficient to make an opening scene with.
Due to this, the premise of the opening scene was changed from that of a flashback to a more convincing one, that of the chase sequence actually happening at the same time that the notebook is being written in, with the shots switching between one and the other sporadically to create an overall sense of menace.
I got across the psychotic nature of the film mainly through the musical score, but also through the use of the words "Mentally unstable" which could be seen, written in the notebook, in several shots throughout the opening.
My feedback group commented on this simple use of words to confer across the nature of the film, whilst giving none of the plot away.In this sense, the film opening can be compared, once again, to Se7en, in which various macabre can be seen being undertaken by a man who's identity is never revealed, due to the shots used being close-ups of the tasks themselves.
I used the same techniques as the film, focussing and un-focussing the camera, and splicing the shots together in the edit to create a sense of deliberate disjointment.Though my end product took a lot of creative aspects from Se7en, we did not have the budget that would have been used in the original film, meaning that we weren't as professional, and the quality of certain shots didn't quite meet with the standards of the film our production was based off.
Overall, my team worked to the best of their abilities in the time we had, making good use of the environment and suggesting shots and techniques to improve the overall semblance of the film.
All dialogue used in the film was dropped, in favor of a more perspective-based opening reliant on audience interpretation.
Because of this, my final cut of the film differed greatly from the initial concept, though this was no great hinderance.
Personally, I feel that my own performance was adequate in producing the film, which I did with clear, understandable orders and through simple yet effective editing techniques.
I had a firm idea of what I wanted to get out of the film, and the team complied with precision.
As far as my skills as an editor went, once I had been shown the necessary techniques or had them explained to me, I was able to edit together a sequence that ran smoothly, was well-paced and kept the audience entertained and enticed, as my feedback group informed me.
Overall, I feel that despite some major obstacles and barriers that would have otherwise hindered the group, the task undertaken turned out an overall success, and created a thoroughly entertaining film opening that was enjoyed by the sample audience.
