Evaluation

I am happy with the end result of my moving image project, as it includes all of the skills I have learnt up to this point. The camera and lighting techniques section was especially useful, as I was filming in low-key lighting for my final video, and I otherwise would not know how to use lighting in the way that I did in my final project. The ISO section was also useful, as I had learnt that using a higher ISO would create more grainy footage. In my initial shoots for my final project I forgot to configure the ISO properly, but I later configured it so there was a higher aperture and an ISO of around 300 - 400.

Despite this, some shots later on in the film I feel are too dark, and it is difficult to tell what is happening. I was playing the main character in the film, and I wanted to keep my identity hidden throughout the entirety / most of the film.  I wanted to do this because I wanted to create some form of mystery throughout the film. I did this by never having a light source directly shone towards my face, or not having it in shot. A downside of this was that I would often blend in with the background, as I was mainly shrouded in shadow, as well as the background. This isn’t so much of a problem earlier in the film, but in the later shots the lighting was significantly worse. I could have fixed this by having the background well lit to contrast with myself, which was in shadow.

From my artist research I had learnt about using long-winded shots in order to build tension. This use of cinematography and editing builds tension. However, on reflection, I feel like I could have used this technique more, as I often didn’t leave the shot long enough on screen for tension to build, and I would usually cut to another angle. Upon watching it again I felt like the pace of editing did not suit the style of film I was aiming for – which was horror and suspense. I also think I could have designed shots to be more unsettling and uncomfortable. While I am very happy with the shots I managed to execute for the film, I feel as if the shots were not specific enough to the horror genre.

Overall, I am pleased with my final film and the project as a whole – though I could have made the cinematography apply more to the conventions of the horror genre, as well as improve the lighting to increase visibility of the shots.