The Selected Footage

As mentioned before, both Zara and I weren't sure until we reached our location if we would use the footage from our preliminary task again, but once we started filming we both knew. I remembered which shots we already had and which ones we decided not to shoot, so this time we tried emphasizing more on locations we hadn't filmed prior, or locations that could aid the narrative in one way or another.

By the time we were done, we had hundreds of clips from both shoots. The ones from the preliminary had already been selected, so it was only a matter of picking the newer shots as additions or replacements. Some shots were so visually stunning that we had to use them, and some had deep narrative significance or implied amplification of said narrative, so those two were our top priorities.

We made sure to get a few specific shots from different distances and angles too, to be able to edit them in action matches or allow for cross cutting. I think that's majorly where our growth as media students came forward. We made space in the filming and editing process to use techniques we had learnt to employ in class, knowing how they would not only impact an audience in terms of visuals, but narrative due to their focus, composition, framing and certain shot types and angles.

You'll see in the selected footage Zara has shown as well that the shots, like the narrative are pretty direct and straightforward - the girl explores the locations in a dreamy montage, until the emotional climax is reached and she realizes she's being watched (emphasized by the difference in framing and changes in focus), after which she starts to run back. As she runs back she finds locked doors and closed spaces she can't get out of, until she wakes up right at the tipping point where the evil seems to be closest to her.

In the presentation showing the rejected shots, you'll see exactly why we decided against using them. There was limited relevance to the aforementioned narrative, and they weren't visually pleasing enough to have worked - therefore we didn't try to force unecessary footage into the video to make sure there was no monotony. As soon as the viewer feels one bit of it, the footage indicating monotony would stop and the next part of the sequence would begin.

So, overall, I'm very happy with our selected shots, and so is Zara. Both days of shooting were worth it, and we ended up getting some very appealing footage.