Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

From the time we did the preliminary task to the full product I have learnt a lot about the conventions of thrillers and looking out for the generic thriller conventions. This gave me the knowledge to plan my thriller and include the conventions of the thriller genre including mise-en-scene, soundtrack, characters and camera shots. Working in the group to do the preliminary task allowed me to be part of team decisions which benefited me within the group that I did my full product with. 

From the preliminary task I feel I have made a great progress and  I feel I have learnt a lot. When we did the preliminary task we had to plan within our chosen groups how we were going to structure the task whilst including a number of different techniques such as 180 degree rule and others. The final version was fairly successful considering we had many problems with casting it and considering we didn’t really know how to work the camera and use the editing software. I have made progress since the preliminary task to now because I am now aware of the rules that we have to stick by when filming and also I know how to use the camera and the editing software. I learnt these techniques and that a lot of filming that we actually did do to begin with, we didn't end up putting in our film, many scenes had to be re shot because we wanted to get them as close to perfect as we could. 

Although we didn’t have a soundtrack on our preliminary task, I found it quite easy to find the type of music that I wanted. The music I chose allowed me to create tension and to emphasise the narrative of my thriller. When we first started to research the music we found several music sites that had many suitable soundtracks, but eventually me and my group chose the two most suitable music that would fit with our thriller the best. This allowed me to progress from the preliminary task because I then learnt how to add the soundtrack to my film in the editing software. Also, I was the director of my film, I found it quite hard to film and direct because a lot of the time things didn't go to plan. However, the actors and I worked well together which made it easier to be able to direct and film. 

Choosing a name for my thriller was quite difficult. I wanted to name it something short and catchy so it has an effect on the audience. I originally had the idea to call it ‘Stalker’ in either Spanish or French. However, I changed my mind because I learnt that my thriller had to be called something that would relate to its target audience. That’s how I came up with the name ’Obsession’. I thought that teenage girls could relate to it as when they are at that age teenagers can obsess over things. I wanted it to be a strong bold name that stands out and that’s what I think I achieved. 


Compared to the filming of the thriller, I found the editing a lot more strenuous. There was a lot of components that made up the editing such as adding all of the clips, the sound in the right place and all of the transitions. If we hadn't done it perfect then all of the filming that we had done would have been ruined. It took me several weeks, and many re shoots to get my final edit. 

I have had many people watch my thriller and I feel very happy with the feedback that I have had. I have had constructive criticisms from my teachers which have caused me to re think some aspects of my thriller which have meant that I changed things for the better. The majority of the people who have watched my thriller have understood my intentions and been able to read the narrative structure of the film. Overall I am very happy with the result of my film and I feel I have learnt a lot since the preliminary task.