Looking at Student Films

we looked at 3 students films and assessed the good points and bad points.

Student Opening One 
The first film we watched included some good ideas for example i feel the photos used on the tree were effective as they were signifying a creepy horror atmosphere, this is due to them just dangling there which seems as though the persons life is just dangling and we do not know their fate. However I feel the clip showed too much of the film for an opening it seemed rushed and more of a trailer as it wasn't continuous and kept jumping. The film lacked continuity with the use of transitions this added the trailer effect and lacked being a successful film opening.



Student Opening Two 
The second film included some good ideas, the effects used for example on the stalker were successful as this added a scary worrying atmosphere as the quality of picture kept turning negative. A high pitched non diegetic sound is used, this also adds a scary atmosphere and keeps the audience on the edge as when ever it is used it makes the audience jump, this keeps them on the edge of their seats. However like the first film i feel this opening contains to much of the film to just be an opening it also feels more like a trailer as you can guess from the beginning whats going to happen. Personally this was my favourite opening from the three we watched mainly due to the creative editing techniques used i feel this had a strong effect on the atmosphere and created the horror genre well.



Student Opening Three
I think this opening was the weakest out of all three. This is because everything was slow paced and lacked entertainment it seemed as though we as the audience were waiting for something to happen when nothing was going too this made the audience not interested about the rest of the film. However, this was the most continuous opening out of all three and stuck to the guideline of a film opening using the 180 degree rule and and matching every shot up perfectly. To improve this opening i think they should look closer to detail as there were some small mistakes, For example one actor was supposed to be dead but when the camera zoomed out you could see she was smiling.



This lesson was helpful because i know to make my opening continuous, this is very important so the audience don't think it looks like a trailer also to Analise my film closely to make my opening the best it can be to make sure i haven't left anything vital out. Getting feedback from an audience whom where going to suit this too at every stage will also be a massive help to improve.