Artefact 4 Evaluation and Outcomes

Artefact 4 - Genre with Camera

The aim of this artefact was to experiment with camera techniques in order to add to the mood and atmosphere I had already created in my previous artefacts. In addition to this, I decided to focus on specific genres used in film, to help with research of which techniques would be most effective. The genres and styles I chose to work with were horror, thriller, and mystery, mainly due to them all using quite similar techniques and complementing the mood that I had currently created well.

In response to feedback from my previous artefact, I made some improvements to my scene before working on camera techniques. For instance, I added some blue lights through the ceiling windows with a slight volume effect, to add contrasting colours and a moonlight effect. I also added an ambient occlusion material, so I could produce a separate render pass to add to my final rendered outcomes.

For my outcomes for this artefact, I decided to produce five rendered images using separate cameras. From researching my chosen genres, I realised that the best techniques to use would include close-up/extreme close-up shots, birds eye view shots, low camera angles, slanted camera angles, and shallow depth of field. I therefore tried to use a mixture of these within my images, also considering how they could fit together in an edited video for my next artefact. I particularly used depth of field a lot throughout all five images, as I found this added to the effect I was trying to create, as well as adding a more filmic style.

Once again, I found most of my feedback in the focus group was positive in terms of the aesthetics of my artefact. I also received some suggestions to take into my final artefact, such as considering both animation and sound of features in close-up shots (ticking clock, creaking door, etc.) when editing my final video. It was also suggested that I could consider making some of the windows appear broken, to add more to the derelict, uncomfortable atmosphere, and to add contrast to one of my camera shots.