2000 word review

The Drama... 

The  concept of our work was to take our character, Flynn on a journey of himself and change how he views life going from bad to positive. We had to take him on a journey and decided to take him on more of a self reflective journey. As this was the theme we thought this was the easiest way to get it into 5 minutes. You can see throughout his transition and he becomes more positive. 

 The influences came from films such as 500 days of summer, submarine and Amelie. The intended audience would be 15+, mainly females with the target channel being film 4 as they show more independent films. 

 As an audience watching the piece, I realised that some parts worked better than others. I think that the dialogue was a bit off and you could clearly tell it was dubbed over in parts. Whilst this worked for the narration it didn't have the same feel with the conversing parts. I also feel that the music could have been improved by being used more at key parts. I originally felt negitavely about the music but feel it really adds a nice touch. However, the syncing of the sound and how we'll you can hear the sound is successful and a real pro point. Overall, the edit is smooth and clear and straight away grabs your attention with the first shot. I do think here we could have tightened it up a little more especially in the montage scenes. These are the main things I would change if I could go back to the edit. I personally think that the footage shot looks clear and bright but can sometimes just be a bit out of focus especially on the close up shots. In terms of the story I still think it's lacking development and you sometimes can't see how I intended a gap in time to show the journey. This could have been improved by more variety of shots and costume changes as it didn't seem as important until the viewing. 

Overall, despite the various problems we encountered, the process was successful and organised and got finished in plenty of time which really motivated us to complete the piece in the best way we could. The reason we encountered problems was due to our small team and changing the group idea later on in the process. We know as a team that this could have been handled better via communication and explanation.

 I think to improve we could have had better communication and expressed our concerns in a more professional manner. This really slowed down the process especially changing the idea.  I think that as a producer/director I was prepared and organised as I knew to expect problems from knowing what happened with the first idea. I feel that I was more ready for issues and communicated more efficiently with my team. I do still think that the Communication wasn't perfect but still achieved what it needed to.

I feel that overall, our project ended up being really successful. We were well organised and well prepared for all areas of filming. For example, we filmed during the Easter holidays as that was what worked best for the actors. We knew that we couldn't book out equipment from the university for these days so luckily we had our own equipment. We also decided that due to no sound equipment it would be easier to just re-record all the sound separately as we had already planned to do Flynns narration this way. I think we were all prepared for a change of idea and I think that making sure you have a contingency in place was crucial for us and made sure we had something to fall back on.


We did end up having a few small issues throughout our process but were quickly able to turn these around and create our film efficiently.
Firstly, we had been put in a small group with 4 members so we decided it would only be fair to share out the 6 roles between us. Me and Myles both took on 2 roles - Me as director and producer and Myles as cinematographer and editor. This worked well as me and Myles both worked on developing the idea throughout. Chris and Nyle both shared out the sound roles as this is where they felt they would excel. This made the process easier even though we all had a very large amount of work to do. By helping each other with ideas and communication it made it an easier process. We also picked roles we all knew we could get done quickly and really well.

Our teamwork was an evolving process. We all know that as a team in the beginning we should have expressed our concerns in a better way as we were all unsure how to discuss the problems of the first idea without upsetting anyone. We definitely learnt from this and communicated any concerns or ideas in a positive way and worked better in our individual roles. I think that I did work well in a team and learnt a lot from working with different people. I do think I could have communicated better and not let my own opinion hinder anyone's work which sometimes I feel it did. I often come across as opinionated and this was something I had to work on.As the director/ producer I feel that my own contribution was strong. I was well organised and prepared through the process but I do think that there was room for improvement. I worked through the entire process and definitely contributed a lot but I do think that this lost its way a bit when working in a team. I can improve by being calm and thinking more about how to word my concerns to the team. In the process I learnt a lot both technically and creatively. As it was a role I had never done before I felt it was important to research into the role and make sure I was capable of doing all the work. I have learnt the importance of communication and teamwork and how to direct a team in a motivational way without being harsh. I learnt a lot about bringing a script to life and how to visualise it in shots and developing it from direction to production. This was a steep learning curve for me and I do think although here was room for improvement, I did do enough to make a successful piece of work.

The Documentary... 

The concept of the work was to raise awareness of rare cancers and how they don't just affect the child, they affect the entire family around them. We filmed Eleanor from Liverpool on a journey and interviews with herself and her daughter to raise the awareness. We wanted to show the family together in a comfortable environment to make it seem natural and put the family at ease as obviously it was invasive. The inspirations came from local Liverpool news articles. We went on the Liverpool echo website and came across the particular story and felt inclined to help. I think this piece has no set audience as it's about all ages. I would say, this is more focused on parents though.

 The finished piece of work was a success overall. Watching it back, we did see a lot of room for improvement. However, what I do think was the main success point was how we dealt with the sensitivity of the project with it being about cancer. What I noticed when watching it back was how well the story itself flowed. However, I did notice several parts that could have been improved. Firstly I think that the sound could have been improved. I was the sound recordist and encountered many issues with the sound especially as we suddenly lost it all off the equipment. This meant we could only use in camera sound that was muffled and poor quality. This affected the film. We also had similar issues with the camera work which looked totally different when watching it back. The room we were filming in was dark and we had limited lighting options. If I were to make this piece again I think that I would improve by changing those 2 errors and also including more detail about the cancer itself as this was sometimes overlooked and didn't feel as important especially as the focus was to raise awareness. The way we presented key facts also didn't work as we'll and was hard to digest against all the other information. The on screen text felt distracting to me and isn't something the audience noticed enough as hey were more focused on the documentary itself. I feel that to improve the piece could have been more structured and told more of a journey as at times it feels a little rushed. Perhaps the nature of this story meant that we needed longer than 5 minutes to really get to the emotional core of the story.

The process of making the film in my role of sound took the 3 days we were in Liverpool. I feel I had a small contribution to the film in this role and felt I didn't really do well. I would have proffered to be more involved in the production process. I think that I was well organised and prepared for my role and knew to prepare for losing sound by setting up more equipment and checking the in camera sound. This obviously suggests that I had envisioned things differently at the planning stage. I think that I did my work well and tried hard in a role I was struggling to understand as I don't find sound particularly easy. 

My contribution was there especially in the production and planning stages but not as much in my role. I was eager to plan and develop the idea and figure out how to tell the story. I thought it was important to contribute here as the story was really sensitive and difficult. I have learnt a lot in this process and project especially in my role of sound. Encountering the problems I did definitely helped me to learn more about recording sound making it a bittersweet process. I didn't know much about sound so recording it was difficult, mainly in the set up phase. I learnt quickly how to set the equipment up for clear sound and on play back it was clear and crisp. Losing the sounds really hindered my confidence and I think affected the rest of the process for my team. However, making sure I had other options was essential and really helped. Learning about the equipment was a steep learning curve for me and I do feel that I succeeded but I am disappointed that I wasn't able to show this due to the equipment breaking. I feel I wasn't able to show how I developed and learnt how to record sound in an effective way. However, I know that I did my role successfully and know it wasn't my fault we lost the sound. I constantly checked the sound was there and played it back several times and I am still unsure how the sound was lost. I have also improved my student ship and how I view teamwork by working in a well organised group. All members of the team contributed and worked together really well and we're well organised. This was really successful and made us all motivated and get along well. To improve though, I think a different method of communication was needed as sometimes some members struggled to keep informed without the use of Facebook. When it comes to teamwork I think I do well at communicating ideas and opinions but struggle to keep totally informed with the progress. I think taking all his into consideration will help me improve in the future and be a learning curve for me to think about.

Shot lists/storyboarding

These are the shot lists and storyboards created by Myles as he was the cinematographer and me as director. We met up together to discuss each scene of the script and then develop firstly, what type of shot it would be and secondly how it should look. You can see with our storyboards we wrote some details. This was to make sure we could refer back to this and see what shot it was. For example, we wrote if the shot was wide, mid or close and if it had any movement such as a pan. It really helped me as director to guide my actors and put them in the right place in the shot. The shot lists also helped us know every single shot we needed and worked hand in hand with our storyboards as they had a little more detail.

Final idea

The reason we changed idea was due to some creative differences between the team and the logistics of that particular idea. It wasn't handled in the most efficient way but when we did change the idea over the teamwork definitely improved and we learnt how important it is to keep communication especially if you're worried about something.

My idea - the final idea: Whirlwind.

The theme:
Journey of self discovery.
Journey usually means to travel somewhere.
I thought about the theme in 2 ways.
The first was - my character(s) could go on a physical journey e.g. using transport and it could take them somewhere that puts their life in to perspective.
The second was - my character(s) could go on a journey of self discovery.
I decided that I wanted my character, Flynn to go on a journey of self discovery and learn about himself and why he is such a negative person. I wanted it to seem really positive and something we could learn from whilst also having a negative and selfish side as he focuses all of his attention on someone else, forgetting about the real world until his girlfriend suddenly leaves.

Genre:
Drama.
Drama means a piece of writing that is acted out or performed.
Dramas are typically serious fictional pieces of work that focus on a story. They use realistic situations and characters to develop the story and takes them on a journey. The character usually goes through a hard situation that they then go on to solve which can be a personal journey or hardship.Typically, they depend on in depth character developments and emotions shown throughout. Most Hollywood films use drama as a base for their film but often incorporate other genres such as: Horror and action. Dramas are simple for audiences, giving them a preferred reading of the story which they understand easily and takes them on a emotional journey with a happy and resolved ending with no questions left to be asked. With this in mind, I wanted to create a simple story that has no questions but you can still have your own interpretation so therefore, isn't completely conventional to the genre. I took my character on a journey of self discovery in a real life situation where he deals with conflict e.g. - his parents divorce and his girlfriend leaving suddenly after not enough time together. You can see this play out and solve itself as the characters develop.


Examples:

 Dramas, like all films include character development, an action or twist and then an equilibrium once solved.  So, my set up is Flynn telling us about his life and meeting Lily. The confrontation would be Lily leaving so soon after they've met as he's become dependent on her and the resolution is that she has changed his outlook on life and that he can be happy without her. This theory and method of filmmaking is called the 3 act theory. It's really simple to follow and is used in most films, typically Hollywood and big budget.

Moodboard:
These are pictures from films that inspired me. I thought mainly about how it would look as I wanted it to look really interesting with a set colour scheme and distinctive look. I looked at films such as Amelie that is very distinctive to look at and only has 3 main colours you see - yellow green and red. I think these colours help bring out emotion especially happy emotions.

Directing/Producing

Directing

Overall, the directing process was simple and easy. I guided the cast and team in a positive way and let everyone have their opinion. The directing part worked hand in hand with producing so I felt I lead the production.  Directors usually focus on guiding the more visual side of the project. I knew that this would mean guiding the whole team and cast and making sure they were doing the right thing. With the actors, I went through the script with them and told them how it should be read out e.g. with emotional emphasis. Doing this before we shot the film ensured that the actors knew what to expect and covey the right tone and emotion for the scene. During filming, I would watch closely and observe the action. If something was wrong I would cut the scene. One instance of this was someone walking past the camera in the street and looking directly/speaking to the camera. I had to be assertive to make sure each scene was done correctly and to save time. I also worked with the cinematographer to establish where the shots should be set up and what type of shot this would be. We worked on shot lists beforehand and did test shoots to help the cinematographer know how the camera needs to be set up for each scene. As the director, I had to bring the script to life and one way I did this was by printing off a copy of the script and then write notes on it to help me know what was needed for each scene visually. I wrote a list of props and design aspects on the script and sent this to everyone involved - the cast and team. 

Producing.

The producing part was something I was doing even when we were sticking with the original first idea. Being a producer means supervising all aspects of the production and having the final say over all parts from shots to sound. It also means being organised and getting a team and cast together. As the producer, the team came to me with ideas and questions which I would sort out asap. The main part of my role for this project was getting everything organised from locations to actors. I am a naturally organised person and had everything already in place for both ideas so I continued with the role. During post production, I supervised all decisions made in the edit.

Preparation

To prepare for each role I did some research into the roles and their responsibilities. I did this so I knew exactly what to expect and how to mange my responsibilities.

Here are 2 brief explanations of the roles I took on:

http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/film/job_roles/758_director

Film art: an Introduction: Page 5-10

BORDWELL,David and THOMPSON,Kristin (2013). Film art: An Introduction. 10th ed., McGraw Hill, New York

Producers are responsible in 4 main parts of the production process: 

Funding and finding the scriptwriter.

Preparation.

Shooting.

Assembly.

With this in mind I had to make sure that I was always easy to contact and available to solve problems as soon as possible. I had to ensure that I planned for everything and constantly make schedules and team meetings to discuss the progress. As a producer, these processes will overlap so you have to be prepared for if something happens in each process. Keeping in contact with the team and cast ensures that you don't miss any changes because as the process develops everything will change from the script to the shot list. Directors however, have to be visual and creative throughout the process and work mainly on the shoot itself. Directors have to be able to bring the script to life and guide everyone. The director usually has assistants to set up shots and get everything in place. The director needs to know and be ready for all the questions people will ask as the team sets up. The director is asked questions about everything. Both roles are very demanding and need crucial amounts of detail and planning. Taking this on board, I need to constantly be able to answer questions and make sure I cover everything when talking to everyone involved in the process. I need to plan for any issue that might come up and keep preparing myself and my team to keep them motivated. 

2 Existing short films.

Sign language - Oscar Sharp 2010. Even though this film had more of a documentary feel I think that it's a really strong short piece of work that has a clear message and sets this message out in a way that doesn't feel rushed. It keeps the viewer engaged with the variety of shots included and doesn't break away from the story for too long. I really liked how the camera felt hand held as it felt a little more personal to me and told more of a story. I think in my piece this can be important as it will seem more real and not so staged and rehearsed especially in the narration pieces with cutaways. I really liked how vivid the colours were and this seemed to be an important factor in the story as I felt it showed the contrast between a man who loves his job as a sign holder and he rest of the world being more negative about theirs. The bright colours certianly added a nice contrast as it was a really dull and rainy day. It all brings out personality and narrative in a really interesting way. This has inspired my piece as I would like colour to accentuate characters personalities as they're both contrasting people and with the story and dialogue limited, it'll really help he story.    

Le Miror - Ramon and Pedro 2010. This piece felt totally different to Sign Language and was more of a dramatic and stylised piece of work. What first stood out to me was how the point of view shots really grabbed your attention and instantly make you ask about the films themes. It was done in a way that felt natural and realistic. In my film I think this could bring the narrated scenes a bit of depth and variety especially in terms of shots. The piece is repetitive in a really clever way and doesn't bore you it just makes you more interested. I really liked how the colours set the tone here and worked well with the repetition throughout. It's similar to the repetition of the job in Sign Language but shown in a more emotive way through showing darker colours. I think the sound in this film also makes you think more about the themes and narrative as there's no real dialogue only the sounds you would typically hear in the bathroom. You really sympathise with the character and wonder what has triggered him and I think to do this in 5 minutes is difficult and this has inspired me to write strong stories for my characters. 

Character Bios

To help the actors get an idea for the character in terms of costume, personality and the more visual aesthetic I created small character bios for them both. It helped them to prepare for the role and know what kind of character I wanted. As you can see, I included details of their personality and  what they would act like.