Evaluation

   Summative Evaluation

       FINAL MAJOR PROJECT

 

At the beginning of the ten-week period, I was handed an independent brief which had various criteria and paperwork that needed to be included, as well as a final video of which category we have the leisure to decide. Right from the beginning, we have been expected to make more of every decision we have made, why we have done this and any significant information that led to the final product. Most importantly, we are to show a correlation between the writing we conduct and the video that is handed in on the final day. If we were to research horror but, in the end, create a documentary, we would need to make sure that we state why our pathway changed. Be it for just an instinctive decision or we decided the pathway is not the most realistic, we have been told that we document those decisions in the reflective writing or context section. With a mixture of this and conducting practical research, we were told from the outset that all documentation is conducted independently and scheduled to our own accord. 

 

Overall, this project has two salient meanings or purposes. The obvious point would be that we are to complete a brief to gain a final grade. Delving deeper, we could say it is a test to measure our ability to complete independent tasks and experiment how prepared we are for future employment in this subject. For my own motivation and internal passage, I took it in the form of my own definition: to broadcast my skills and show every concept I have taken on board in the past year. By changing the purpose for myself, I believe I had an immediate head start in the brief.

 

From the first day we were told of the general consensus, I was already creating some concepts in my head. Any keywords or buzzing thoughts that came to me were immediately written and noted in order to not be forgotten. Key terms such as ‘Sci-Fi’ and ‘Short Film’ were all I needed to begin conjuring up initial concepts that each entailed short paragraphs or brief details.To me, getting ideas down as soon as you can is key so you can have some structure right from the outset and a clear mind on what I aimed to achieve. From there, you can of course use the process of elimination to rule out those that seem unappealing or unrealistic. So, it happens, I ended up doing this. The final concept that stuck out was a short film based on the theme of horror. What was next did not have full details revealed, but had a great starting point that acted as foundations for the future work.A singular genre or type of film meant that thousands of pathways opened up for me in the category of research. Though to start off simply, I looked to inspirations from specifically science fiction media to potentially build on the vague platform. For a beginning of a project, this could not have been any more structured of in depth for me. Bear in mind, throughout this and other stages I was writing some reflective writing and placing it in a separate page on my website.

 

As a next step to the success of the early developments, I now had to begin conducting some research that had a link to the concept I generated. To begin, the research usually tended to appear quite realistic and clear. However, as time passed and the concept began to solidify, the research expanded out to agendas people would not really understand unless I linked them. Which I did. Right away, my initial piece of research was a detailed summary of my favourite show: The Walking Dead.Overall, it began with a vague show and explored the various denotations that so captured their millions of viewers. In this case it was the aesthetic and feel of AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’. I chose this source of inspiration as it is an example of film I have grown up watching. 

 

This was a method that I carefully chose for the future course of the project. By choosing quite a big topic such as a popular show, I had thousands of different opportunities of research that could influence the look and feel of my film. Call it a ‘breakdown’ if you like.I feel as if doing so actually cleared my mind and set out a very clear mind on the situations at hand, and in the future,this is the only way I would plan research.Whilst the research continued and I began to form a solidified structure of my ambitions, I always made sure to carry a notebook and pen whenever I went somewhere. By doing so, there was a bottomless source of inspiration that could help me strengthen the visions in my head.Thus, meaning the film’s quality would have a higher chance of appearing in a professional/thought-out light. 

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Layered above this section of development after around the 4th week mark, I now had to begin considering the means of moulding the research into my physical product. Now was the time to begin experimenting and creating some practical evidence. After briefly taking a recap on some of my research so far, I kicked off my practical development with some editing and tutorial. Through short YouTube clips such as this one here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg87adla1wQ, I began adding some knowledge for the corners of my mind that perhaps lacked in the editing department. If I had a recap and looked through some workshop, it would mean that I could prepare myself fully and then transfer them to the editing of my media. Specifically speaking, this video actually helped out the most as it went into very minute details on the discussion of colour grading as a whole, not just on Premiere Pro. 

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I could actually list a profusion of videos that helped kickstart my experimentation, but I would be here for quite a while. The point is, each video I observed actually gave me all I needed in order to independently use skills with camera and application. Without the videos, I would not have begun so well on the category of practical skills. In fact, my film as a whole would not have featured a nice matching aesthetic throughouthad I not watched professional advice.Additionally, I made the occasional note on key settings and tools to use when each video mentioned them. When this was noted, I could then take the components into play and attempt these lessons myself. An example of a specific component would be the use of the ‘input LUT’ (Lookup Table). This is a feature used heavily throughout the film industry and can be manipulated to make each frame appear in whatever desired aesthetic that is needed. Though a simple trick, this was pivotal in keeping a flow of continuity throughout my scenesand in hindsight, I should have made myself familiar with much sooner. 

 

On the other hand, there was also a plethora of different shots I took with my camera to try and visualise the ideal frames in the form of still images. Whilst there were some videos watched in my free time, I was also using my camera when I could to show the different kind of shots we can have such as the mid-shot or the long-shot. These shots I have mentioned are only basic, but doing the simple things well is something that can be even more integral than flashy shots or cuts. Here is an example of the kind of photography I was conducting. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personally, the photography wasn’t about looking brilliant or high-quality. It was all about experimenting with the tripod and the spirit level (making sure everything was even and on-line. Taking these photos taught me how to correctly set up the level so it achieved that professional look on the filming. As a whole for this section, the structure I mentally planned was influential in creating a balance between development and research. Everything I documented was not just the latter but also growth in confidence and skillset. However, this was not it.

 

I soon realised I would need to take some photography of the locations I had previously researched and planned the situation in terms of space and how much it would suit the concept of my film. Through some drawings and some logical rationale on each location, I had soon pinned down the location that would hold the heart-breaking story of loss. My bedroom. As seen on my context page, there is location planning and some photos of the kind of space I would be manipulating for the next few weeks. There is a scale on each image showing how big the width and height is. Why I did this? In order to understand the exact amount of space I would have when using the equipment such as microphones and props. I felt as if the use of mathematics would help me achieve that absolute quality of a standard film we see.Or at close as possible with the equipment I owned. 

 

Speaking of equipment, this was a part of pre-production that really turned out to be an obstacle for the production of my film. At the beginning of the project, there was a well-known fact: I already owned a Canon DSLR and a high-quality tripod to my name. The general consensus for me and the crew was that I would additionally need some form of audio equipment. This could have been a boom-pole and mic, or a microphone that attaches to the camera I already possessed. The problem I quickly discovered was that during the period that my actors were ready to come to the set, my camera was a model that could not have the version of microphone attached to the top. As a result, I could not actually use the microphone I had loaned for a period. The reason I was not completely happy with the final product is because the audio was not as crisp and high-quality as I would have liked. 

As a solutionto the problem in hand, I used the audio recorder on my Huawei phone. Granted, the audio on a modern mobile such as this is still a brilliant alternative to a filming standard microphone. However, it will still not pick up sound in the same way. Though frustrating, I still found a way to undo the mistake and get some sound. For this I am thankful. 

 

Wrapping up equipment meant that now, I could actually hire some team members and begin to plan initial meetings/schedules for filming. Immediately, I thought about something other people wouldn't usually consider in this section of the project: Incentives. 

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When I asked people to help me, there was a general impression given to me that indicated they were not really motivated to film or help with the camera work. Though this was understandable, as people are not usually interested in helping unless there is something to motivate them. For the actors, I decided I would go out of my way by buying a meal for them if they decided to join me. Immediately, the were more approachable on the matter, and were wiling to plan a day. Because of this plan I created, I now had two actors and soon a third crew member to help with the camera and lighting. For me, as my aims were not too difficult, this number was satisfactory for me. In summary, the swift decision to create incentives meant that I had less chance of being cancelled on. Therefore, the film had a higher chance of success.

 

Once I had found a substitute to the microphone situation, I was now cleared to film. For the actor, I had finally arranged a time to meet my friend Callum Bryan. Before filming began, I now just had to make sure everything on set looked natural. By this, I mean I had to remove any items that did not suit the feel or the aesthetic of the scene. Bear in mind, the aesthetic I wanted to achieve was an orange-black gradient. Though a monotonous action, completing this action meant that I had the ideal ‘film look’ throughout production.  Furthermore, I actually had to show my partner the script and spend some time before the camera was turned on in order to make sure everything was in order. For the next few hours, there was take after take in order to keep the continuity flowing throughout each scene. As role of director, I had to tell the actor exactly how he should act in terms of body language and speech. This is an experience I am completely new to, so to have the role for a night and direct every little piece of the set was such a challenge. However, I have learnt an incredible amount in that one night and how difficult the position can be. 

 

Once the filming was out of the way and every scene was filmed, there was only one last obstacle ahead of me. Editing the movie together and executing the look I had been working towards since the beginning of the ten-week period.  Through the use of some Adobe products, I had to upload all of the footage and piece it together to make one big piece of film. The difference here is that I was not able to have assistance with the application of effects unlike the beginning of the year. 

 

If I were to discuss the final product I created, I would have quite a mixed opinion. I am my biggest critic and to be honest this is not the best piece of work I have created. Over the past few months, I have laid my efforts towards creating a short film. In reality, it feels for me as if I have created a trailer. The final product did not reach around the ten-minute mark I had hoped and it made around the 5-minute mark instead. However, there are also some shining lights which I can extract from the film as a whole. The main point that I love is the consistent aesthetic that features throughout the scenes. Intentionally, I made the last few frames different from the other scenes to a washed out look, but as a whole all of the scenes looked as if they were all from the same film. Additionally, said aesthetic is identical to the warm, fiery hues of orange that I envisioned so long ago. If there was one method of improvement I would advise the future version of me, it would be to use some extra camera equipment when filming. If you were to look back at the film, it seems as if each cut has little flow and the continuity of the the transition could be better. If I had some extra cameras, I would be able to shot different perspectives of the characters and the general context of the situation. Thus, meaning the film would havan overall improve flow and it would seem slightly more professional. 

 

The component of the final product that I enjoy the most however, is the overall moral of the story in which only some will be able to pick up: How much the loss of someone important can change the entire colour scheme in your world. When DEACON’s (Protagonist) is sat with his dead partner, the aesthetic is fiery and almost possesses connotations of anger and self-hatred. However, when the protagonist is seen in the stages before he kills his love, there are bright, white hues all around. Even when his partner features in the form of a ‘zombie’, his perception is different because she is at least still breathing. Though the film does not possess the length or the world-class acting, I believe I have created a piece of film that has nice subliminal messages as well as a theme which is attractive to observe. 

 

In conclusion, the project and brief I have been given seemed quite a leap from the conventional safe-zones I had in the form of smaller projects through the year. However, with some realignment of thought and perspective, I believe I have completed this project to the best of my ability if I take into consideration the obstacles I have received. For example, I had a myriad of days in which I could not film due to the actors not being able to deliver on that day. There were times in which I felt I was down and out because of a technical issue with the camera or an edit not coming of for me. However, I truly believe I have stood tall in the moments of overwhelming pressure and pushed my way through the hardship. From this, a piece of work that I have no shame or embarrassment over. In terms of how this project has re-moulded me, I believe it has laid the foundations that pave the way to working in future employment that revolves around media. I have enjoyed every chapter of this briefing and have unlocked sections of my mind and capabilities that even I did not know existed.

 

I truly look forward to the opportunity in which I can challenge myself to a piece of media again.