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FATV YR 2 LVL 3
Evaluation
Introduction
What was the project task?
The task at hand, was to create whatever we wanted for our final major project. We had to create a website, and create a pitch so we could explain our ideas to the teachers. We were also tasked to conduct different types of research alongside pre production paperwork and constant reflections along the way. As this was our last project with college, we had a lot of freedom to create whatever we thought would reflect our progress over the last two years, this could've been anything from a Short film, documentary, music video or even a screenplay.
What did you plan to produce for the project?
Once we were given the task, I had already had an idea for a very long time and thought this was the perfect time to show off my skills I've gathered from this course and a perfect time to show my idea. I had an idea for an anthology romance short film, following different characters from all walks of life, each struggling in their own way. That's where I got the title, "Sonder" from. The word "Sonder", comes from the book, " Dictionary of obscure sorrows" and essentially means, the sudden realisation that every passerby has a life as complex as ones own. I got the idea for the constantly evolving story before the Final Major Project was tasked when a person I didn't know barged into me in the corridor, instead of getting angry or upset, I suddenly wondered that person has going on in their life, and how ill probably never see him again. This beautiful idea fuelled my film vision, so I decided to go for a short film. I planned to create a pitch explaining my idea by giving examples of anthology films but adding my twist of that they never interact and once we see a character we never visit them again. I planned I was going to interview an industry professional, create a questionnaire for my peers, and then go on to researching films, authors and then conducting some experimental research. I planned on creating a film with roughly 12 different narratives and it be about 15 minutes long.
Research
Primary
For Primary Research, I started out by creating a google questionnaire for my peers, classmates and teachers to answer. I started to research different types of questions to create a demographic for my target audience. This consisted of understanding what a Demographic Profile and a Psychographic Profile is and how to figure out the interviewees stand point across the two. A demographic profile can be found by asking questions like what gender do they identify with, how old are they, what political party do they follow and where they live. Whereas I gathered a Psychographic profile by asking questions on; what's their favourite film, what do they do in their spare time, their favourite genre of film or music. This enabled me to find a target audience from the people who interact with my media. After the Questionnaire had been answered and then those answers being studied, I found out my target audience were teenagers with no political affiliation, Essex based and with a love for cinema and watching films and tv shows at home. This ended up being a huge part of the production process of "Sonder", as I wrote each story on teens, with no strong feelings towards anything like politics or current affairs. Once I was happy with the outcome, I decided to reach out to an Industry professional: local director, Jane Gull.
I had been a big fan of Jane Gull ever since her independent movie, "My Feral Heart", back in 2016. So I knew I wanted to interview her and ask how she got into the industry and what it takes to be a director in todays world of film and technology. For context, my dad had been an executive producer on her film, My Feral Heart, and had been in contact with her since, so I got her email from him and set her an email asking if she would be interested in being interviewed for my research for my upcoming project. After we went back and forth for a while, we finally agreed to a zoom interview where I asked her questions such as what did it take to get her film out to the world, what she was working on now, and what's her favourite film. It went really well and it most definitely helped my project by getting an inside view on how to get my film out there. Ultimately, Primary Research ended up being a huge part of my project all the way up to the end when it comes to advertisement, where to post it and what gets the best reaction. This benefited my in all ways of pre production, shooting and even post production. As I learnt my target audiences profiles, it enabled me to structure my editing and scenes in a way to make the teen audience react with and relate to. If I could do it again and improve my primary research, I would make a more detailed Google Questionnaire so I can then get better answers and be able to make bigger profiles for my audience. Doing this would've given me a better understanding on my target audiences, therefore, helping me through every aspect.
Secondary
For Secondary Research, I went on to gather a wide range of research from things that inspire me or have influenced me and my project. This consisted of; Films, Directors, Books, Authors, Songs and Musicians. I started off by researching one of my biggest influencers in the filmmaking world, my favourite director, Quentin Tarantino. I took a dive into Quentin and his life as I began to research different things like his writing style and his directing style. As my project was going to be written with a non-linear structure, I started to research his writing style and how he can hold attention the whole film. This lead to my research into his most popular film: Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction was arguably the biggest inspiration on me in my writing process. It follows a non-linear structure and constantly goes back and forth from story to story, which was my original plan. I found Quentin to be the biggest part of my Research as I believe I take the most inspiration from him in all aspects of filmmaking. As I studied his style and analysed his methods, I discovered ways to interact with the audience through structure. By having a non-linear structure creates an unorthodox story the audience can't help but give their full attention. Studying Quentin Tarantino ended being the most useful aspect of my research as I learnt so much about the writing side of my film, but also how to direct these scenes in a way to maintain a constant attention from the viewer, which I hoped I achieved. I then started to study the late author, Syd Field. Syd was an author I studied, more specifically his book: The Foundations of screen writing. This book was given to me as a gift and was a huge part of my writing process and how to structure a screenplay. This book taught me how to structure a story in a different way to Tarantino, but in a way to effectively keep the pacing. Having two different sides of the spectrum when it comes to influence on writing, it gave me the opportunity for when I was writing, to use what I learnt from Quentin and what Syd taught me, and to add my own style into the writing and the characters themselves. By researching Quentin's style, it enabled me to understand why he does certain things and why it works. It benefited me by giving me inspiration on writing and comedic references. My genre was romance, but I believe there is some funny topics and there is definite references to my influences like Quentin Tarantino. After this, I wanted to expand my research onto different genres of film and other inspirations like music. I looked into a director called Richard Linklater, more specifically his film, Before Sunrise. I wanted to research this film because I've never made a romance and knew I needed to research quite possibly my favourite romance. I looked into this film and its structure as its very interesting. Its only 90 minutes long and follows two people as they meet and frantically decide to spend the day with each other in a foreign country. Richard uses time to show how characters develop over time and change. I found this very interesting and I wanted my film to be character based. This became useful to me and my research as Romance is a new genre I haven't yet done, and Richard's style of using dialogue to make a film character based and not necessarily story driven, is what I wanted to achieve in Sonder.
Once I had found and researched all my influences, I wanted to expand my research further, so I decided to go into the artist: Sade. Throughout the writing process, Sade's music inspired my genre of romance, as I had a constant vision of the film opening on a Sade song, Like a tattoo. Therefore, I researched her and her song, and ended up using it in the final product in the opening credits. This research was very useful because I ended up using the song, and the methods of writing and directing and genre from the previous people I researched.
Upon reflection, I could've improved the research I conducted by going into further detail and using more examples on how it would benefit my final outcome. If I improved the reflection side of my secondary research then maybe I would've been able to use the tools and skills I discovered from the research, in every aspect of my project.
Experimental Research
For Experimental, the plan was to experiment with new things like the equipment I intend to use, and writing methods I use in my scripts. My end goal was to use my experimentation to then benefit me in all other aspects like writing, directing and props and set dressing. I started my experimentation with screenwriting. I knew this project was going to be big and need the most time I've ever put into writing. To get comfortable as a writer and my intentions with my screen plays, I sat down with two of my classmates to go through a table read of a past screenplay I had wrote. We recorded the table read and I put it on my site, from there I reflected then sat down and wrote my screenplay. I wrote the script for Sonder next and in a similar manner, decided I was going to record a talk through with a cast and crew member.
I found this to be very helpful as being able to sit down with people and talk through something you wrote helps with the creative process I went through when writing. Being able to describe my creative process and think aloud on my ideas enabled my cast-mate to see what i'm trying to make. This definitely helped me, my crew, and my project as once we got to shooting it, there was no confusion and we became very productive and worked well as a team. I then wanted to do some experimental with some cameras, lights and actors. I wanted to test compatibility and also my capabilities as a director, so I had some of the cast members improvise together from my directions. This ended up helping with my experimental in two different ways, as I was experimenting with the canon c100, which I was going to use in my film, and I was experimenting with my directing skills and working with actors. I found this to be very helpful and I believed it benefited my work through getting familiar with the camera kit and getting the actors comfortable with my directing style. Typically with experimental, it consists of trying out new ways to use the kit, however, I knew what I wanted to use and I knew how to use it efficiently, so I wanted to pull my focus onto experimenting with my skills as a writer and as a director. I did this because I have the technical ability to use the camera kit, but I wanted to try new ways to direct people, and to write characters and explain them to the actors.
I then started to carry out experimental research actually within production, I did this by experimenting with my props and set dressing. For a particular scene, I needed a dead body, a bloody hammer and blood splatters on the camera lens. I got these effects by creating a dummy from rolled up clothes and towels, the blood effect by buying fake blood and dressing the props with it. Finally, after lots of experimenting, I got a blood dripping effect by laying underneath the actor, covering the lens with a glass panel, and slowly letting the fake blood drop. This ended up working really well and after a few attempts with different methods, gave me the shot I wanted. I believe this experimental research has benefited my final outcome through giving me the skills to direct people in a new way by organising them and getting them to react differently to the same scene and try and try until I'm happy with it. But also through experimenting with my writing and seeing how I could change how I wrote characters and their motivations. I found my experimental research to play a big part in the process of creating this short film.
If I could do it again, I would experiment more with the camera kit. Trying out different lenses or testing different ways to light a shot would've improved the technicality of my short film, but I ended up opting out of this to focus on other tasks at the time, but I should've tried new methods regarding filming. Upon reflection, if I spent more time on experimenting with equipment, then perhaps I would've felt more comfortable shooting, or if I were able to use some kit I've never used before like a new lens or possibly a new camera, then the film would look different and I would have more experimental proof. On the other hand, I think the experimental I did conduct was very useful as it helped me in every part of the creative process, and I hope its evident in the final film as it has been for me.
Planning and Pre Production
For planning, I started by creating pre production documents relevant to my shooting, this consists of a moodpboard, risk assessments, a synopsis for Sonder, storyboards and a call sheet. My planning was very effective by preparing me for my production days, for example, filling out risk assessments for each location made me and the crew feel at ease as we knew the risks and how to deal with them safely. Luckily, we didn't have many risks to note as majority of the filming was shot on location in my home. I also conducted some location scouting as I knew I was going to film at home, but also needed to film on the beach and in London when its busy. However, I did in-fact write about these locations, I just didn't scout the London scenes beforehand. I had got to London Liverpool Street with all my camera kit, and my crew ready to film. Unfortunately, I started to film but quickly got shut down by the people who worked at the station. This wouldn't of happened if I researched the rules about filming in public then if I got a media release saying I could film, or if I just filmed somewhere else. If I researched my locations properly then this wouldn't happen and I would be able to get the shot I wanted. If I were to do it again, I would improve my location scouting to ensure I have access to where I want to film and if not then make sure I would have other options ready.
I also prepared an equipment list to ensure I was comfortable and familiar with the kit I intended on using. I initially wanted to use a canon c100, tripod and shoulder mount, boom mic and a light pack. This is because for the shots I wanted, the c100 has the best focus and I can also tamper with the ISO to control the light that comes in. The focus I can pull with the canon c100 is exactly what I needed for those close up narrow focused shots. The kit I used worked really well and I planned to used all the kit I knew how to work, therefore giving me a chance to feel comfortable within production with the equipment I used from the college.
In conclusion, I believe my planning and pre production definitely helped me in production through enabling me to be prepared, and the work I did for planning abled me to execute my vision. Upon reflection, I wish I took the time to plan for my locations as that really set me back and pushed me into a corner whereas if I had planned better and been more prepared, the outcome could've been different and therefore, a film closer to my vision.
Finished Product
My final major project, was designed for teenagers, with a love for film, who are at a point in their adolescence where they are unsure on a lot of key themes in their life like love and friendship. Proof in my primary research, my target audience consists of teenagers, aged 16-19, with no political affiliation, and a love for cinema. I discovered this through my questionnaire, and from talking to an industry professional, Jane Gull. Talking to Jane about film and how to relate the story to the viewer, helped me understand my audience.
For my final product, Sonder, I wanted make a film that provokes a feeling, yet I wanted my audience to find peace within the idea and relate to the characters. I believe that it had this effect on the audience, through my script writing and my way I shot the film. I spent a lot of time on the writing, cinematography, editing and directing on this project and my main goal was to leave the audience with a feeling of love. I wanted to be effective through my cinematography and editing by having these beautiful shots matched with long film dissolve transitions to show the romance within the genre and the overall message of the film through showing not telling. I attempted this by using a lot of scenes and shots that show an emotion without saying anything, for example, a close up shot with two of the main characters as one goes to hold the others hand then the other shuts it down. Without saying anything, we can see his heart break. I wanted to effectively provoke feelings through my film without saying anything and using my editing, directing and camera work to tell a story. I know this worked as we watched my project in college and my peers, who also fit in the bracket for my target audience, said they felt moved by the overall meaning of the film and its subtle hints of other themes like love through the characters' movements and body language.
I wanted to make sure my lighting and sound were up to scratch as usually I focus on everything else and make excuses for poorly lit scenes or bad audio. Therefore, I used a boom mic in all the scenes that had dialogue to capture everything the actors were saying at a high quality, but I also focused on the non diegetic sounds added like music and sound effects. I tampered with the music I used to provoke emotion and effectively capture reactions from the audience, for example, for sad scenes I would use sad ambient songs I discovered that would fit that scene, or up beat music for scenes that were colourful and happy. I also wanted to add effects onto my audio like reverbs if audio was meant to be coming from another room, I did this by adding presets and working with them until I got the effect I wanted. This turned out really well and I hope it got the effect as I was going for.
Upon reflection, I believe my finished product truly reflected everything I researched this term, especially primary as it was set for my target audience, and I think it will leave an effect on the viewer as they watch a story unfold without it being explained through dialogue. As the filmmaker, I am proud of the end result and hope the hard work I've been putting into every aspect throughout the project is evident in the finished product.
Personal Development
Upon reflection, this project has been the hardest yet the biggest and the most technical film I've made. I took a lot of time out to create the finished product, and I believe I learnt a lot along the way.
Throughout each aspect, I have learnt and improved as a filmmaker. I believe each task is as important as the rest, for example, I think research is equally as important as pre production and planning. More specifically, here are the aspects I think I have improved the most, Primary Research. This project, I wanted to go above and beyond for primary research. The task at hand was to create a questionnaire and get your peers to fill it out, then create a target audience profile, reflect and analyse the questions and answers and separate the profiles into demographic and psychographic. I found this very helpful and I learnt a lot about what makes up a target audience, I discovered the two separate profiles which inevitably, benefited my final product as I knew what to include to appeal to a certain demographic. I wouldn't of known this if I hadn't researched my responses to the questionnaire. I also was tasked to reach out to an industry professional, which I did, then I got a chance to have a zoom interview. I was able to ask her questions on how to connect with an audience and she told me every detail on how she got into the industry. I believe I went above and beyond with the primary research as I got results from my peers, and from a director working within the industry whom I look up to. Another aspect of the project I feel I improved on was the post production. For this film, editing was a big part of it. I tried new ways to edit my audio tracks, as well as ways to transition shots. I put more time into getting proper audio recordings this project with the right equipment, and altering it in post until I was happy with it. I added reverbs and other sound effects to my audio tracks that I hadn't tried before, this ended up making my film sound a lot better as in my opinion, the one thing that separates amateur filmmakers and industry professionals, is sound. You can ultimately get away with poor visuals or poor acting as this can be described as artistic vision in one way or another, but bad audio is often due to lack of detail. This film was also the first time I colour graded, I started by just trial and error with the settings until I liked the effect it had. I used Premiere Pro on my laptop to edit my film and thats how I colour graded. This process was a new one I had learnt and it was all very new to me. I didn't know how to do this before, and I taught myself through simply seeing if I liked it or not, I think it turned out really well and makes the film look more professional. I believe I really improved on not just these two topics, but as a filmmaker overall, and I hope this is evident throughout the work specially the editing.
Over this term, I had faced a lot of challenges and problems that needed solving, through research all the way up to filming and editing. A big issue I faced was location scouting. I ended up removing two scenes from my film as I was running out of time and didn't have a location prepared. I needed a scene in a university dorm room, and instead of organising, I focused on other things until it was too late. The scene had two students as they argued back and forth and was a key part of the story, but after realising I couldn't film it, I understood it wasn't needed to complete the film as the anthology style enabled me to have the scenes in any order or not include all the ones I planned because each scene is unrelated and it took me having to problem solve to understand that. Another location issue was that I needed a finalising shot in London, so I went there and got told I couldn't film at the location. If I researched the location beforehand, this could've been avoided and I would have a film with the shots I intended. This set me back and forced me to secretly shoot on my phone afterwards, the quality wasn't as good and I couldn't get the intended shot I wanted. Another problem that needed solving, was for a few scenes I needed to film at night time and shoot with only natural light. Unfortunately, after reviewing all our footage, it was all very dark and could barley make out anything in shot. To solve this, I tried colour grading, I raised the exposure and lowered the shadows until it was salvageable. This was a problem for me that could've easily been avoided if I checked the camera settings while filming. Instead, I was left with footage I wasn't happy with and no other way to fix it other than raising the exposure, potentially affecting the quality of video.
Therefore, I think I need to work on my organising skills and more specifically, organising locations. This would benefit my workflow and make my projects more professional to my actors and crew. Setting up locations enables me to film whatever I want in how ever long it takes. Hopefully, in the future, I can improve on this to make my projects that little more organised. I also need to check with my camera operators that everything is set up and to my liking before we record and to check back on everything I film to ensure it's how I wanted it to look like.
From this term, and this course as a whole, I have learnt new skills that I believe will help me as I continue with my education through to university, and I think these skills also make me more employable. The skills I've developed over this term consist of colour grading, researching and understanding how to establish a target audience, how to effectively interview, and audio effects. I have known the basics of filmmaking and researching practitioners and so on, however, these skills I've picked up from this term, make me a more advanced director, and a more employable worker. For example, when I had to research an industry professional and interview them, I picked up the skills and a way to form my questions to get the most accurate and beneficial answers. This skill I learnt helped me in the interview and gave me the chance to use her responses in my research evidence in finding a target audience. I also developed the knowledge on how to grab your audiences attention through structure and characters. Researching Quentin Tarantino and Syd Field, enabled me to learn how to be a better writer and then becoming a better filmmaker. The process of my film was long mainly because of the writing, I wanted it to be the strongest factor as my story is character based compared to a typical storyline. This will help me in the future as I have now widened my capabilities as I can write and direct, I have become a more employable and it makes me desirable within the industry.
As I was using a higher grade camera, I wanted my cinematography to be to a higher standard, even though the shots I got were some of the best camera I've ever done, I needed to be able to colour grade. This is a skill I feel comfortable saying I have, I taught myself, purely by using premiere pro and tampering with the colour wheels and exposure and other settings, until I liked the shot. Being self taught isn't the best way to pick up a skill, but I do feel confident with my knowledge and understanding of colour and lighting. My editing skills in general have improved a lot even with my audio effects, I've made the film have good audio throughout from my own experimentation. All these editing skills I have gained this last term definitely will help me later on in my career as a filmmaker, but also as I move on to University.
In conclusion, I think this project went really well and I'm happy with the final product. I took a lot of time creating it and a lot of effort into refections like my production diaries, weekly reflections, directors commentary and the evaluation. I worked really hard throughout every task, maintained a high level of research, spent weeks on production then more on editing, and feel confident to hand it all in. However, if I had the opportunity to start it again, even though I love the idea of my project, I would've made something a lot shorter. For the first couple weeks I struggled with the feasibility of the idea and the original story was set to be longer but I had to shorten it as I was quickly out of time. But if I could do it again I could've tried another one of my ideas but just a shorter one, and focus on everything else and put all my time in the post production because I would make it have better quality rather than quantity. This would eliminate a lot of the problems I faced like running out of time, location and getting actors, if I had a short story that I could film in a day, it could've possibly made all other aspects a lot easier without having to rush as much as I have.
Upon reflection, I could've improved my location scouting and time management, but overall, the film came out how I wanted and I'm excited for my peers to see it. Its a very special story with a very philosophical meaning that I hope reaches my target audience like I had set out to do.
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