Evaluation

Evaluation Essay: In this report I will be completing a detailed evaluation of the planning, filming, editing and the final product of the preliminary film I was set to create. The task I was set to do in order to complete this course was to create a 2 minute long preliminary film. The scenario given for the film was to get a character to open a door, walk across a room and sit at a desk having a conversation with another character. The film I chose to do could be about any issue I wanted however it must have the scene that the scenario says my film should include.

We were given time to think about our ideas and plan how we wanted our film to be. I managed to come up with an idea from the first lesson, I didn’t try to think big as I thought that I should be going with something that I can not only relate to but simply create with the resources I had in hand. My initial idea for the film was to create a piece that was related to school. The main plot was about a boy being late to school and then having to face the consequences because of it. After having the plot in mind I thought of many different ways in which I could display the scenario given with my chosen film idea so it looked better; this is what started my planning process. What influenced me the most for this idea is the fact that I go to school and always have to open doors, walk across classrooms and sit at a desk on a daily basis, especially in the mornings where we have to go into registration to be authorized into school. Therefore it was a straightforward process to come up with my initial idea, as it was something that was related to me as a student.

This film was intended to demonstrate the different camera shots, angles and movements; it shows my understanding of media so far into this course, that’s preparing me for the next stage in which I will be creating a short movie trailer.

Planning: To begin with I will be explaining the process in which I took into account before the actual filming. Planning is a very important part to film making as the producer (which is me in this case) has to be aware of how they will create this film and what will be included in the film. This involves the creation of a project plan in which I have written a report about what I’m working towards and why I am doing it; so what I am trying to achieve. Also the creation of the story board in which I have drawn out my sequence of what each scene will include; what action is taking place in the scene and what camera shots, angles and movements the act will contain into boxes to clearly show what I am aiming to create. Similarly the creation of the shooting script is a plan continuing on from the story board that involves the development of what location, people, equipment, props/costume, audio and again shot type, angles and movements and the transition of which I want from scene to scene to move into, but also any notes I want to add into my editing as the making of the film flows along. The same process goes on for each scene, as this is what it will comprise of. Finally the creation of a dialogue script in which I have written what each scene will contain, so this is where a character has a part to speak which will be words and sentences that have already been planned and practiced to be said in the film. This means the characters have a fixed dialogue in which they do not have to make up while going along the film.

Managing the group dynamics, equipment, resources, actors, locations, costumes and props wasn’t difficult to organise as the scenario we were working towards wasn’t something that we had to fuss about with having to use any professional devices as it was a scenario that could be created easily without having to use any special devices, I simply needed a camera and a tripod. The location needed for my film also wasn’t a difficulty as I had my scenes situated in and around my school, which I easily got a hand of. As for the actors I asked for help from my media classmates and they were happy to support. I didn’t need many actors, just1 main actor who was needed to play the main role and 4 other actors in which 3 of them were to play the part of students and 1 actor to play the role as a teacher who takes the registration scene in my film. Neither costumes or props were needed as all the props I could have wanted for my film were already situated in the school and as for the costume the actors could wear anything as sixth form students are able to wear what they want since there isn’t a school uniform.

Filming: The second process which was the main aspect of the creation of the film was to actually get practical and start videoing the film; slowly moving on from scene to scene following on from the storyboard and shooting script that was designed in the process of forward planning for the filming process to become simpler in order to run smoothly rather than having to think about what to film on the spot.

As I got into the actual process of the filmmaking I had decided to create new ways in which I could display my film in an improved approach from the original plan that I had already created. For example in my story board it shows that I decided to use a bike for when Shaheb (main character) comes late into school. However this did not happen as I couldn’t get hold of this prop, and therefore I decided that I didn’t want to have these scenes any longer but to immediately get to the point where he enters the school building and runs into his classroom. This was a disappointment to me because I believe my film would have looked better with these scenes, however I managed to get over this disadvantage and carry on as normal.

When filming I didn’t have to necessarily stick to what I had planned to create when I designed the storyboard. As when producers get to this point they think of new ideas, come up with new ways to shoot a scene using different camera shots, movements and angles to make the scene look as professional as possible and as meaningful to show their message across to the audience. (Showing a clearer perspective) In this process I had to be as imaginative and as proficient to get the best possible outcomes from the formation of this film. In order to get the best results I repeated the same scene over and over again for about 3 or 4 times so that when I got to the editing process I could choose the finest piece.

Taking notice of time was very important because we were given a restricted amount of time to hand in the finished film. We had to hand it in by a certain date and therefore I couldn’t have wasted any time with making mistakes.

Editing: The third process that took place was to start editing the footage I had recorded for my film.

Editing is a process in which I have to pay great attention to detail because it significantly determines the quality of the final product.

I used the digital camera to record the footage for the film. Digital cameras allow film producers to view there footage instantly after they’ve shot a scene. This allows them to view what they have shot and decide at that point whether they need to film that particular scene again. This puts the producer at an advantage as they don’t have to wait until the print is on tape, they can immediately analyse what went well or how they need to improve it.

This therefore saves time and consequently saves money as well. Also the advantage of using a digital camera is that you can add special effects such as lighting while at the filming stage. This creates a clearer shot and an enhanced quality image. For example when filming in a dark place and I want light focused in that scene I can change the setting appropriate to the environment.

The editing resource that I used in order to create my final product so that it could be closer to industry standard was ‘Final cut pro’. By using this software it allowed me to edit my film in the way that I felt was most suitable. This included breaking down scenes to fit into my time span, transitions between scenes so that one scene could run on to another scene smoothly and adding sound to contribute to the drama and engage the audience further. Due to the opportunities of digital technology it helped stimulate my creative flow. I was able to think of more imaginative ways to make my film a higher standard by using the advantages that the software gave me for instance cutting longer scenes into shorter scenes, the flow between scenes and the added sound.

Final product: Finally for the final product I assured that it was suitable for the target audience I was directing the short film at. In order to achieve this, I firstly previewed the film to as many young students as possible to see if they enjoyed watching it and most importantly if they understood the message conveyed and how. For example if the use of camera shots, angles and movements or effects made a difference in presenting the story. However this was not enough, I needed evidence in order to prove to myself that the film I created was appropriate and the use of the scenario given was built-in productively. For this case I decided to create an online survey that I had posted on my blog after the exhibition of the complete film to bring in the results from the viewers and see what their responses were.

This is a print screen of the link that I posted on my blog that takes the viewers into where they can complete a survey responding to some questions where I have asked things related to the success of the film.

I gave it about 2 weeks before looking for responses on behalf of the quality of the film.

This was to be completed by some of my class mates doing the same course who in this case were viewers marking the efficiency of the film. I asked 10 questions which consists of: 1. Did you enjoy the film?

2. What are the improvements I need to make?

3. Was the mise-en-scene used effectively?

4. What did you like about the film?

5. What did you dislike about the film?

6. Were my camera shots, angles and movements used effectively?

7. Was the sound used effectively?

8. Did you notice any continuity errors in the film? If so, what were they?

9. Was the transitions used smoothly?

10. A scale from 1-10 what would you rate the film?

By the end of these two weeks I was required to reveal the results of my survey, I had produced for the benefit of my film. I received 3 responses by three different viewers which was unfortunate really because I now don’t have clear evidence as to whether my film was as relevant as I believe it to be. Viewers were able to access and assess my film via the survey to answer some questions but yet hadn’t responded to all questions. This was a real shame as I hoped to receive more responses to be able to make wiser decisions for future filmmaking. However this did not stop me from taking anything new into account such as how good the film actually was. There were 6 questions out of the 10 questions I had created that were answered by the 3 responses. These were questions 1, 3, 6, 7, 9 and 10. I was given 100% yes on questions 1, 3, 6, 7 and 9, but as for question 10 I received 2 viewer responses giving me a rating of 5/10 and 1 viewer response giving me the rating of 8/10. I believe that these are fair responses whether or not I agree as it’s not my opinion that counts on the success of the film piece. It is however what the audience see and believe it should be rated.

Overall I credit my film an 8/10 rating and I agree that this is a reasonable figure. The filming and editing were my most favored processes because I worked very well with it. It went smoothly and because I was able to use my imagination and creativity to move things around as I liked, it gave my film the best possible appearance.