Refection and Evaluation
Research
As I always do, I immersed myself in my research. You can see from my Bibliography that I looked at loads of YouTube videos, which I felt were a good reference source, because much of what I was researching is a matter of opinion, so other people’s opinions are useful. There is no defined reference on Time Travel, since, to our current knowledge it doesn’t exist. There are no absolute definitions of what we find funny, but many people have ideas and often present them on YouTube. I wanted more information about Preproduction elements like Storyboarding and Storytelling. Since they relate to the Film Industry, many people make videos about these topics and put them on YouTube. The same for when I was researching how too do certain things in Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects like Proxy files and Masking and Tracking.
Also, because YouTube brings up recommended videos based on what you have been searching for and looking at, it makes it easy to find other linked videos.
I watched films on the TV, but there are many useful YouTube videos dissecting elements of the films. I didn’t necessarily agree with everything that everyone said, and I could tell that some people were a bit biased. But the point of research is to make your own mind up, which I did.
As I have explained elsewhere YouTube works very well for me due to my dyslexia and I feel it was an effective way to assimilate a lot of information quickly for me. I couldn’t read a load of articles that quickly.
However, I did look at some websites, and I also have a couple of books that I dip into. But my main research source is YouTube. I found it very effective, and I have significantly expanded my knowledge. Last Year, for my Year 1 FMP, I did extensive research into how I might research and take in information in the most effective way given my dyslexia. My main conclusion was that moving images are the best way for me to take in information. I used that conclusion to inform my decision how to do research throughout this year and for this Year 2 FMP.
I used my research very much to inform all my decisions. I have mentioned areas of my research or particular information that I found out, throughout my website, and I am satisfied that I researched in the most appropriate way for me.
One action that I am taking away from this for the future is that despite me knowing how I research best and that also being the most effective for this Year 2 FMP, I do want to work to see if I can improve my reading speed. I can read, but I read slowly, and I can’t skim. It’s not how my dyslexic brain works. But after the Level 4 course I am hoping to go to University and then into the Film/TV Industry. I feel that starting now to try to speed up my writing is a good idea. The same goes for finding the most effective way for me to take notes. Previously, many years ago, I tried a dictation program called “Dragon Naturally Speaking” but I didn’t get on with it. However, I have found out very recently that this type of dictation program has improved considerably. I will investigate this further.
Ideas
This has been a challenge, with lots of problem solving needed. But I am pleased with how I handled it. I made good use of research to inform all my decisions, and also managed to still make use of much of my research after I had to change my idea.
I am pleased with which episode I have chosen to film. “A Trilby in Time” about Time Travel, ticks all the points that I came up with that I liked about my initial idea of “2 Incompetent Robbers”. These key points are:
- Comedy drama
- A twist at the end
- Only 2 main actors
- An easily accessible location (or so I thought)
- Lots of interesting shot opportunities
- Interesting editing opportunities like the screen changing to be a security monitor at the end
- On brand with using trilby hats
I actually think it fits all the points that I identified as important to me even better that the “incompetent robbers” idea.
- There is plenty of scope to write this as a comedy drama. Having the same actor talking to “themselves” opens up lots of comedy possibilities.
- I still have to finalise the twist at the end, but an idea I have is to end on Sam P looking at the hat the stranger dropped, and we end there – does he or doesn’t he put it on and Time Travel? Then I want an post end credits scene where we see a Sam with the multicoloured hat suddenly appear on an empty bench, where we last saw Sam P sitting. Is this Sam P or Sam F3? It is left for the audience to decide. I like this twist.
- I need one actor to pay all the Sam’s, and one to play Anna. I will play the Stranger, so that still limits my actors.
- The location is very easily accessible since it is the woods one minute’s walk from me. I will need to keep a close eye on the weather, but that is the case for all films filmed outdoors, student or professional. I debated and decided that this risk is a better one to take than the uncertainty of not knowing how many days we have in College.
- Having 2 different Sam’s, played by the same actor, on screen at the same time, gives loads of interesting shots and editing opportunities that I am very excited about, many more than the “incompetent robbers” idea.
- As I say in 5. This gives lots of possible interesting edit opportunities due to the multiple Sam’s.
- It is totally on brand with the several trilby hats being such an integral part of the story.
Reflecting on the process, I feel that I did the right thing in immersing myself in all sorts of research and using that to inform my choices as to my idea. I feel that I was able to see potential problems and relate them to the implications on the story I chose to film. I am also happy with the processes I used, such as stopping and analysing situations to work out what the issues really were and what were the important points that I needed to be aware of. It is a process that I particularly used in my Year 1 FMP, and that I have been using all of Year 2, and I intend to apply what I learnt in my Year 1 FMP to the rest of this Year 2 FMP.
On one hand, I really wish we had less of the uncertainty about days in College, but I understand and sympathise with our tutors as I know that all this uncertainty has been as frustrating for them as it has for me. But on the other hand, without it I wouldn’t have this current idea which I feel works even better than any of my other ideas. Also, handling uncertainty is good practise for working in the Fiction Film/TV Industry.
This storyline also gives me a good opportunity to demonstrate what I have learnt about directing, which is the area, as I explained in my Proposal, that I am eventually wanting to get into. Because I have my main actor having to talk to and interact with himself much of the time This is a challenging thing to do. Even Tom Hardy found it challenging playing both Reggie and Ronnie Kray in Legend (2015). I will need to give strong and appropriate direction to help him understand how I want the scenes to play out.
Preproduction
Risk Assessment – I feel it was pretty comprehensive and we had no accidents on the filming days, both the test filming days and the real ones. We did have some unexpected rain, so the umbrellas and tent were very useful in keeping all the equipment dry and safe. We also had several members of the public approach us, interested in what we were doing. We chatted politely with them, keeping our distance, and keeping hold of all the equipment we were currently using to prevent their dogs from any accidents. This side of things went very smoothly. The only issue, if it could be called that, is that some members of the public were so interested that they kept us chatting when we could have done with getting on with filming. I felt it was important to be polite and leave them with a positive impression of us, so we took the time to chat as needed.
On Film Industry location shoots, there is often the same issue of interested public. From what I can see and what I have learnt on this course, it is always a balance between keeping the public “on side”, both to avoid any complaints which could also cause delays to filming, and also because you want them to feel good about what ever Film/TV Show you are filming since seeing you filming is a kind of advertising, good or bad. If you are impolite to the public on a Film/TV Show shoot then that will almost certainly hit Social Media these days, which will not be good publicity for you Film/TV Show. On the other hand, being polite can also hit Social Media in a good (and free) way, maybe even encouraging people who otherwise wouldn’t have watched your Film/TV Show to watch it, which is good. I live near West Wycombe, and West Wycombe Estate and House are often used in Film/TV Shows. For example, Sense and Sensibility (2008), Endeavor (2017), The Crown (2019), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), Bridget Jones’ Baby () and even X-Men: First Class (2011) have all had scenes filmed at West Wycombe Estate and House.
It is important both for West Wycombe Estate and for the filming crews to keep on good terms with the people of West Wycombe, and generally they seem to do so. And I may well want to film in the wood again in the future, so I felt that I did the right thing by taking the time to chat with people, even it if did take up time.
On the day we did have a little bit of rain and one the first day we had some hail – unexpected. I was pleased that I had thought about the umbrellas and the tent. However, on the first day, for the first few hours of filming, there was no rain forecast, so I decided to put the tent and the umbrellas in the car that my Mum was bringing. For safety’s sake I wanted to minimise the amount of “stuff” we were needing to carry through the first part of the wood while we were filming. It was fine until just after we had finished and were heading to meet my Mum, that’s when the hail started. I thought quickly and got my Crew to protect the equipment with their jackets, which was easier whilst being stationary, and also possible because I had deliberately taken minimal equipment for this stage. I continued to meet my mum to collect first the umbrellas, which I took straight back to protect the equipment. Then I got the tent and went back and put it up immediately. Immediately I had put the tent up, the hail stopped. However, I was grateful for the tent for the rest of the day, since I stored all the equipment in it as planned, with my Mum on guard, which meant that the few other occasions that we had light rain that day could be handled with just the umbrellas.
However, the next day I wanted to be absolutely sure that if there was any expected rain then we didn’t get caught out. I decided, despite there being no rain forecast, that the solution was to have the tent up before any equipment went outside the house. So, I went with my Dad, early, and put the tent up. My Dad and I waited with the tent. It was easier this day since my Cast and Crew were happy that they could remember where they were going since they had just been there the previous day. When everyone had arrived, we went to get the equipment from my Mum’s car and put it straight into the tent. This worked very well. One of my crew waited by the tent, while the rest of us set up the first equipment, until my Mum arrived to guard the tent.
One thing that I did think of afterwards, relating to my Risk Assessment that I could have done differently, is that I have a few fluorescent jackets from various occasions that some of the crew could have put on. For example, I have one that I wore for being a Runner on Damian Power’s Feature Film in January to highlight me as Covid Safety Officer. As I mentioned in my Risk Assessment, I competed a Screen Skills Covid Safety course for that. In retrospect I think that fluorescent jackets would have been a good additional idea. However, it happened I don’t think they were actually needed. But I think they would be a good addition to my filming kit for the future, so I will add them to it.
Production
Costumes
I am pleased with how the costumes worked on the day of filming. I feel the similar but different costumes for the 4 “Sam’s” successfully distinguished between the various versions, whilst also, from a practical point of view, being quick to change between. I did have to keep a close eye on continuity to make sure that the right Sam was wearing the right costume. There were a couple of times when I nearly filmed Sam P without his grey hoodie on, but, due to great teamwork, a member of the crew pointed it out before we filmed each of those parts.
One issue that I realised that we did have with continuity is to do with the rings that various “Sam’s” were or were not meant to be wearing. Towards the end, when we were rushing a bit to try to get all the shots filmed before Jack had to leave, I suddenly realised that I had not been checking the rings as closely as I should have been, especially when we were doing some pick up shots that I has missed out the previous day at the end due to similar time constraints.
When I realised this, I made the decision to just keep filming, and pay more attention for the rest of the shots. I made this decision for 2 main reasons. Firstly, this was Day 2 of filming, my last day, it would have taken a long time to re-watch all the shots that I had filmed to see which ones (if any) had the wrong rings in. And even with the external monitor with Panasonic S1H I think it would have been almost impossible to tell this small detail on a small screen, it would have taken a long time “squinting” at each shot to try to work out in which shoots there were incorrect rings. I simply did not have that time, and I felt it was better to have a few shots with a (slight, potential) continuity issue in than to miss out filming the other shots that I still had to get in a tight time frame. Secondly, although I do always try to pay close attention to small details like this, as I had when deciding to use the rings as part of showing the differences between versions of Sam, I was aware that an audience probably wouldn’t actually be paying that close attention to and of the Sam’s hand to really notice, so, given the time constraints the cost of re-filming (time) significantly outweighed any benefits (super-attention to detail). When watching films and TV shows, there are often slight continuity issues, indeed in Gladiator (2000) there are many continuity mistakes, including a legendary continuity error where a film crew are visible in a scene (see below).
And another famous one in Gladiator (2000) is where a gas cylinder is clearly visible in a chariot in a shot (see below).
So I was happy on the day that I was making the correct decision. Having looked through all the footage now, as I am editing it, I have not yet come across an instance where it is obvious in any way that the rings are wrong. I can’t yet see any. So that also confirms to me that I made the right decision.
But it also confirms to me how important it is in the Industry to have a dedicated person in charge of continuity, since it needs full time focus. When I was lucky enough (along with Sam Reed), back in January this year, to be asked to assist director Damian Power (TOWIE and Made in Chelsea) when filming his new film “Where the Wild Tingz Are” (Tingz not Things, that’s a different movie) we had a very small crew. This was because even though professional film crews were actually allowed to film, Damian was still being very Covid aware and safe. We all had to complete Covid Safety courses. Due to the small crew (on average 6 people) Sam and I had to double up many different roles, as well as the traditional Runner role. One of these roles was “continuity”. We had to take photos in between shots of what the actors were wearing, and the conditions of the clothes/boots (we were filming in rain, hail, snow as well as some dry weather). The idea was to ensure that everything was the same for the scene that followed on in the storyline, when often we were filming out of sequence. Even with only 2 principal actors this was a challenge. Sam and I were both having other jobs such as moving the equipment around, and when the actors were wet having just finished a scene, they were keen to get into dry clothing. There were some times when both Sam and I missed taking the appropriate photos at the start of filming. We both got better at it, but it was certainly a challenge. We were fortunate that quite a lot of the scenes we were filming were actually being filmed in the order they would be edited, so that helped. But I can certainly see why on any kind of larger production, or one with more scenes filmed out of sequence, a full-time continuity person, or even department, is vital.
I put a great deal of effort into planning my Principal Photography 2 days, much of which is detailed in my Preproduction Section, with a lot of particularly relevant bits under Logistics. It all paid off.
For example, my contingency plan of having my Dad as back up Behind-the-Scenes photographer was needed, but because I had already out it in place it meant it was a problem that I had already solved.
The food most certainly helped us all to be happy during a very cold couple of days, as did the blankets. In fact, the blankets were such a success that when my Dad was nipping back to our house, I asked him to bring a pile more (we have lots of these).
I was pleased that I thought about reshooting some close-up shots at the College woods. I have developed my problem-solving abilities significantly during this course.
I still need to work on working out what is a good balance of number of shots, takes and time to spend filming. Obviously, it has to depend on the project. But I found it interesting when chatting with director Damian Power that he had deliberately chosen a type of storyline that could be shot in less than a couple of weeks. He had planned a “found footage” type of mockumentary since that style doesn’t have lots of cut-ins and shots needed for fancy edits. That saves a lot of time.
The only downside to this for me is that the cut-ins and shots for fancy edits are my favourite bits, and more to the point they are the bits I think are my strength. But I can see that it is a good idea to think outside the box like Damian does. I would love to be able to speak to director Edgar Wright to ask how he does it. I watched videos about how he writes with Simon Pegg. That was very interesting. Maybe I’ll try to find a way to contact him, he might reply. I saw in a video about an American guy who loves Edgar Wright films but kept getting rejected by Film Schools. After he wrote about Edgar Wright, he got an encouraging comment from Edgar Wright. So that is encouraging.
I wanted to focus on focusing. Using the Panasonic focusing feature helped here, and Adam commented on how good the focusing is in my film. There are still bits where I’m not as happy as I could be, but I can see a big improvement compared to previous projects.
One idea I had after filming is that I have a few fluorescent Jackets including one that I wore for Damian’s filming as Covid Safety Officer. I think it would have been a good idea for us to wear those during filming. I will add them to my Filming kit for next time.
As I have said, one challenge that I know I have is working out exactly how long it will take me to shoot all the shots on my shot list. I am improving in this area, and I am trying to anticipate as many potential problems on the day as I can. I had been happy that I should be able to get all my shots in time, and I had planned the best order to shoot in, for example shooting the shots that were on the way to my main shooting locations on the way there. This also worked with the differing positions of the sun since these shots appear fist I my film. However, I hadn’t anticipated a stunt plane practising and other small planes and helicopters flying over our heads for much of the day. We worked hard to be ready to quickly film in between planes, but we were all pretty fed up with the planes by the end of Day 1. Although I know there is a small airfield nearby, on both days that I did my main test filming we didn’t have this problem.
I have been pleased with most of my Production and also have areas to develop going forwards. I did a lot problem solving too, you can never have enough practise at that, but to be honest it would be great not to have so many problems due to Covid next time.
Postproduction
Martin Scorsese said, “If you don’t get physically ill after seeing your first rough cut, something is wrong”
I disliked my first edit intensely so maybe I am doing something right. Once I started improving it during the editing process, I started to like it better, and now I am pleased both with my film and my whole editing process.
When we were producing our TV/News show, I was really impressed with all the graphics that Adam made. They gave a very professional appearance to our show, in an appropriate way for a TV/New show set in the realms of Dungeons and Dragons. This made me want to develop my skills in that area. Which I did for this Year 2 FMP. It was tricky and I could have spent forever fiddling to get it even better, but I am very pleased with the end result and it is definitely an area I will continue to develop. I have been asked to make a promotional video for the Exam Centre where I sat my GSCEs, and even though the same graphics as I used would not be appropriate there are still many graphics that I could use to give a professional approach. I also look forward to developing those skills for further fiction projects.
My research showed me how important pacing is in Comedy. That is as true for shots in a film, pace of delivery of dialogue in a film, for a stand-up comedian, or even just telling a friend a joke. I worked hard on the pacing. When I showed my film to people for feedback no one said the pacing was too slow so that’s encouraging.
Regarding audio, I’m very pleased with this. The leaves sound like they were recorded at the time. I made sure to record over a minute of ambient sound, and this proved useful in my edit.
One thing I realised is that my shot list didn’t specifically say exactly what audio I needed. I had put which lines shots related to but not the whole dialogue. Also, I should made sure have recorded audio whether or not there was dialogue. On the whole, I did record audio the whole time but there a few places where I didn’t. And one of those was the red paper being put under the stick and actually audio would have been helpful. I was able to problem solve and use a piece of audio from elsewhere that worked perfectly. But next time I might not be so lucky. I did a lot of research into how to make a shot list format work for me. I do like what I found out. But this project has shown me I need further research to make it work for after filming when I am editing. I am encouraged that my research showed me that it is acceptable to find a format that works for me, as many directors do, rather than just stick to one standard way.
Another area that I have developed is in Colour Correction and Colour Grading. This was particularly appropriate due to filming outside with the constantly changing sun and clouds. I have already written elsewhere about how I want to work on these areas for filming exteriors, and also on how to improve outside lighting. I did lots of research about exterior lighting and I tried some out during my Test filming but didn’t find it was helping. I had hoped to correct more in postproduction, but I still am not satisfied. However, when I showed it to people no one commented on the colour, although I can see it. I am pleased with the blue tint for the 21:9 cinematic Aspect Ratio. I feel it helps to differentiate the 21:9 Aspect Ratio from the 16:9.
Final Film
I am mostly pleased with my final film. It has most of the elements that I wanted from when I chose to do this idea. There are some things that I had originally planned that are not in it, but for good reason, which I will discuss below. There are some issues which I did not fully resolve to my full satisfaction, which give me areas to work on for development as I progress further. However, given that I was not only using everything that I have learnt on this course, but was also pushing further into new areas that we haven’t yet covered, I am proud of what I have achieved.
Covid had also been a huge factor in my whole Year 2 FMP, as it has been for the whole Film and TV Industry this year. It is fair to say that it has touched every area of my FMP, and has provided many extra challenges, which I had to work to overcome, but overcome them I did.
Some elements that I particularly am pleased with:
- Fancy editing on scooby trees to make it smooth where lighting changes – I showed it to my Mum and she said you were lucky the lighting didn’t change on that bit, but I showed her that it did and my editing sorted it.
- I would have liked to work longer on the swinging “Jack (Quest) as Sam” credit to make it smoother and to keep swinging, but pretty pleased since I haven’t done masking before
- I’m pleased with making Sam walk in front of the words, a bit of a nod to 4th wall breaks that are common in Comedic films, like Deadpool or Austin Powers.
- Editing Graphics – text bubbles. I tested out most of the graphics effects that I was using beforehand, but this one I didn’t. This was an area that time was challenging, but it looked so straightforward, and I was having to make decisions as to the best use of my time. It is my favourite part pf my film though, so it was worth all the effort.
Up till this Year 2 FMP, I have not used After Effects as much as I would have liked to have done so far on this course. We had started learning it last year when full lockdown hit everyone in March. If we had been going into College it would have been much easier to learn After Effect, since we would have all been in a room together with our tutor, each trying things out and asking questions. But I have learnt loads and I am really inspired to learn more to use in other projects
An example of a shot that I am sad that didn’t make it to the final edit is a shot that I had been excited about when I came up with the idea. It is an ambitious shot that not only includes 2 “Sam’s” on screen at the same time, played by the same actor, but also involves merging 2 moving shots. I worked hard doing test filming and test editing for, and which, overall, is a successful shot. I feel my first test filming and test edit of this shot went well. It could be a little smoother (see other comments about Steadicam) but for a first attempt I was very pleased that it proved this shot idea was feasible. I shot this footage using my own Canon EOS 60D Camera. It shoots in 1080p, however, and I wanted to shoot in 4K because my research had confirmed what I had already thought about, which is that shooting in 4K then exporting in 1080p (High Resolution) would give a some “wiggle room” to crop and position shots particularly for other shots where I was combining 2 shots with the same actor in.
So the next step, as part of my next day of test filming, was to try this same shot out with the actual College Panasonic S1H camera shooting in 4K. I wanted to be sure that I could film this shot with the actual camera I would be using. Due to Covid meaning that we have been doing blended learning for much of the time, and hardly College in the Spring term, I had not had the chance to practise with the Panasonic S1H as I would have preferred to do. I weighed this up in my decision as to whether to use it. However I am generally pretty “techie” and can get to grips with new equipment quite quickly, so I decided that the pros outweighed the cons.
And after a lot of problem solving, I got the footage to edit. I was relieved and pleased. But then it just didn’t work in the film, it slowed the pacing right down. So I had to leave out. And I know it was the correct decision, because another thing that I have learnt on this course is that you mustn’t be too precious about individual shots. It is the overall effect that matters. I feel that this is particularly important to me with my career aim of Fiction Film/TV Director via Cinematography, hopefully starting as a camera trainee. I have to keep my eye on the big picture. I also have to keep my eye on all the little details, and all the individual shots. But I must be prepared to let shots go. I think this will be one of those stories I tell about this project – the shot that got away.
Did I meet my initial Aims?
I want to look back at my Proposal and consider whether I have met the aims that I wrote there, and other aims that I had.
This has been a rocky road because of Covid. However, I feel I met my aim of keeping everyone in my 90% Bloopers Group safe from Covid, and we all successfully filmed our Projects. Covid still had a large effect on us all, especially in terms of what we each chose to film, which would have very different without Covid Restrictions, as I have discussed in many places. My final idea and film is different to what I originally envisaged I would be doing before Covid, but I feel that I have met the challenge and it has shown me that I can still produce a piece of work that I am proud of under challenging conditions. It also gives me more things to talk about in future interviews when I get the question about overcome challenges.
A big area that Covid proved challenging in is in planning and scheduling. I have had to re-jig my plans so many times due to Covid uncertainties. Because these uncertainties and restrictions didn’t just affect me, I found myself having to try to second guess what other people’s reactions would be to potential changes, when we didn’t even know what some of the changes would be. For example, when I worked out that one potential timetable choice of College might result in only 4 days in College to film, for everyone in my Year, and also Year 1 and Level 2, I had to decide if I could take the risk of trying to get access to equipment, rooms, even actors on those 4 days.
It was no small decision since it meant entirely redeveloping my idea. Even though we ended up with the College deciding we would only be out of College for 1 week after Easter, this could have changed at any time given new Covid variants, so I am confident that my decision to change direction and thus locations and timing with my Year 2 FMP was the correct decision. It enabled me to meet my aim of producing an entertaining film despite the frequent rescheduling needed due to Covid. I am also happy that I was able to keep to re-jig my planning constantly to take into account problems and challenges as they arose. When I was a Runner for Director Damian Power earlier this year, one of my tasks was to re-print the Call Sheets each day, with the amendments that Damian had written that evening as a result of the days filming. I learnt that the most important thing is to be able to think quickly so that you minimise delays but when they are inevitable then to be flexible and re-jig, always keep an eye on the final goal to produce your film, and keep people informed, hence updated Call Sheets each day.
Another aim in my Proposal was that I wanted to particularly demonstrate what I have learnt and how I have developed over the last 2 years in cinematography, directing and editing. I have had a lot of positive feedback about my shot choices and ability to get the challenging shots that I was after. Having one actor playing 2 characters at the same time gave me a good opportunity to demonstrate my directing abilities, to direct my actor when not acting to another actor. And I have had extremely positive feedback about my editing. Not only have I demonstrated what I have learnt, I have significantly developed further my editing skills, beyond what I had learnt prior to this project.
Did I bring “Joy”? Everyone who I have shown my film to smiles, so I think that is a pretty good measure of meeting that aim from my Proposal. Also, when I showed my edit of the Opening Credits to Simon (tutor) he twice said it made him want to watch the rest of it to see what happens. Since that is exactly the purpose of any Opening Credits, I think that is a big positive there.
Did I use my research to inform my decisions and help me problem solve? I did this constantly, and I firmly believe that this Year 2 FMP would not have been as successful if I hadn’t done this. I have written elsewhere that I didn’t like research. But I should be clear that what I don’t like is writing up my research, although as I have also written, I totally understand why it is necessary. I still don’t like writing it up, that’s one of the negatives about dyslexia, but I will be working to find methods to help me write up more easily in the future, like automatic dictation software which I’m told has improved since I last tried it.
But regarding research, in the actual doing of the research I have been successful in finding ways to do it that work for me, and I have successfully used it to inform all my decisions.
My “Final Idea”, as in my original aims, is fully workable as part of a fiction series, based on different trilby hats, of various hybrid comedy genres. As a result of location issues meaning that I had to change from the first episode idea to “A Trilby In Time”, I also have a fully fleshed out 2nd episode of the 2 incompetent robbers that could be filmed too, and ideas for subsequent episodes.
I also made a meme as part of marketing, see under Behind the scenes and Marketing, in Production) and ideas for a Blooper Video and Behind the Scenes Video for You Tube (see the same place).
I asked for and got feedback at every opportunity, including having very productive and useful discussions with my tutors. I liked this collaborative feel, and being able to discuss options, consider ideas, then go away, weigh it all up and make my decisions. I used Journals to record, reflect upon, analyse and evaluate my progress. This was helpful as it made me consider whether my decisions were the correct ones by explaining and justifying them in my Journals and also in all the Sections, since I often explain my reasoning in other Sections too.
I planned contingency and back-ups which meant, for example, that I was able to continue filming on the Sunday when the small planes had delayed Saturday’s filming, and I also had my Dad ready on standby for behind-the-scenes photography when my initial choice was sadly unavailable on the day.
I have researched extensively, not just about the subject matter, but also practically about equipment, about film theories, the way my shot and editing choice would affect the message of my film, about how to edit graphics. I have tried to explain how I am using this information and why I am making decisions, what it is that I hope to achieve from that decision. When I have considered things, I have always tried to look at both sides, sometimes many sides, and make a considered decision informed by my research.
I worked independently on everything. I have tried to make sure that when I asked questions of tutors, I had already had a good go at trying to solve the question myself first, whilst balancing the time I spend before acknowledging I need expert advice. This also means that when I asked for advice, I already had knowledge to understand the answer, for example discussing masking with Simon (tutor) I could understand when he pointed out that you only need to mask the bits that overlap, not the whole person. I was asking for any advice to speed up the process of masking, and as soon as he said this it made sense. Masking was new to me, and I had researched it but felt that advice from an experienced professional would be helpful too, as it was.
Further to my aim of working independently, I was used to problem-solving from all the other Units on this course, and I was also able to use this problem solving to help other members of my 90% Bloopers group, for example stopping light flicker in the middle of filming, I also figured out a way to improve my workflow, by figuring out how to use proxy files and helping other to do this too. When I figured out a way to more effectively keep track of my research sources for Harvard Referencing, this helped my research process too.
Thinking ahead and doing Test Filming with the camera I was going to use meant that any problems were encountered on Test Filming days, giving me time to fix them, for example borrowing the heavy-duty College tripods.
Throughout this whole Year 2 Project I have been working independently from tutors, although asking for feedback whenever possible. I feel confident that I could plan and film a short film fully myself (although of course with my 90% Bloopers Group as Cast and Crew) for example to enter in a film competition and I would like to do that.
So I feel that I have met all the aims from my Proposal and from the Year 2 FMP brief. This was always going to be an ambitious project, in the middle of Covid, since I wanted to produce a film with production values that I could be proud of. Pleased as I am with my final film, there are certainly things that I would improve in the editing of it. And I’m not saying that the whole process was perfect, I have explained many things that were challenging and what I have learnt and will do differently in future film projects, or on this one if I had a real time-travel-trilby-hat.
But I have stretched myself further than for any other Unit so far, and I have had very positive feedback on everything, so I think that I can safely say I met all my aims.