Evaluation Question 7
Q7 Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?PRELIMINARY TASK EVALUATION
Quality of holding a shot steady:
Within my preliminary task my shots were steady because of the use of a tripod however I have realised the static shots were too repetitive and a variety of shots would be more effective. Jisu therefore practised also using the camera hand held so that we could have steady shots whilst on the move. We effectively used this in our opening sequence, particularly in the tracking shots. Below is a demonstration of a hand held tracking shot which is steady and effective.
Quality of the framing shots:
Although within the preliminary I think my framing of shots were moderately successful, I could acknowledge that there was room for improvement. When doing the preliminary task the storyboards were rushed and not that easy to follow. Consequently the shots were not all planned and we didn't frame the shots as effectively. Within the main project as you can see the storyboards were detailed and we stuck to them which helped use to utilise all of the frame effectively and also because of studying other 'coming-of-age' opening sequences we were able to look at commonly framed shots. This helped us to construct effective storyboards and consequently effective framing within the shots. Below is an example of a well framed shot, we used framing within the frame to highlight Issy.
Quality of shooting material appropriate to the task set, i.e. the content of your film pre and post editing was consistent with the exam directives:
We recorded each shot a number of times so that we had options when editing. Our final product clearly stuck to our research and planning which we thought was key in helping to construct a film which represented everything we wanted to represent. The use of match-on-action also demonstrated the editing was consistent with the exam directives as it demonstrated a good understanding of what it takes to make a professional looking film.
Quality of selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting:
I think our choice of mise-en-scene was good because we used places which are recognisable and relatable. South Bank skate park is very well known and therefore recognisable and Issy's bedroom is representative of a stereotypical 16 year olds bedroom. This helped the audience to relate to Issy which was what we wanted to happen so they can share the experience of the film with her. As mentioned in my preliminary evaluation we wanted to ensure that lighting within scenes helped to represent the mood of the scene. This was demonstrated by the contradiction between Issy's house with warm lighting to the cold lighting of the outside world. We wanted this to demonstrate the harsh and 'cold' realities a young woman has to face whilst stepping outside of her comforting and 'warm' home.
Quality of editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer:
The editing was particularly fast paced we learnt that this helped to convey to the audience a particular atmosphere. We wanted a fast-paced nature to our film and the jump cuts we used demonstrate Issy's character as being rushed because of all of the responsibilities which she faces. Our audience may also feel like they can empathise with her fast paced environment. We also learned that building the editing from slow to fast helps to build suspense and draw the audience in from opening sequence analysis such as 'Billy Elliot' where the pace picks up as soon as enigma codes start to develop because the audience feel like they will uncover the answers faster. Below is an example of where I effectively used jump cuts:
Below is when the pace starts to pick up in the film Billy Elliot:
Quality of using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set:
In the preliminary our main problem was that it was jumpy and also the ambient noise meant that you couldn't hear the conversation as well. In the main project we recorded ambient sound and voice dubs so that it wasn't jumpy and the sound could be heard clearly. Below is an email which Jisu sent to me so that I could use the dub within the editing as we recorded it on a recording device. It clearly sounds better than the preliminary task so what we learned since then was useful.
During our preliminary task we didn't have a director because one of our group members wasn't there during filming because of illness. We learnt the importance of a director because the position and movement of our actors wasn't continuous and had room for improvement. During the main project we had a director present which helped us the have continuity and also make sure that we utilised the whole of the frame. Below demonstrates a shot which effectively uses the frame through our positioning of actors ( the empty space to the left of Orla was sued to symbolise someone was going to walk into the space )
Quality of group planning, meeting targets and organisation:
We continued to use our group chat to discuss our ideas and also had face-to-face meetings to discuss ideas. We learned that this was important after we didn't find out a group member was ill during the preliminary task. If we did find out we could've organised an alternative actor so that we had a director. The main project was very organised however as any complications were discussed and we made sure to film our planning days on days when everyone was available.
Group dynamics i.e. how did your group work together?
The constructive criticism that we gave each other after the preliminary task definitely made us produce the opening sequence to the best of our ability. We also paid a lot more attention to who was assigned to each role as you can see from one of my research and planning posts. I think over time we grew a better bond as well and could notice each others weaknesses and strengths. We also realised that communication is key and therefore was constantly communicated to ensure that there would be no confusions which could slow down the progress.
Other points of evaluation (e.g. equipment related, etc):
For me in particular I learned so much about the equipment because of being editor. I learned about so many features on final cut pro such as stabilisation and colour correction. This was extremely useful within our main project as it gave it a more professional look. Learning how to dub voices on within editing was also a very useful skill to develop as it was needed in our project. You can clearly see how the editing I developed has helped the project.
