I think as with all projects, I tend to have a vast amount of ideas for the beginning of a project, but all generally get found out, and lose their attraction rather quickly as they never really have a strong narrative. So it is hard to get the ball rolling, and coming off the back of a long summer I found it difficult to get straight back into that work mindset.
PRE-PRODUCTION
I felt the workshops, planning and critical discussions we had with Helen & Jo served us brilliantly. The camera & editing workshops were really focused and I felt I gained a lot from them, it gave us new attributes that we were able to implement into our project that we didn't know before. I was really pleased with how we dealt with our initial ideas being dealt a severe blow by Jo & Helen, as everything they said was correct, the initial concept of E-cigs and myths, didn't really fit with the humorous style we were going for, so we had to think fast and change it an which we did effectively. Planning and scripting was key for this task as we didn't have a lot of time, so thanks to Alex and the group collectively we were able to express ourselves more freely on set because were had prepared so well in the pre-production. Overall I felt we had great structure and with that comes success, Google doc demonstrated that as I believe if we didn't keep all of our progress and updates somewhere then it would of been anarchy following up research etc. Overall the pre-production was great, all down to a great hard-working team.
(The Ladies)
PRODUCTION
Having missed one of the days of shooting due to illness, I felt on the day I was on set I had to give 110% to make up for my losses on the other shoot day. A few minor things went wrong, we had only realised half way through the shoot that the mic had been unplugged from the camera, so some of the footage already filmed earlier on in the day will of been filmed with no sound. Obviously this could of been avoided if someone was wearing headphones, and I think for a part of that filming I wasn't, so that's something i've learnt, ROOKIE MISTAKE. Everyone was class on set, there would be times where everyone would zone out, and slowly it would descend into stupidity but we got back to working order quickly after a few shouts. Cinematography wise, we didn't get all the coverage we would of liked, near enough though, we would of liked a few more establishing shots but overall very satisfied with the footage we acquired. Also, what could be done better within production next time is properly time managing, being stricter with it so that we can all be there for the start, until the finish.
POST-PRODUCTION
This is probably where I spent most of my hours in the whole of the production process as I wanted to create the best possible sequence. We all separately tackled our own pieces, but the package was the main focus as that was the one that could be manipulated an played around with since it wasn't the 'live'. I felt the overall product looked great, again it goes back to the production, if we were able to go back and manage to get a few more variations of shots, maybe it would of pieced together even better, but its finished now and hopefully to a satisfying/pleasing standard.
WHAT WORKED
There were many things I felt we had got really right with the final piece. Mainly things in the edit, we had lots of sounds and titles, making the end product feel generally quite tight an engaging piece. We as a team had great communication skills throughout, we had set up google doc, and had our own group chat on Facebook and Whattsap. If ever anyone needed anything we were literally a message away, so there was never any miscommunication etc. The editing of the package, a section where Aiden is drinking, we've edited it so it gradually speeds up, denoting the passage of time and the amount of drink he is consuming.
(The Man)
WHAT DIDN'T WORK
I felt certain scenes could of been produced much more creatively/better. Our metaphorical sequence that we attempted to do showing the bodies process of a hangover, I felt that could of been developed into something much more creative but we lacked time an we needed something. Also our studio shots of Alex in the 'bunker' looked kinda cheap, and rushed, it was kind of the angle we were going for but again, I felt it could of been better if we thought it through a bit more. We weren't decisive enough from the beginning on our initial ideas/concepts so I think that was an issue which resulted in other issues.
WHAT HAVE I LEARNT
In this speedy 6 week unit, I think its safe to say one major thing i've learnt and should of learnt sometime ago is to keep myself updated with the blog. Also, how to use after affects and having a basic understanding of the DVX 200's. I feel more confident with editing having been tasked with quite a chunk of it, an just a general boost of confidence with my all round ability and attributes but still knowing there is much more to be learnt.
WHAT COULD I DEVELOP
There are many aspects of mine that definitely do need further development, but if i were to focus on the main ones, it would have to be editing and camera operation. If I want to be serious about camera operation then I have to do my own research and keep continuing to create short films not just in university times but outside of it. I'd like to nail down my technical competency, be sure enough in my own ability to go out and believe in myself that I can do a job. I think my editing obviously needs refining as well, there is always much room for growth and improvement. I know there is so much more to learn regarding both disciplines, which is kind of daunting but exciting at the same time.
CONCLUSION
All in all, the unit has been a learning curve for me in many aspects, my abilities are only expanding and i'm grateful for that. I feel pumped now, ready for the remainder of 2017. I think i'll definitely spend more attention to detail on the blog in the next unit, as I feel that's where my work lacks the most.
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