Pre-prod. Critical Evaluation

VIEW OF HOW IT HAS BEEN OVER THE PAST 3 MONTHS
Over the past 3-4 months i've been working a long side Aimee, creating a hypothetical pre-production packaged which is aimed at bringing to life podcasts by producing visuals to accompany it. At first it was a struggle to compose a structured & cohesive concept, as neither of us could spark that creative flair we both knew was lay dormant in us. Then it reached October where a great idea came from no where and we quickly went with it, full steam ahead. This post will cover the critical decisions from within this project, and review them, both positively an negatively, with concluding on what i've learnt & how to develop my skills for the future.


WHAT WORKED
Storyboard
This unit required me to produce a storyboard for the pilot episode, detailing in it what shot, sound & action would be displayed within each box. I feel the creation & layout of the storyboard was pretty professional, seeing as i made sure to research what is included in a film set storyboard. I thought the cohesiveness of the storyboard was strong, allowing the reader to clearly know what is going on within the narrative.

Location Design
I had to find suitable locations, but having all ready establishing the primary one with Aimee, it was just scouting the other potential ones we may need. Seeing as this was hypothetical, it was just making sure we knew exactly what i wanted my location to look like aesthetically, but also what it has to offer. I made sure that the on location area was naturally well lit & matched the aesthetic we were going for.

Costume Design
Finding the right costume for each specific character was quite a fun experience, though quite daunting at the amount of characters i had to produce for. I felt i created an good individual outfit for each character, hopefully interpreting the script & podcast well enough, so that if this was ever created, the characters costume design would match that of the sound of the way they're dressed.

Test Shoots
The carrying out of the test shoot was very satisfying in the sense that i was able to shoot both my digital & analogue camera together and capture the desired aesthetic between the pair. I was impressed with how the 35mm developed roll came out, as it depicted the look & tone of the episode, which is what I wanted. 


Concept of Title Sequence
Having story-boarded the title sequence to a decent level, i was able to convey to Aimee what i wanted the edit to look like, so for that reason i'm pleased with the overall lay out of the title sequence and how the piece depicted our project. I felt it was very effective in its portrayal of the series, and had the key elements that would feature throughout the series, keeping in trend with the dark ominous themes. 

Props & Set Design
Researching props & producing the content that i did for it went very well. I was surprised at how interesting the research was for it, which made for better observations & insight into some of the output. The production design was also quite a strong post, and i felt once i uploaded that piece to the website, it looked well put together. The research for that also surprised me, learning more fascinating things about the importance of it.  

WHAT DIDN'T WORK
Storyboard
I wasn't too impressed with the actual drawings if i'm going to be brutally honest. My quality in picture drawing has never been fantastic, but I just need to be patient, and not get irritated & rush. Also, maybe it slightly lacked enough description in the camera movements & angles.


Location Design
I did struggle to find the right location for this piece as it needed to be somewhere that matched up with the script. Obviously I did find a perfect location for all of the right reasons, it just took me a while, so maybe to try & figure out the key themes of the project quicker, and then look for the desired location. I need to spend more time on this section for the future


Costume Design
Potentially i could of went over each character with a bit more analysis and description in terms of why they're dressed the way they are dressed. For this i can only blame myself on not giving this particular section enough thought & maybe i did neglect this area, this was due to focusing too much on other sections, such as the storyboarding & test shoot. But i managed to assemble a full cast with a full costume still with valid reasons so maybe i'm being too harsh on myself. 

Test Shoots
I think even though i paid a lot of attention to this component, i didn't fully explore it within this project, which i do sadly regret. It's a shame that I didn't get to capture a test shoot that clearly demonstrated the proposed aesthetic me and Aimee were trying to achieve. I think I might of been mislead in thinking that it was sufficient enough to present my desired aesthetic with just 35mm developed pictures, rather than a piece of moving image. I feel if i would of had that mindset from the beginning, there would of been a much more coherent piece provided.    


Concept of Title Sequence
In the end, it comes to your own personal preference, as I still find this edit & concept pretty decent. If there are to be any critiques, it sure be aimed at the conceptual parts and not the editing.  

Props & Set Design
Maybe more time should of been spent in this particular area as looking back, there wasn't a clear compilation of specific objects for the episode. It's coherent enough to understand, but maybe a bit more straightforward. 

WHAT HAVE I LEARNT
I've learnt that each of the above components take a lot of time & concentration, to be able to convey the key themes from each of these components is what makes a successful production. Time keeping for me is a number one priority, but it seems every unit i somehow let it slide so i need to set boundaries & constrained myself from losing focus.  Research is also another pivotal part that is fundamental to figuring out what works for the production as it gives you the base to your understanding of each element within it. I've also taken on board working in a pair, it's been hard trying to communicate creatively this time round, me and Aimee maybe haven't seen eye to eye on certain aspects within different sections of the production, but that will be common within this industry as people have various tastes and differing styles to one another.  


WHAT CAN I DEVELOP
I know that there is a variety of things that're in my skillset that need a serious tuning & developing to the next stage, but for me personally i'd like to nail down my aesthetic with a camera, and to have my own unique look. I want to have an aesthetic i'm proud of, so i need to develop my lighting understanding to a much higher level than it currently is. This can only be done with diligence, research & patience, so with time hopefully i'll grasp it. Also what i've found out is that i'm not too great at communicating where i'm at with something or what stage i'm at with it. I need to focus on working openly & cohesively with a team, and being open about everything that is involved with the production, and being as engaged and involved as i can be throughout the entirety of it.  


CONCLUSION
To summarise all of the above points, I think i've learnt a lot in production aspects, but also learn that i need to push myself and focus on what really matters to me, which is camera work. I need to pay more attention to lighting, composition and the colour and tones of projects, as they're the elements that evoke the greater responses and engagements from the audience. I'm happy with the overall outcome of this unit, obviously there are things that could have been pushed to a higher level, but i feel i've accomplished what i set out to achieve.