Evaluation-Preliminary Task

I think that my preliminary task was at a decent standard. I think that I used the technology well especially when editing mainly because it was the first time I used iMovie and I think the workshop lessons I had made it easier for me to do so. In my evaluation I talk about how I learnt how to fade the sound in and out which was something that I had just learnt at the time. The camera that we used allowed to us to freely experiment with a range of shots and I was very happy with how tight the match on action was when we were filming this, I also liked the way I played my own music as it really allowed the piece to shift from a serious atmosphere to a more emotional and then finally a humorous one. I think we done that very well as it was very creative and innovative. I also liked the way I added a wildcat soundtrack and as the door shut at 0:10 the sound faded away, this was very time consuming to get perfect but I believe it was worth it.  


I think that our planning skills we not as good as we kept on getting carried away and our ideas as they  were too complex and needed to be slightly more basic. I think this was mainly because we were over complicating the task which was putting pressure on us and this may have been the root cause as to why we could not think of a suitable narrative. I also think that we could have had a wider range of shots and used much more cutaways for effect. Another problem I had was that I did not re-film anything and so when it came to editing I was very limited as to what I could use and I had to improvise by  filming extreme close-ups at 0:11so that the piece would flow continuously. 


To improve upon these areas I decided that I would take everything easier and be more simple, One way I did this way by researching different films and analysing each aspect of them e.g. Mise En Scene, Camera, Sound etc. I would  making sure I knew what the brief was and would constantly remind myself. By researching a variety of BSR film I was able to piece together what I wanted my opening sequence to feature and I would compose blog posts dedicated to these aspects. I would also re-film all my shots three or four times and get them from different perspective allowing me have a variety of shots to choose from. I also made sure that when filming our opening sequence I was self-critical and would make sure that I did each part of the opening whether it be filming, composing or editing to the best of my ability, I made sure that I understood what the BSR meant and what it entailed and tried to make this evident by using specific conventions e.g. non-linear narrative, minimal dialogue, introducing themes and character. I would book out the camera at appropriate times for e.g. according to the weather conditions. I would also be very strict when it came to filming, I just made sure that I was more organised and would make sure that I was always on top of things. 

Final Thought

Half Empty-Final (Turn Off Captions When Watching)

Reflective Analysis (10)

This week my partner and I finished our opening sequence and we also watched our peers work and gave them feedback as to what we thought about their opening sequence. The feedback we received was very constructive and it made us think how we could improve on our work. Some of our peers said that they could empathise  with the protagonist, Sam and felt that we could have used more effects to show Sam's disorientation by making the argument in slow motion and making some of the shots more blurrier. They also said that the music was very effective and that its sets the mood of the film and starts off slow and becomes progressive and stronger towards the end, they considered this to be one of our strengths. However some of our peers said that their could have beee more dialogue and they did not like the voice over, one criticism that kept on occurring in the feedback was Sam's drunk acting, they all felt that this could have been better and it was not convincing enough and some went as far as saying that it broke the verisimilitude of the film.  Our peers felt that the key shots that made emphasised the BSR genre was when Sam was walking down the alley way on his own and the long shot of him sitting in the corner alone and they felt that that the locations we used really reinforced the BSR genre. Overall my partner and I were pleased with the feedback we received. 

Production-Reflective Analysis (9)

This week I started planning and writing the monologue that will accompany the music. I looked over the footage we have filmed and because we changed some parts of the opening because we felt that some of the shots and costumes weren't appropriate and we were attempting to create a different meaning, an example would be the fact the protagonist isn't wearing the same clothing throughout the whole opening is to done to show that this happens on a regular basis and because he is talking to an audience about his addiction he is talking about different occasions that he has drank and how he felt and the opening concludes with the most significant part of the film and this will all be supported by the voice over. When recording the protagonist reciting the monologue I intend to record line by line so it will be easier when editing to match the sentence with what is happening on the screen. I done a blogpost which helped me gain an insight into alcoholism. This has been very helpful and I will continue to refer to this to aid me in writing the voiceover. I have targeting certain tasks each week as I believe that ensuring that these elements are perfect is vital and improves the overall aesthetic of the opening. We still have a little bit more of filming to do and we were unable to film once or twice due to our cast not being available, but majority of the editing has been completed, the titles remain and just making those finishing touches.  

Production-Reflective Analysis (8)

This week my I began to create the music (Opening Sequence Draft) that will accompany the voice over in our opening sequence. To do this I used Logic Pro 8 as I said I would in our treatment. On your left hand side is my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) were I composed the opening. I used the blogpost I did on Inspirational music as a stimulus and came up with something Which I believe is unique. I also decided that because It was BSR and my target audience is between the ages of 16-25 I needed to add something that would engage them so I added drums to the arrangement, I felt this added another dimension and slowly drew the audience into the diagesis of the film. When I import this into iMovie, my partner and I are thinking to sync a significant part of the monologue to the music, this may just be increasing the volume of that track or the whole track when he says a specific line.  When I asked my peers to listen to the opening they said that they found it drifted towards a thriller in the beginning but as it progresses it becomes more heartfelt and they thought it immediately makes the audience sympathise with the protagonist of the film. I personally feel there is something missing in the piece and I think there should be a slight change in key and more theme and variation, to accomplish this I will add a legato string to the piece, as this will emphasise the pathos in the opening. All I need to do now is mix the arrangement which is manipulating certain sounds and making it move and progress together in unison. I will also include different effects such as distortion, reverb, delay etc.

Production- Reflective Analysis (7)

This week my partner and I were busy as we began to shoot our opening sequence, it was a slight challenge getting everyone together and we had to cancel on various occasions and reschedule. When everyone was available we managed to get a considerable amount done. One issue that we had was the costume for the protagonist, on our production schedule we stated that he would wear joggers but he did not have that so we told him to wear something more average and normal, as the other cast members were wearing casual clothing and we thought that our protagonist would stand out too much and doesn't really blend in with everyone else. We also began to write our monologue for our opening which our protagonist will recite. To help me write the monologue I went onto you tube and looked for alcoholics stories and then did a blogpost based on this. It was very helpful as It enabled me to put myself in their situation. My partner and I also did some editing this week and looked at what we thought was good and what could have been improved, this helped us as we could go back to the locations and re-film any shots that we were not happy with. Overall its been and enjoyable first week of production, and editing and I look forward to seeing the final product.