Once we had completed our Preliminary exercise video we were suprised at how hard it was going to be to produce a high quality video. Our video was nowhere near as good as we expected and we knew that we would have to improve massively.
To begin with the sound was terrible, we had background noise from everywhere and the dialogue wasn’t clear. We didn’t script the production which left us thinking off the top of our heads and we ended up saying ‘mate’ a lot. The editing wasn’t too bad but we knew there was plenty to improve on.
We then had the opportunity to practice using the cameras and editing software when we were given the task of producing a remake of the opening of Juno. We were very ambitious initially trying to find perfect locations and copying the opening down to the second. After a difficult morning of trying to produce the perfect remake we decided to improvise. We went to a familiar location and took sharp simple shots. For this task we didn’t have to worry about sound as we would have the soundtrack in the background. We took a range of different shots to take back to be edited. We had learnt from the Preliminary Exercise to take more shots that we might have needed in case any fine details are wrong.
Once it had been edited together we felt we were getting somewhere, we were excited to show people and were looking forward to our main production. There were a few issues with lighting but for our second production we were happy with the progression we had made.
For our final piece we had a blank canvas, we could pretty much do anything we wanted as long as it was an opening to a film. We came up with multiple ideas but found it difficult to stick to an idea for more than a week. We then completed some target audience research which helped us narrow down what we were going to do. We were very ambitious to begin with but we realised that it was going to be very difficult to fulfill those ambitions and that if we completed something far simpler it could look far better. After conducting our market research, discussing our ideas between the group and consulting teachers we came to the idea of a rap movie. We then had to seriously organise ourselves as we had found out in the Preliminary Exercise everything needs to be covered. We put a folder of our Research, ideas and planning together to present to our teacher for final approval before we went out to film. There were a few things that needed to be in more detail but he was impressed and surprised with what we had produced. We then had to go and film.
Our first shoot didn’t run as smoothly as we expected and it took longer than we expected to take certain shots and we became concerned that we were overcomplicating things. Then Sol’s brother said that we could film in him flat and in the block which was ideal for what we needed. This brought some life back into the team and kept us inspired for the rest of the filming process.
We went back for editing and produced a rough cut to show for the class. They were impressed with the shots and the editing but said that it didn’t really show the storyline or create an enigma. We then went back to the drawing board and decided to get some shots of Sam in the schools recording studio. We felt this gave a better idea to what the story was about. To create the enigma we had a shot of Sam’s Mansion [Thorpe Hall] as a Point of View shot falling into a blur. This was to create the hook to what happened there. Among some other improvements we thought it would be 100% ready for the audience to see the final piece. We uploaded it to YouTube and received our feedback.
From the preliminary we have learnt to be realistic with our aims and objectives and not to aim to high. At one point we were talking about using green screens which would have been very difficult to complete in the short space of time that we had. We learnt how to use the cameras to get the best shots i.e. not move them too much. I feel our development on the sound has been very good although we had a soundtrack the use of Digetic and Non Digetic sound was very good.
However I feel we spent too much time working on the background details [See Rollin' in the Deep (Opening Scene) - Sharrison Productions – Breakdown post] that we neglected to focus on some good acting. Having the characters expressing themselves vocally and with body language would have made it so much clearer so the audience can see who they should focus on/care about.
E.g. Tom and Sam could have been shown dealing with a similar situation (writing maybe) but you could have shown their two different approaches to it based on their very different lifestyle. Sam getting frustrated in the studio, Tom getting frustrated rapping with a piece of paper and a pen in his room. Tom looking at equipment on line, Sam treating his equipment like it's no big deal.
E.g. Tom and Sam could have been shown dealing with a similar situation (writing maybe) but you could have shown their two different approaches to it based on their very different lifestyle. Sam getting frustrated in the studio, Tom getting frustrated rapping with a piece of paper and a pen in his room. Tom looking at equipment on line, Sam treating his equipment like it's no big deal.
And although we did show them in similar situations it wasn’t directly related to what the storyline was about.
Personally I feel my editing skills and knowledge of the subject have grown from this experience. I would be a lot more confident going into another production after going through this process and have gained two friends along the way.
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