Project Evaluation

 

Project Evaluation

Group Project Evaluation

When completing the group project, I learnt what was involved in the pre-production process e.g., how to complete a risk assessment and fill out call sheets. It also involved how to make shot lists, story boards and the schedule as well as how to scout locations/do location recces. These are all important factors of the pre-production process and ensure cast and crew safety as well as a smoothly run set.

When on set technical difficulties with the camera meant we fell behind on schedule but, with a cohesive team we managed to work efficiently to get the production back on schedule, so we were able to film the entire film within our time restraints of 1 day. At one stage when reviewing the filmed footage, we realised we had broken the 180-degree rule so managed to fit a reshoot of those scenes into the schedule to keep continuity throughout and to prevent causing confusion to the viewers.

When it came to editing, I noticed a few issues. One of the first things we should have done after setting up was take 1-2 minutes of ambient sound from within the location which would have helped keep continuity within the audio. As we did not do this, it was important I made the audio flow throughout the piece as smooth as possible. Alongside this, some of the lines were ran through quickly which increased the speed of the whole film. This may be the reason when final edit came up short, it totals 1 minute 29 seconds which does not meet the 2-minute brief, if the lines were read slower this may have helped the film meet the brief. I also think we should have filmed more coverage of the scene e.g., closes ups of feet when walking or other small details as this would have helped portray more elements of the story as well as make the scene longer.

There were also a few issues with white balance and lighting. When filming we uses three-point lighting which creates good lighting of the actors which is more flattering, this is a great lighting technique to uses when filming. However, in some of the shots the harsh lights used created big shadows on the background which makes it obvious the scene has been artificially lit, this is something we should try and avoid when film making. In future when working with harsh lights we should bounce this light off white surfaces to reduce harsh background shadows. The white balance is not balanced in some of the shots so it looks slightly incandescent because of the lights we used; in future this can be fixed using a white piece of paper to set the white balance of the room we are working in.

There were some issues with the cinematography e.g., shaky footage and some bad angles. For example, in some shots the camera was not properly balanced on the tripod which led to the camera and some shots being wonky, this is evident in wonky doorframes/blinds in the background of shots. There were also a few issues with continuity with lights and crew/actor bags visible in the background of other shots. As an actor I had little control over these issues, but these are things I will look out for on future projects when I am behind the camera. These are small but vital issues to consider when filming, as lights and other objects from outside of the diegesis we are intending to create will pull the audience out of an immersive viewing and remind them it is only a film. However, there were also some great elements such as the eyelines used matched well and we used exterior over the shoulder shots to make the audience feel as if they were watching the drama and conflict play out in front of them. Overall, I liked the piece and feel it portrays an American style diner/ atmosphere well.

 

Script Evaluation

My script follows the story of an old man, the protagonist, who is in a state of internal conflict and goes on a journey of acceptance which sees him arrive at the desired resolution. I have written a story of absence and loneliness which is driven by the protagonists’ emotions and small instances of conflict, using the concept of forging human connections.

Conflict is needed to cause change and drive the story forward, in my screenplay I had to use small instances of conflict e.g., the wedding ring and dress not fitting, this created and reinforced the internal emotional turmoil the protagonist was facing as he slowly started to come to terms with the fact, he cannot replace his wife. I struggled with including conflict due to a lack of characters. I kept characters to a minimum as I wanted to reinforce his loneliness. I think the conflict works but am unsure whether it is enough to keep the audience engaged with the story.

Characters are the key point for audience engagement, so I tried to create a character who is authentic and reflected emotions of those who have lost loved ones. When building the protagonist, I began by looking at his psychological state and how he feels internally. This was because I knew this was an emotional piece and by drawing out these emotions in the audience, they would engage more with story being told. I then began to look at him physically and his mannerisms to decipher how he would project his feeling and emotions into something visual. This was beneficial to my script as a whole as the lack of characters and therefore dialogue meant I had to employ a strong ‘show not tell’ strategy to convey the important emotions and feelings. I also achieved this by upping the stakes of the protagonist, I made him an older character as losing a partner after 30 years is different to losing a partner after 5, although the latter is still impactful there were higher stakes with an older character, which in turn helped to drive the story forward.

As part of my character development, I assessed the wants, needs and desires of the protagonist. He wants/desires his wife to come back so they can be together again, but he needs companionship to help in escape the loneliness he is feeling from the loss of his wife. At the end of the screenplay, he does not attain the wants and needs stated as he realises, he cannot bring his wife back. However, he attains a need which is unknown to him in act 1 but becomes apparent to the audience throughout. He gets acceptance that he can not replace his wife and needs to move on. This moves the resolution from a sad to bittersweet ending as he cannot get what he desires but gained something that will help him let go of the past and move on. I do not think there was another way for me to resolve the story as no matter what he would never be able to bring his wife back.

I tried to follow the three-act structure when writing. In Act 1 the protagonist is introduced as well as his profession. This includes the inciting incident which is when the Jane Doe is introduced to the audience and well as the protagonist. Act 2 follows where the Jane Doe arrives. The midpoint within this act sees the Jane Doe revealed to both the protagonist and the audience for the first time, it is at this moment the protagonist realises the resemblance of the Jane Doe and his old wife. Act 2 also sees everything the protagonist is doing begins to go wrong with conflict really coming into play here. This sets up the resolution in Act 3 when he realises, he will never be able to replace his wife.

When writing the screenplay, I discovered trouble within my work and this three-act structure. I spent a large portion of the script setting up the story and mood resulting in the inciting incident happening on page 4 with the midpoint being page 5. This meant some of the most influential parts of my story were crammed together. To make these story points more impactful I removed elements of the script that did not drive the story forward which allowed me more time to include the inciting incident and mid-point.

The finalised second draft did not meet the 10-page brief as it only amounted to 9 pages. However, this was a well assessed choice as I knew ending the screenplay on this scene would allow the story to be moving and impactful which resulted in a stronger resolution which is more heartfelt. I like the emotional journey the character embarks on but the pace may be too fast in Act 3 during the resolution. I also feel some more dialogue could be used but did not want to take away from visual elements by expressing emotions through a more verbal breakdown which was an issue I had within draft 1.