Thursday 14th December: Task 3 - The Epic Conclusion
Prologue
Evaluation time. This semester has almost seemed to fly by considering all the films we've made in this time. Apparently time flies when you're having fun. But I'm going to take this time now to reflect on the work I did for task 3 of this module. How well it went, things that could have gone differently and such. What I learnt. Let's explore that:
Task 3 - The Self Evaluation
The final film we'd made was quite unique in a number of ways. Though it had narration which has clearly been done before, we had done it in such a way that it almost become a mini soundscape. There are sound effects and distorted voices in the background, along with the clicking of a camera each time the shot changed which gave the film an interesting feeling of being separated into a film reel. The commentary throughout also served as a comedy aspect. Adding this entertainment value into the film is what I feel really brought it into it's own. While the narration was going on, the film seemed to be happening in it's own area. This is accentuated by a number of things I edited in such as a time stamp throughout the film, and an extended period of time in which the film was paused while Ryan and I talked over the top of it. Yet the timer kept ticking. Unfortunately, because the film was so reliant on commentary, not as much care was put into the rest of the sound design which could well have been interesting for the audience to experience. It is also highly encouraged that we be flexible with our ideas for the films, however despite this, time constraints still exist, and limited us in what we were able to do. Given the chance, I would have loved to make the experience a little more interactive for the audience. Either by putting a script together that interacted with myself and Ryan outside of the film, or making the commentary a little more relevant to the people I know were going to be seeing it.
Throughout making the film, Ryan and I had clear goals all the way through. We kept the idea simple while attempting to make the film interesting and different. A difficult scale to balance. Ryan mainly acted as cinematographer and camera man, while I was in charge of sound and virtually all of post production. The film idea came about through two ideas Ryan and I had discussed and decided to merge. We started with a storyboard Ryan drew up and quickly moved on to location and finally the shoot itself. Since we had a guest with us helping with the shoot, myself and Ryan both acted as directors on location at various points, deciding to film whatever we thought may be a good idea, to filter out the best ideas later. This worked relatively well, all the while I collected all the sounds on location while Ryan collected all the footage. When we received the classes feedback, we made the final decision to add in commentary to the final film. We adapted to the situation quickly and effectively. I fully edited the film's visuals and sounds, and provided vocals along with Ryan, which I also edited in to the final film. The final cut of the film ended up being something I hadn't expected at all to begin with, yet it's something I'm incredibly proud of! Throughout the process, no production issues really occurred, the only changes being made were because of creative decisions.
You learn something from everything, and this project was no different. Because of a small decision I made half an hour before showing the first version of the film, I feel like a much better version of the film we had planned was able to come to fruition. Commentary was never something I expected to hear in the experimental film unit. Once I decided to include it in the rough cut of the project, I was sure it would just go down as being an entertaining way to fill a silence while providing some insight into our process. I was genuinely surprised when people wanted us to keep commentary in the final cut. As a result I have learned to take risks. Even if they're last minute and seem ridiculous, they might be an incredibly entertaining idea. Try new things and gauge others reactions, see which experiments go down well and which do not. I have a new appreciation for the phrase "You don't know until you try it." I will be sure to experiment with new ideas much more often in the future. I have also learned how to effectively put together stop motion-like animation with sound effects fitting of the speed. I feel I pulled off the effect relatively well for never having done it before, and I would enjoy experimenting with it more in the future. Perhaps including full on animation in future projects. Only time will tell.
Overall, I'm extremely happy having Ryan as a partner in film making. He was helpful and constructive all the way through. During ideas generation we bounced ideas off each other incredibly well, explaining our thought process and only coming up with more ideas as a result. We work well during filming, delegating tasks effectively and planning ahead appropriately. During post production, despite editing the film myself, I never felt like I was doing too much. Tasks were split evenly. I believe Ryan and I have similar ideals when it comes to making films, while having very different specialties and as a result we bounce ideas back and forth, constantly build each other up and work our respective jobs efficiently. Where I'm good with sound, Ryan is good at visuals. While I'm good with editing in post, Ryan is good at planning beforehand. We compliment each other incredibly well and I look forward to working with him again in the future! One weakness to work on is the occasional lack of communication before tasks. While we get fired up and organised once we start talking, it can take a while to get to that stage. As time goes on I feel like this aspect will improve, and that this is simply a result of only having known each other for a short while.
Photographic progress
Below are a few pictures of feedback and the editing process. Enjoy!
And my favourite:
Evaluation time. This semester has almost seemed to fly by considering all the films we've made in this time. Apparently time flies when you're having fun. But I'm going to take this time now to reflect on the work I did for task 3 of this module. How well it went, things that could have gone differently and such. What I learnt. Let's explore that:
Task 3 - The Self Evaluation
The final film we'd made was quite unique in a number of ways. Though it had narration which has clearly been done before, we had done it in such a way that it almost become a mini soundscape. There are sound effects and distorted voices in the background, along with the clicking of a camera each time the shot changed which gave the film an interesting feeling of being separated into a film reel. The commentary throughout also served as a comedy aspect. Adding this entertainment value into the film is what I feel really brought it into it's own. While the narration was going on, the film seemed to be happening in it's own area. This is accentuated by a number of things I edited in such as a time stamp throughout the film, and an extended period of time in which the film was paused while Ryan and I talked over the top of it. Yet the timer kept ticking. Unfortunately, because the film was so reliant on commentary, not as much care was put into the rest of the sound design which could well have been interesting for the audience to experience. It is also highly encouraged that we be flexible with our ideas for the films, however despite this, time constraints still exist, and limited us in what we were able to do. Given the chance, I would have loved to make the experience a little more interactive for the audience. Either by putting a script together that interacted with myself and Ryan outside of the film, or making the commentary a little more relevant to the people I know were going to be seeing it.
Throughout making the film, Ryan and I had clear goals all the way through. We kept the idea simple while attempting to make the film interesting and different. A difficult scale to balance. Ryan mainly acted as cinematographer and camera man, while I was in charge of sound and virtually all of post production. The film idea came about through two ideas Ryan and I had discussed and decided to merge. We started with a storyboard Ryan drew up and quickly moved on to location and finally the shoot itself. Since we had a guest with us helping with the shoot, myself and Ryan both acted as directors on location at various points, deciding to film whatever we thought may be a good idea, to filter out the best ideas later. This worked relatively well, all the while I collected all the sounds on location while Ryan collected all the footage. When we received the classes feedback, we made the final decision to add in commentary to the final film. We adapted to the situation quickly and effectively. I fully edited the film's visuals and sounds, and provided vocals along with Ryan, which I also edited in to the final film. The final cut of the film ended up being something I hadn't expected at all to begin with, yet it's something I'm incredibly proud of! Throughout the process, no production issues really occurred, the only changes being made were because of creative decisions.
You learn something from everything, and this project was no different. Because of a small decision I made half an hour before showing the first version of the film, I feel like a much better version of the film we had planned was able to come to fruition. Commentary was never something I expected to hear in the experimental film unit. Once I decided to include it in the rough cut of the project, I was sure it would just go down as being an entertaining way to fill a silence while providing some insight into our process. I was genuinely surprised when people wanted us to keep commentary in the final cut. As a result I have learned to take risks. Even if they're last minute and seem ridiculous, they might be an incredibly entertaining idea. Try new things and gauge others reactions, see which experiments go down well and which do not. I have a new appreciation for the phrase "You don't know until you try it." I will be sure to experiment with new ideas much more often in the future. I have also learned how to effectively put together stop motion-like animation with sound effects fitting of the speed. I feel I pulled off the effect relatively well for never having done it before, and I would enjoy experimenting with it more in the future. Perhaps including full on animation in future projects. Only time will tell.
Overall, I'm extremely happy having Ryan as a partner in film making. He was helpful and constructive all the way through. During ideas generation we bounced ideas off each other incredibly well, explaining our thought process and only coming up with more ideas as a result. We work well during filming, delegating tasks effectively and planning ahead appropriately. During post production, despite editing the film myself, I never felt like I was doing too much. Tasks were split evenly. I believe Ryan and I have similar ideals when it comes to making films, while having very different specialties and as a result we bounce ideas back and forth, constantly build each other up and work our respective jobs efficiently. Where I'm good with sound, Ryan is good at visuals. While I'm good with editing in post, Ryan is good at planning beforehand. We compliment each other incredibly well and I look forward to working with him again in the future! One weakness to work on is the occasional lack of communication before tasks. While we get fired up and organised once we start talking, it can take a while to get to that stage. As time goes on I feel like this aspect will improve, and that this is simply a result of only having known each other for a short while.
Photographic progress
Below are a few pictures of feedback and the editing process. Enjoy!
And my favourite:
Phwoar look at that editing!
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