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Blog:
Friday 11th March
This week I began to process my ideas for my one- shot inspired project. I managed to develop and talk over my ideas with Matty which helped to clarify the direction I wanted to go. I have learnt from previous projects that these ideas will evolve/develop as I get further on in the process. I'm no longer worried about this as I've realised this is part of the creative process.
My ideas for this project are continually developing and I am going to explore each one in order to give myself the best opportunity to create a decent one-shot that immerses the audience.
One major factor was to firm up my protagonist actor. It was a relief when I had the green light on the person I thought would handle the demands of the role.
I am still exploring different locations to film. This is posing a big problem that I need to try and resolve, as choosing the wrong location will jeopardise the success of my film. I need to find a location that offers the right feeling. I will be using natural lighting which offers it's own problems as I might not be able to film if the weather doesn't permit.
Friday 11th March
This week I began to process my ideas for my one- shot inspired project. I managed to develop and talk over my ideas with Matty which helped to clarify the direction I wanted to go. I have learnt from previous projects that these ideas will evolve/develop as I get further on in the process. I'm no longer worried about this as I've realised this is part of the creative process.
My ideas for this project are continually developing and I am going to explore each one in order to give myself the best opportunity to create a decent one-shot that immerses the audience.
One major factor was to firm up my protagonist actor. It was a relief when I had the green light on the person I thought would handle the demands of the role.
I am still exploring different locations to film. This is posing a big problem that I need to try and resolve, as choosing the wrong location will jeopardise the success of my film. I need to find a location that offers the right feeling. I will be using natural lighting which offers it's own problems as I might not be able to film if the weather doesn't permit.
Friday 18th March
I feel I have had a great week this week and been able to tick off a lot of things on my list of tasks I was hoping to complete. It's been good to accomplish my tasks and bring me closer to refining my ideas for my project.
I managed to have a face to face talk with my main character and one of my extras. It was beneficial to talk over and develop my ideas with them and we were able to really expand the story line and action. I find it really worthwile talking over my ideas with my actors as they play a huge role in the film, especially when it is a one-shot film. I've discovered that it is really motivating to work and explore my ideas for my project with others as their responses to my ideas massively impact my ongoing decisions. They were able to comment on whether they felt certain things were possible and suggest alternatives if not.
Together with my actors, I decided on the location of my film which was critical for me to progress in my project. We also discussed key elements such as props and clothing. My second actor is a keen mountain biker and has a great deal of knowledge about the location and the ideal areas for filming the chase scene.
I also firmed up my main character with the actor- we discussed the character description and from their feedback I decided to alter the background and character traits. I had in mind for the main character to dress and portray a 'chavy' teenager however, we decided instead that a better fit for the actor and storyline was a 'posh boy'.
I had been undecided about a number of things at the start of this week, especially how my film was going to end but I have decided on to main options depending on how filming my one-shot goes.
I was able to complete my powerpoint presentation over the weekend and although it took ages I do feel it forced me to make decisions and firm up my ideas in order to present them.
I feel I have had a great week this week and been able to tick off a lot of things on my list of tasks I was hoping to complete. It's been good to accomplish my tasks and bring me closer to refining my ideas for my project.
I managed to have a face to face talk with my main character and one of my extras. It was beneficial to talk over and develop my ideas with them and we were able to really expand the story line and action. I find it really worthwile talking over my ideas with my actors as they play a huge role in the film, especially when it is a one-shot film. I've discovered that it is really motivating to work and explore my ideas for my project with others as their responses to my ideas massively impact my ongoing decisions. They were able to comment on whether they felt certain things were possible and suggest alternatives if not.
Together with my actors, I decided on the location of my film which was critical for me to progress in my project. We also discussed key elements such as props and clothing. My second actor is a keen mountain biker and has a great deal of knowledge about the location and the ideal areas for filming the chase scene.
I also firmed up my main character with the actor- we discussed the character description and from their feedback I decided to alter the background and character traits. I had in mind for the main character to dress and portray a 'chavy' teenager however, we decided instead that a better fit for the actor and storyline was a 'posh boy'.
I had been undecided about a number of things at the start of this week, especially how my film was going to end but I have decided on to main options depending on how filming my one-shot goes.
I was able to complete my powerpoint presentation over the weekend and although it took ages I do feel it forced me to make decisions and firm up my ideas in order to present them.
Friday 25th March
This week I finalised my presentation and presented my project to the class. I put a lot of effort into my presentation and I feel overall it went well and I managed to showcase my concept effectively. I find presentations difficult and outside of my comfort zone but each time I do one I feel a bit more confident. By doing my presentation it helped me to firm up my ideas and give me a clearer picture in my mind of my concept.
Also this week I researched props, especially prop money. I researched the laws around fake money to ensure I was not breaking the law when implementing it in my film. I decided to buy prop money and worked out a way to bulk out the amount I had bought. This took some time but I have learnt that it pays to work on the detail in a film as it helps produce a quality product. As my one-shot film is centred around immersing my viewer I know I need to create a believable concept using accurate props if I can.
I haven't made any major alterations this week to my idea, as I made a number of changes last week, following feedback. I know that I am bound to make changes in future weeks learning from experience of past projects.
I researched deeper into other one-shot films looking for ideas and techniques that I could implement in my own one-shot. I particularly found the short film 'The Suitcase' really useful as it provided me with ideas on tracking my character. I also viewed scenes from '1917' that helped me with ideas about camera movement and character tracking.
I also completed another audience research questionnaire to send out to a sample audience in order to gain a better understanding of their knowledge of the one-shot technique. I will email it out next week.
I completed most of my schedule for this week but need to do more research on techniques of audience immersion next week.
I am undecided whether to follow the idea of my character finding a finger buried within the money but, intend to do some research on the feasibility of purchasing a prosthetic finger. I will make the decision then whether it has added value to include in my final storyline.
I also intend to further my research on techniques used in the one-shot and on the equipment used so that I am thoroughly prepared for filming.
This week I finalised my presentation and presented my project to the class. I put a lot of effort into my presentation and I feel overall it went well and I managed to showcase my concept effectively. I find presentations difficult and outside of my comfort zone but each time I do one I feel a bit more confident. By doing my presentation it helped me to firm up my ideas and give me a clearer picture in my mind of my concept.
Also this week I researched props, especially prop money. I researched the laws around fake money to ensure I was not breaking the law when implementing it in my film. I decided to buy prop money and worked out a way to bulk out the amount I had bought. This took some time but I have learnt that it pays to work on the detail in a film as it helps produce a quality product. As my one-shot film is centred around immersing my viewer I know I need to create a believable concept using accurate props if I can.
I haven't made any major alterations this week to my idea, as I made a number of changes last week, following feedback. I know that I am bound to make changes in future weeks learning from experience of past projects.
I researched deeper into other one-shot films looking for ideas and techniques that I could implement in my own one-shot. I particularly found the short film 'The Suitcase' really useful as it provided me with ideas on tracking my character. I also viewed scenes from '1917' that helped me with ideas about camera movement and character tracking.
I also completed another audience research questionnaire to send out to a sample audience in order to gain a better understanding of their knowledge of the one-shot technique. I will email it out next week.
I completed most of my schedule for this week but need to do more research on techniques of audience immersion next week.
I am undecided whether to follow the idea of my character finding a finger buried within the money but, intend to do some research on the feasibility of purchasing a prosthetic finger. I will make the decision then whether it has added value to include in my final storyline.
I also intend to further my research on techniques used in the one-shot and on the equipment used so that I am thoroughly prepared for filming.
Tuesday 29th March We talked about how to promote and reach out to an audience.
- posters -
- social media,
- websites
- word of mouth
Friday 1st April
Planning and production and Practical skills-
I feel that I am making steady progress in my planning and production. At times it is quite overwhelming when faced with technical issues and problems as has happened this week however, I always knew that planning and producing a one-shot would be challenging. Despite this, I know that pushing myself is ultimately beneficial as I improve my technical, hands-on skills and problem-solving abilities.
This week I prioritised organising a recce of my ideal location so that I could confirm to myself if I still felt it was suitable, and to highlight any issues that might evolve. I also wanted to flag up any health and safety issues that the location may present. This was a valuable exercise.
I immediately became aware that part of the location created a health and safety issue due to the rocky terrain and sloping site. I came up with a way to prevent tripping while filming, by utilising a spotter particularly in this area.
Whilst taking test shots, another issue became evident to me, which was the tracking of my character whilst moving down the hill. It was incredibly difficult to always keep my character in the centre of the frame. I had not realised that this would be an issue as I thought I would be able to control it at the same time. This meant troubleshooting the problem. I became aware, through research, that I could overcome this problem by utilising the DJI App which has a virtual joystick allowing you to control the camera head.
One useful part of my research this week was to delve deeper into the vulnerability of teenagers and the reasons they are often drawn into a life of crime or exploitation. I felt this would help me develop my character and his back story. The reason for this was to aid my actor in building an understanding of the character they were portraying, and ultimately enabling a greater connection between him and the viewer.
This week I sent out my second questionnaire to gain a better understanding of my audience’s knowledge of the one-shot. It will be interesting to reflect on the answers and build up a picture of my audience when I have received them back.
I also created a draft of an idea for my promotion poster and am happy with the way this looks. I intend to distribute it out to a poll for feedback before I use it as my promotion.
Planning and production and Practical skills-
I feel that I am making steady progress in my planning and production. At times it is quite overwhelming when faced with technical issues and problems as has happened this week however, I always knew that planning and producing a one-shot would be challenging. Despite this, I know that pushing myself is ultimately beneficial as I improve my technical, hands-on skills and problem-solving abilities.
This week I prioritised organising a recce of my ideal location so that I could confirm to myself if I still felt it was suitable, and to highlight any issues that might evolve. I also wanted to flag up any health and safety issues that the location may present. This was a valuable exercise.
I immediately became aware that part of the location created a health and safety issue due to the rocky terrain and sloping site. I came up with a way to prevent tripping while filming, by utilising a spotter particularly in this area.
Whilst taking test shots, another issue became evident to me, which was the tracking of my character whilst moving down the hill. It was incredibly difficult to always keep my character in the centre of the frame. I had not realised that this would be an issue as I thought I would be able to control it at the same time. This meant troubleshooting the problem. I became aware, through research, that I could overcome this problem by utilising the DJI App which has a virtual joystick allowing you to control the camera head.
One useful part of my research this week was to delve deeper into the vulnerability of teenagers and the reasons they are often drawn into a life of crime or exploitation. I felt this would help me develop my character and his back story. The reason for this was to aid my actor in building an understanding of the character they were portraying, and ultimately enabling a greater connection between him and the viewer.
This week I sent out my second questionnaire to gain a better understanding of my audience’s knowledge of the one-shot. It will be interesting to reflect on the answers and build up a picture of my audience when I have received them back.
I also created a draft of an idea for my promotion poster and am happy with the way this looks. I intend to distribute it out to a poll for feedback before I use it as my promotion.
Friday 8th April
Planning and production and Practical skills-
This week was heavily focused on finalising my filming plan and checking/making sure I had all the props and equipment I needed.
I realised I still needed to figure out how I was going to record my audio- I had been focused on how I was going to film the one-shot and had not thought about the audio up until this week. I learnt from this that I need to make myself a comprehensive check list, way in advance, for a project so that I don't forget a vital element in the future. I do make lists however, there is always so much to remember, that it is likely that something will be forgotten- thankfully on this occasion it wasn't too late for me to organise what I hadn't remembered. It really impacted me the importance of advanced detailed planning, especially for equipment, if it's something that will be in high demand.
I also finalised availability of my actors this week, which proved valuable and again proved to me the importance of planning every aspect of filming because things often change. As it turned out when I discussed dates and times with my actors one of the unknown criminal actors had an unexpected important commitment he had to attend. This was a disruption to my plan however, I have come to expect the unexpected change when planning a film. I had to find a solution so, I altered the script slightly so that it only featured one antagonist and hopefully this will work as well although it wasn't what I intended.
I continued my research into youth vulnerability but need to make a decision as to the path my character is following and what level of risk is he placing himself at for getting involved in criminal activity e.g., is he going to be radicalised, dragged into County Lines operations or is he just running away as he is unhappy. At the moment I am leaning towards it being the lead up to him getting involved in County Lines.
I feel I am more or less on schedule even though I needed to do an emergency problem solving over one of my antagonist actors.
My next challenge will be filming, which is planned for the 9th and 10th of April. I have checked the weather forecast and it is looking like it is going to be fine but cold. I have printed off the Talent Release forms and will get them completed before filming. I have also conducted a Risk Assessment and have made everyone aware of the risks involved and how we will overcome them. During the filming weekend I intend to remind everyone of risks and health and safety issues, particularly for some areas.
Planning and production and Practical skills-
This week was heavily focused on finalising my filming plan and checking/making sure I had all the props and equipment I needed.
I realised I still needed to figure out how I was going to record my audio- I had been focused on how I was going to film the one-shot and had not thought about the audio up until this week. I learnt from this that I need to make myself a comprehensive check list, way in advance, for a project so that I don't forget a vital element in the future. I do make lists however, there is always so much to remember, that it is likely that something will be forgotten- thankfully on this occasion it wasn't too late for me to organise what I hadn't remembered. It really impacted me the importance of advanced detailed planning, especially for equipment, if it's something that will be in high demand.
I also finalised availability of my actors this week, which proved valuable and again proved to me the importance of planning every aspect of filming because things often change. As it turned out when I discussed dates and times with my actors one of the unknown criminal actors had an unexpected important commitment he had to attend. This was a disruption to my plan however, I have come to expect the unexpected change when planning a film. I had to find a solution so, I altered the script slightly so that it only featured one antagonist and hopefully this will work as well although it wasn't what I intended.
I continued my research into youth vulnerability but need to make a decision as to the path my character is following and what level of risk is he placing himself at for getting involved in criminal activity e.g., is he going to be radicalised, dragged into County Lines operations or is he just running away as he is unhappy. At the moment I am leaning towards it being the lead up to him getting involved in County Lines.
I feel I am more or less on schedule even though I needed to do an emergency problem solving over one of my antagonist actors.
My next challenge will be filming, which is planned for the 9th and 10th of April. I have checked the weather forecast and it is looking like it is going to be fine but cold. I have printed off the Talent Release forms and will get them completed before filming. I have also conducted a Risk Assessment and have made everyone aware of the risks involved and how we will overcome them. During the filming weekend I intend to remind everyone of risks and health and safety issues, particularly for some areas.
Easter Break - 9th April- 25th April 2022
I set aside the Easter holidays for filming and planned to start the first weekend, so that it gave me the maximum amount of time for rehearsals, walk throughs and filming. I have learnt from past projects that I needed to allow plenty of time for the filming process as there are always problems that occur and changes to be made.
I feel on screen the location, in the Mendips, worked well as it portrayed the dramatic wow factor I was going for. However, working in the location did have its draw backs; a public footpath passed right through the chosen filming location. There were a few times the public walked into shot. I solved this issue be placing someone from the crew to spot when members of the public were approaching the film site and to politely ask people to wait until we had finished filming. The response was always positive and there was a genuine interest by the public about what we were filming.
Run through-
A detailed account of the process and reflection of the run through is in the Planning and production section of my project but, I will give a brief outline of this process here.
I knew it was essential that my characters and crew knew their roles and what was involved. Therefore, I dedicated as much time as possible to the run through. It turned out to be the whole of the first day but, was time well spent
As the run through process was going on I felt it would be beneficial to film it as a record and a useful reminder, before we filmed it for real. This was useful because I had a lot of equipment which would take a while to set up and I wanted to fully focus on explaining the steps and highlighting the importance of safety.
Once I was satisfied that my main actor knew the steps he had to take and would be kept safe, I was much more at ease for the next days filming. We then proceeded to rewatch these rough takes as a team. This helped a great deal as we could analyse each specific action in the film.
After watching and analysing the run through, we made slight changes to improve the aesthetics and look and feel of the film, for when we filmed the next day.
I really believe that spending time running through every aspect of the film was a good investment of time for every member of the crew.
One slight area of tension, on this first day, was that one actor felt strongly we should start some of the filming at the end of the run through. I had to explain the reasoning behind starting filming the next day; in that the lighting had to be constant throughout the film and if we filmed at different times of the day this would effect the consistency and look of my film. I remembered from my research, e.g, when viewing 'behind the scenes of 1917' they highlighted their struggles with lighting and having to wait for clouds to pass out the way to ensure the lighting remained the same. This had stuck in my mind as an important factor to remember when filming my one-shot.
I learnt from this issue the importance of sticking with what you believe is right but, at the same time, listening to the opinions of others. I realised I needed to be firm if I was to achieve the finished product I was aiming for.
Filming-
The second day was devoted to filming and this was successful on the whole. Some issues I encountered were members of the public wandering on set from the footpath (as already mentioned). The uneven landscape did cause a few problems even though we had covered this in the run through. I also had to remind the crew a few times to move as a unit when filming as when they didn't, some crew members were in shot.
I spent time time working out where best to do a hidden cut for the change of location. The best option was to use the antagonist character's back and after a few takes it worked.
Filming in the second location proved easier as there were less walkers around however, there was a cliff so we needed to be extra vigilant when filming.
I intend to start editing my footage next week when back at college and consider the audio I may use to enhance my overall film.
I set aside the Easter holidays for filming and planned to start the first weekend, so that it gave me the maximum amount of time for rehearsals, walk throughs and filming. I have learnt from past projects that I needed to allow plenty of time for the filming process as there are always problems that occur and changes to be made.
I feel on screen the location, in the Mendips, worked well as it portrayed the dramatic wow factor I was going for. However, working in the location did have its draw backs; a public footpath passed right through the chosen filming location. There were a few times the public walked into shot. I solved this issue be placing someone from the crew to spot when members of the public were approaching the film site and to politely ask people to wait until we had finished filming. The response was always positive and there was a genuine interest by the public about what we were filming.
Run through-
A detailed account of the process and reflection of the run through is in the Planning and production section of my project but, I will give a brief outline of this process here.
I knew it was essential that my characters and crew knew their roles and what was involved. Therefore, I dedicated as much time as possible to the run through. It turned out to be the whole of the first day but, was time well spent
As the run through process was going on I felt it would be beneficial to film it as a record and a useful reminder, before we filmed it for real. This was useful because I had a lot of equipment which would take a while to set up and I wanted to fully focus on explaining the steps and highlighting the importance of safety.
Once I was satisfied that my main actor knew the steps he had to take and would be kept safe, I was much more at ease for the next days filming. We then proceeded to rewatch these rough takes as a team. This helped a great deal as we could analyse each specific action in the film.
After watching and analysing the run through, we made slight changes to improve the aesthetics and look and feel of the film, for when we filmed the next day.
I really believe that spending time running through every aspect of the film was a good investment of time for every member of the crew.
One slight area of tension, on this first day, was that one actor felt strongly we should start some of the filming at the end of the run through. I had to explain the reasoning behind starting filming the next day; in that the lighting had to be constant throughout the film and if we filmed at different times of the day this would effect the consistency and look of my film. I remembered from my research, e.g, when viewing 'behind the scenes of 1917' they highlighted their struggles with lighting and having to wait for clouds to pass out the way to ensure the lighting remained the same. This had stuck in my mind as an important factor to remember when filming my one-shot.
I learnt from this issue the importance of sticking with what you believe is right but, at the same time, listening to the opinions of others. I realised I needed to be firm if I was to achieve the finished product I was aiming for.
Filming-
The second day was devoted to filming and this was successful on the whole. Some issues I encountered were members of the public wandering on set from the footpath (as already mentioned). The uneven landscape did cause a few problems even though we had covered this in the run through. I also had to remind the crew a few times to move as a unit when filming as when they didn't, some crew members were in shot.
I spent time time working out where best to do a hidden cut for the change of location. The best option was to use the antagonist character's back and after a few takes it worked.
Filming in the second location proved easier as there were less walkers around however, there was a cliff so we needed to be extra vigilant when filming.
I intend to start editing my footage next week when back at college and consider the audio I may use to enhance my overall film.
Friday 29th April
This week I concentrated on the editing of my film. I collated all my footage and was pleasantly surprised with most aspects of it.
On the whole I was pleased with the framing of my shots. I feel the tracking could have been better in some places however, the terrain caused some difficulty in being able to track correctly at times. I had spent time in the run throughs finding a route to film that was safe and the least challenging but there were still some areas that were uneven.
I was happy with the shot composition; any shots that I wasn't happy with meant I had to start the filming again from the beginning which is frustrating however I expected this with taking on the challenge of a one-shot film.
The camera techniques I used when filming my short film in the one-shot style were mainly focused on tracking the main character, as well as trying to capture the landscape; so that the geography of the location was featured. I feel I was able to achieve what I had set out to do. I was especially pleased with how the main character is portrayed within the landscape and how he interacts with it - it was just what I had envisioned.
The lighting of my film was critical as filming had to be done all at the same time because I was utilising natural lighting I had to make sure it was consistent. The reason I wanted to use natural lighting was because I knew this would be the best way to portray the landscape in its best form. I feel the landscape was shown particularly well in my film as the sun was shining and it lit the dramatic landscape in its natural form. However, I did have a slight problem with over exposure in a few shots but I will rectify this in the edit.
When considering the props and costumes I was pleased with how these turned out. I feel that all the props surrounding the main character such as, his bike, school uniform etc., came together well to create a small glimpse into my characters life and aided the viewer in building up a picture of my main character and connecting with him. I was also pleased with how the bag containing the money turned out. It was a long process to source realistic bank notes to use as props but, I'm glad I spent the time on this detail as it made the concept more believable, as the bag of money looked realistic.
This week I concentrated on the editing of my film. I collated all my footage and was pleasantly surprised with most aspects of it.
On the whole I was pleased with the framing of my shots. I feel the tracking could have been better in some places however, the terrain caused some difficulty in being able to track correctly at times. I had spent time in the run throughs finding a route to film that was safe and the least challenging but there were still some areas that were uneven.
I was happy with the shot composition; any shots that I wasn't happy with meant I had to start the filming again from the beginning which is frustrating however I expected this with taking on the challenge of a one-shot film.
The camera techniques I used when filming my short film in the one-shot style were mainly focused on tracking the main character, as well as trying to capture the landscape; so that the geography of the location was featured. I feel I was able to achieve what I had set out to do. I was especially pleased with how the main character is portrayed within the landscape and how he interacts with it - it was just what I had envisioned.
The lighting of my film was critical as filming had to be done all at the same time because I was utilising natural lighting I had to make sure it was consistent. The reason I wanted to use natural lighting was because I knew this would be the best way to portray the landscape in its best form. I feel the landscape was shown particularly well in my film as the sun was shining and it lit the dramatic landscape in its natural form. However, I did have a slight problem with over exposure in a few shots but I will rectify this in the edit.
When considering the props and costumes I was pleased with how these turned out. I feel that all the props surrounding the main character such as, his bike, school uniform etc., came together well to create a small glimpse into my characters life and aided the viewer in building up a picture of my main character and connecting with him. I was also pleased with how the bag containing the money turned out. It was a long process to source realistic bank notes to use as props but, I'm glad I spent the time on this detail as it made the concept more believable, as the bag of money looked realistic.
Friday 6th May
This week I focused on editing my footage. Unfortunately, I had some issues with Premier Pro crashing which resulted in my loosing all the work I had done on my edit. This was very frustrating however, I was able to re edit what I had done fairly quickly as I remembered what I had done previously. I have had this occur before so just got on with re doing it as there is no point in getting stressed about it.
The main things I focused on in my edit this week was colour correction and trying to rectify some of the shots that were over exposed. This is a long process which I will need to carry on next week.
I also worked on evidencing behind the scenes and making sure I was happy with how my planning, production and practical skills section of my project was progressing. I still have some written work to complete to accompany some images however, I will try and work on this next week.
I have checked my proposal and I am on track but I feel I still have a lot to complete before hand in. I have some references still to be completed however, I have been better keeping up with my referencing in this project than in past ones. I learnt that it is very difficult and time consuming to complete all the references at the end.
I checked the grade criteria for the Level 3 Extended Diploma to evaluate where I thought I was now. I also wanted to make sure I knew what criteria I was aiming for, so that I could make sure I was hitting all the relevant points for the grade I wanted.
Context- Merit level. I need to add a few more things to make sure I can justify a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of my subject context to achieve a Distinction.
Research- Merit. I feel I am close to achieving the top grade as I have undergone detailed research throughout the process.
Problem solving- Merit. Undertaking a one-shot has posed me many problems and challenges along the way. I have had to solve these in a creative way and although stressful at times, I feel I have learnt a lot through the problem-solving process.
Planning and Production- Merit. I have found the amount of work entailed in this project to be difficult at times and keeping up with planning and checking aims is tricky. I need to make sure I evaluate well against my aims at the end. I do feel however, that I have kept up with production timescales quite well.
Practical skills- Merit/Distinction. I feel I meet the criteria for this section as I have paid a lot of attention to aesthetics and have used creative solutions wherever possible. I feel this section of the criteria is my strongest even though taking on the challenge of a one-shot has really challenged me and pushed me to extend my practical skills.
Evaluation and reflection- Merit. I have found keeping up with the weekly blog a little difficult as I have wanted to concentrate on other aspects of my project. I intend to allocate a lot of time in the last week to my final evaluation to hopefully push my grade up to a Distinction.
Presentation- Merit. I feel I produced a cohesive presentation through my PowerPoint which clearly communicated my ideas. I was disappointed that I was not given the opportunity to finish my PowerPoint presentation even though there was no time limit. I was able to discuss this with my tutor.
This week I focused on editing my footage. Unfortunately, I had some issues with Premier Pro crashing which resulted in my loosing all the work I had done on my edit. This was very frustrating however, I was able to re edit what I had done fairly quickly as I remembered what I had done previously. I have had this occur before so just got on with re doing it as there is no point in getting stressed about it.
The main things I focused on in my edit this week was colour correction and trying to rectify some of the shots that were over exposed. This is a long process which I will need to carry on next week.
I also worked on evidencing behind the scenes and making sure I was happy with how my planning, production and practical skills section of my project was progressing. I still have some written work to complete to accompany some images however, I will try and work on this next week.
I have checked my proposal and I am on track but I feel I still have a lot to complete before hand in. I have some references still to be completed however, I have been better keeping up with my referencing in this project than in past ones. I learnt that it is very difficult and time consuming to complete all the references at the end.
I checked the grade criteria for the Level 3 Extended Diploma to evaluate where I thought I was now. I also wanted to make sure I knew what criteria I was aiming for, so that I could make sure I was hitting all the relevant points for the grade I wanted.
Context- Merit level. I need to add a few more things to make sure I can justify a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of my subject context to achieve a Distinction.
Research- Merit. I feel I am close to achieving the top grade as I have undergone detailed research throughout the process.
Problem solving- Merit. Undertaking a one-shot has posed me many problems and challenges along the way. I have had to solve these in a creative way and although stressful at times, I feel I have learnt a lot through the problem-solving process.
Planning and Production- Merit. I have found the amount of work entailed in this project to be difficult at times and keeping up with planning and checking aims is tricky. I need to make sure I evaluate well against my aims at the end. I do feel however, that I have kept up with production timescales quite well.
Practical skills- Merit/Distinction. I feel I meet the criteria for this section as I have paid a lot of attention to aesthetics and have used creative solutions wherever possible. I feel this section of the criteria is my strongest even though taking on the challenge of a one-shot has really challenged me and pushed me to extend my practical skills.
Evaluation and reflection- Merit. I have found keeping up with the weekly blog a little difficult as I have wanted to concentrate on other aspects of my project. I intend to allocate a lot of time in the last week to my final evaluation to hopefully push my grade up to a Distinction.
Presentation- Merit. I feel I produced a cohesive presentation through my PowerPoint which clearly communicated my ideas. I was disappointed that I was not given the opportunity to finish my PowerPoint presentation even though there was no time limit. I was able to discuss this with my tutor.
Friday 13th May
This week has been heavily focused, once again, on the editing side of my project. I have tried to use my knowledge, gained from my research into one-shot films, to shape and inform my work, especially in the editing of my own one-shot film this week.
I undertook further research into editing a one-shot film this week. I found this valuable as it provided me with extra knowledge and understanding. I conducted research on how to create a certain opening titles technique and also on how to blank out people in a moving scene. I needed to edit out some members of the public who had not been successful in moving out of shot. I found this research extremely beneficial as I had struggled to come up with a solution on my own. I have successfully managed to edit out one person and will continue to work on this technique next week.
Once I have completed my first edit next week, I intend to show my film to a test audience to gather feedback on how I can make possible improvements. This is a critical step and I am aware that I need to plan this in to my schedule next week.
I have also been working on my promotional poster for my film. This has proved problematic as I had decided on an image to build my poster around however, this image brought about copyright issues that I had previously overlooked. I was forced to explore alternative ideas and images that contained the same look and feel I was after but, without copyright issues. I will have to use one of my own images from filming but have not completely settled on the exact image I want to use. I will firm this up early next week.
I feel I have continued to stretch myself this week in terms of problem solving editing techniques in one-shot films. I am learning through this process that there are new skills and knowledge to learn at each stage when you undertake a new concept.
This week has been heavily focused, once again, on the editing side of my project. I have tried to use my knowledge, gained from my research into one-shot films, to shape and inform my work, especially in the editing of my own one-shot film this week.
I undertook further research into editing a one-shot film this week. I found this valuable as it provided me with extra knowledge and understanding. I conducted research on how to create a certain opening titles technique and also on how to blank out people in a moving scene. I needed to edit out some members of the public who had not been successful in moving out of shot. I found this research extremely beneficial as I had struggled to come up with a solution on my own. I have successfully managed to edit out one person and will continue to work on this technique next week.
Once I have completed my first edit next week, I intend to show my film to a test audience to gather feedback on how I can make possible improvements. This is a critical step and I am aware that I need to plan this in to my schedule next week.
I have also been working on my promotional poster for my film. This has proved problematic as I had decided on an image to build my poster around however, this image brought about copyright issues that I had previously overlooked. I was forced to explore alternative ideas and images that contained the same look and feel I was after but, without copyright issues. I will have to use one of my own images from filming but have not completely settled on the exact image I want to use. I will firm this up early next week.
I feel I have continued to stretch myself this week in terms of problem solving editing techniques in one-shot films. I am learning through this process that there are new skills and knowledge to learn at each stage when you undertake a new concept.
Friday 20th May
I Have concentrated again on the editing process of my video and creating my Promo video and poster this week.
I finalised the image that I wanted to utilise for my poster and was happy that the dramatic image I chose created the look and feel that I was going for. I decided to use the title image from my previous poster as it contained the wow impact I wanted, especially with the bag hanging from the letter 'g' and the money contained in the title letters. I still felt that there needed to be more connection to my actual film so I tried using an image from the final scene cliff hanger. I decided on the final image where the main character is seen hanging the bag over the cliff edge. I was satisfied that this made a real link to my film and brought the element of suspense I wanted to create. I will send this poster to my test audience for feedback next week and will evaluate this when I receive feedback.
I also worked on pulling my Promo video together. I developed two separate ideas for my promo video; both of which I was pleased with. I wanted to make a fast pace 'wow' video that built up a picture of my film in the audience's minds and encouraged them to develop questions about my film. I researched into other promo films e.g., '1917' and the recent film 'Operation Mincemeat' and was inspired by some of their techniques they had used. I particularly wanted to utilise the way they showcased different clips from the film at a fast pace and used music that rose dramatically; building suspense in the viewer. I feel this promo video will entice my viewers to watch my film. I will promote my film using some social media platforms such as, Youtube, Instagram and TikTok as these platforms are ones that I occasionally use and are well known for promoting videos, e.g., I viewed the 'Operation Mincemeat' promo video on Youtube recently.
I am near to finishing my editing and have had to exercise my skills and k knowledge to develop creative solutions to many of the problems and challenges I encountered. For example, I realised that some of my clips were not steady especially those taken going down hill. So, I had to find a solution to overcome this problem and used warp stabiliser to produce smooth shots.
I Have concentrated again on the editing process of my video and creating my Promo video and poster this week.
I finalised the image that I wanted to utilise for my poster and was happy that the dramatic image I chose created the look and feel that I was going for. I decided to use the title image from my previous poster as it contained the wow impact I wanted, especially with the bag hanging from the letter 'g' and the money contained in the title letters. I still felt that there needed to be more connection to my actual film so I tried using an image from the final scene cliff hanger. I decided on the final image where the main character is seen hanging the bag over the cliff edge. I was satisfied that this made a real link to my film and brought the element of suspense I wanted to create. I will send this poster to my test audience for feedback next week and will evaluate this when I receive feedback.
I also worked on pulling my Promo video together. I developed two separate ideas for my promo video; both of which I was pleased with. I wanted to make a fast pace 'wow' video that built up a picture of my film in the audience's minds and encouraged them to develop questions about my film. I researched into other promo films e.g., '1917' and the recent film 'Operation Mincemeat' and was inspired by some of their techniques they had used. I particularly wanted to utilise the way they showcased different clips from the film at a fast pace and used music that rose dramatically; building suspense in the viewer. I feel this promo video will entice my viewers to watch my film. I will promote my film using some social media platforms such as, Youtube, Instagram and TikTok as these platforms are ones that I occasionally use and are well known for promoting videos, e.g., I viewed the 'Operation Mincemeat' promo video on Youtube recently.
I am near to finishing my editing and have had to exercise my skills and k knowledge to develop creative solutions to many of the problems and challenges I encountered. For example, I realised that some of my clips were not steady especially those taken going down hill. So, I had to find a solution to overcome this problem and used warp stabiliser to produce smooth shots.
Final Evaluation