Evaluation Activity 8

Targets for next year:



Timing: One of my personal improvements is timing. From our initial ideas it was decided that we were to start filming during the run up to Christmas to make sure that the streets are festive enough for our production. As a result of various commitments my partner and our actor were not free at all during the run up to Christmas, therefore this meant that we had to film in early January. The Christmas lights still remained in the town centre however to our annoyance they were not actually switched on. We had to therefore shoot whatever Christmas lights still remained, we found some especially in the little alleys and in shop windows. Next year if I have any ideas such as this one regarding the Christmas lights, I will make sure that my group and I film earlier to ensure that we won't have any issues such as this one. In terms of our mise- en- scene I believe we ought to have used more props. It was suggested in the audience response task video that we use a cardboard sign which homeless people use to beg for money, in hindsight we should have definitely done this idea as it is very effective. 

Sound: From looking back at my preliminary task, I have become aware that sound especially is a very important feature in a film. In the preliminary task we did not use any soundtrack and our dialog was very limited. I believe we improved the sound greatly from our preliminary task to our final piece because we recorded our monologue. When listening back to the monologue combined in the opening with the soundtrack, I have noticed that the the monologue does not smoothly enter in time with the music. Next time, for the trailer, I will make sure that I make sure the timings for the monologue and music are much more precise.

Shots: We have learnt more about camera shots and how to use them in the correct way. In our preliminary task we used for example a high angle shot to show two people having a discussion. In our final piece we used a high angle shot to show our main character sitting against a brick wall on her own, this is effective as it makes her appear vulnerable to the audience. There was no proper meaning for the high angle shot we used in our preliminary task so therefore it was not effective. In our preliminary task we also used a over the shoulder shot which in this case was to indicate the audience that a heated discussion is about to occur. We used a similar shot type, a tracking shot, however in this case the point of it was to put the audience in our main characters position and give them an idea of what it is really like to be completely on your own. I also think that think I could have been more imaginative with my camera shots as I feel as though the shots I used were fairly basic shots. I also feel as though I should have used more exciting transitions to make the opening more exciting. 

Editing: In our preliminary task our use of editing was not of a good quality. The use of transitions was very limited and most of them did not fit well with the shots and looked a bit random. In our final piece however we used transitions that fitted allot better with the types of shots we used. We used the fade transition at the beginning of our film to show the scene of our main character sitting on the train. With the transition combined with the narration "This is my story..." this makes it clear that the main character is telling a story of a past experience and the fade to white effect enhances a vision of a flashback. 

Mise- en- scene: In terms of our mise- en- scene I believe we ought to have used more props. It was suggested in the audience response task video that we use a cardboard sign which homeless people use to beg for money, in hindsight we should have definitely done this idea as it is very effective. Next year I would also set myself the target of improving the lighting, the shop of the coffee shot was just too dark and did not clearly show our main character buying the coffee and the audience may find the shot misleading as they may not even be aware that she is in a coffee shop.