evaluation for production

We chose to make Bens script as that is the one everyone thought would be the best to make at the time of deciding. However we had to change the filming location from yarmouth train station to the bus station as we was not able to get permitting for us to film there.

shooting manually with a dslr is something where other factors have to be taken into account. To create a nice balance we had to make sure the ISO, aperture and shutter speed all worked in harmony so a shot wasn't over or under exposed. This is shower in the toilet scene of our production where the aperture and shutter where at the lowest it could be to film and so due to the dark lighting we had to put the iso up which in turn gave us a grainier image on playback. shooting manually gave us the freedom to be more creative in the way things where framed and the lighting used. My favorite technique used was creating a shallow depth of field by pulling the aperture to its lowest which enable me to choose what was / wasnt in focus.

As this was a single production unit we had to do certain things to makes sure got all the coverage we needed so firstly a master shot was taken of the whole scene once over from a wide angle and this would be the short to edit to. Secondly we covered any angles which needed covering after such as close ups when characters speak or a tracking shots for moving characters in the scene. Each scene was shot multiple times in different angle to ensure that everything was covered and if there was a dodgy shot there was always one to replace it.

We started of by setting scenes to direct and film off our own backs , however due to certain limitations we ended collectively shooting shots and scenes together, so everyone's input was added. Certain shots used where chosen by people thinking that it would be a good idea, but not one member of the group directed a scene exactly to how they envisioned it.

I dont think we actually added one piece of mise-en-scene to effect what was in a shot as everything was filmed on location so we where able to have the scene set up realistically anyway. The use of camera was used really well i think with the framing and shots set up really well. This was due to the cinematography with the depth of field and angles used, we incorporated a number of tracking shots using a steady cam which i think worked really well and went with the flow of the production. I think it was edited well, editing from the master shots and we had a good choice of other shots to cut to, so all in all the editing was fine and nothing had to be re-shot. Admittedly the sound track was appalling and the use of sound tracks in the production didnt work at all, it was jumpy and didnt link, cutting from one soundtrack to another brought me out of digesis and didnt even work with the clips but in a group i suppose you have to make compromises...

To sum it all up what i believed worked well was the shots and angles used in our production, we never had a shortage of shots to mix in with our master shots. The acting i though looked quite professional with good reaction shots and speech which worked well with our shot. Right, what didnt go well.. To start off the fact that we had to re-shoot the first few scenes as a lovers tiff ended in a actor not wanting to be in production any more which in turn put us behind and i feel that the rest of the project was rushed and hastily stuck together. The jumpy locations kept bringing me out of digesis, cutting from one location to another which made the actual finished product look a shambles. The soundtrack didnt work at all and was definitely not right with parts being slung in randomly and didn't even work in harmony (two different songs) which was really weird.. i thought that due to the high iso that the toilet scene where they find out its diamonds was to grainy and looked poor quality. My titles got deleted without me even knowing so that was abit of a myth, as i thought as a group this would be something discussed. The ending was totally rushed with dodgy shots and scenes added in due to the lack of time which was just awful !! All in all the production was messy and not of a standard i want to put my name to, to be fair, there was a fantastic opening with some really good time lapses and sync with music and then it just goes downhill, its even hard to understand what is going on half the time! The location was a problem aswell, not being able to get permition to film at yarmouth train station (something that should of been sorted before choosing a script) a unfortunate group member had to ferry the group about 40 miles there and 40 miles back to the next nearest train station in reedham, not only was this costly for him but time consuming for the amount of times back and fourth in travel.

If i learnt anything from this project it would be things need to be planned and organised ALOT better than they were in this current production. I think the ideas of each group member varied and through this effected how the film looked, which wasnt for the better unfortunately. If this was something i was to do again it would have to be with like minded individuals with a vision similar to what i have, influencing me and encouraging me to try new things, as in a whole everything wasnt created from a vision it was created under perception on what would look professional which in turn done the complete opposite. My own personal ideas, i believe, clashed with the group as i wanted to explore more cinematographic shots and angles which I believe would work and what i thought would look good in my creative eyes. Working in a group isnt as easy as it sounds as ideas cant be fully expressed especially under the filming of someone elses screenplay.