Criticism and Reflecting

 Feedback on the Rough Cut

 Following the production stages, our editor put together the scenes using the shot lists, this created our first rough cut. We watched this together as a group and spoke through what we felt was working and wasn't. 

Most of our issues fell under three categories:

• The beginning is slightly confusing and doesn't set up the story well
• Not enough suspense within the script, the ending doesn't feel as impactful as it could
• A couple of shots don't work where they are

Along with our lecturers, we discussed through ideas of how we could improve these. 

To improve the beginning we decided to try layering more sound and images to convey better to the audience the plane crash and how the four characters are linked. This will hopefully set up the story better and explain the motif of the news article throughout the film. 

To add further suspense to the script we decided to make the timer audio in the background less subtle. We also planned to film an extra shot with each character closing their eyes to play in sequence at the end. We felt this would feel more final and emotional, conveying the terrifying truth at the end of the film. 

Finally, we picked out the shots which we felt didn't exactly work and discussed why. Most were too short and not held long enough. We felt fixing this in the edit would allow the film to run smoother and further portray the emotions of the characters to the audience. 

Reflecting on the Project

 Last night we handed in our final film. This entire process has been lengthy, challenging and as a result, incredibly rewarding. I never dreamed that the first film I made at university would be without seeing any of my team members in person and I am so proud of my group for having a product to hand in at the end of this process. 

Reflecting on the project

The most exciting element for me was seeing a story I had written be filmed and made into a visual narrative. Although this story is not one I am the most proud of, to see it made into an actual film felt so motivating and valuable. 

Ideally, I would have liked to have been more hands-on with the filming and editing but due to the current circumstances this wasn't safe for me to do. Regardless, I still feel like I learnt a lot about the film production process from start to finish and now have a greater understanding of what field I might want to go into when I am older. 

I also really appreciated how great at communicating my group were, it was so tricky without being able to see each other but everyone was very involved and communicative which made the process easier. 

What I would improve

I, personally, do not believe this film reflects anyone in my group's true abilities due to how many restrictions they were with the pandemic. We were restrained with access to equipment, actors, locations and just general normal working conditions. 

Although I do like the story I believe the narrative was very complex. I wrote it with the pandemic in mind, considering how we would be able to keep continuity with everyone filming in different locations. This is why I decided on the four person narrative, which when paired with the space brief, gave the story we filmed. I think it was quite abstract and hard to translate visually. Overall, in this area, I think we did well considering but it's definitely something I want to work on in the future.  

As director of the piece, I wish I had communicated my vision more. When writing the script I had developed an idea of how I wanted particular shots to be filmed. When it came to discussing it, I worried about coming across as bossy or pushy. As a result, some shots are not how I would have liked them to look. This taught me the importance of voicing your opinion and being dominant within your role, something I will definitely work on in the future. 

The other areas I would want to improve on were out of our control. For example, most of the actors in the film are people's parents due to restrictions with people being allowed inside. As a result, it does not look the most professional, but this was not something we could have improved on. Secondly, we did not have access to the high quality equipment from the school, which made cinematography more basic than I would have liked. 

Overall

Overall, I am so proud of our group for completing the project under the circumstances. Although I do not this it is perfect, I have still learnt a lot throughout the process and believe it to be a rewarding experience. The issues we faced helped me learn about what strengths and weaknesses I had and how to improve. I actually spoke about one of the issues we had in an internship interview and ended up getting the role. I think believing we could make a 'perfect' film was unattainable and instead we created the best we could and gained as much experience as we could.