CPD&R Module Evaluation

I feel that over the course of this module I have learned a great deal in terms of technical production and practice on each project task. Beginning with the sound piece, I particularly learnt a lot from this project as it was my first time working with the software Pro Tools and creating sounds using foley and software design was not something I had learnt or done before this module. I found the process very rewarding and my skills in sound design improved vastly. I learnt how to mix levels and in some cases manipulate the sounds completely; certain lines of dialogue were made to sound like a radio broadcast using an insert. As the sound recorder, designer and editor it was a great challenge to invert the approach to filmmaking as well and think of how a narrative could be built and developed using sound primarily. 

The Documentary task had elements of production that I was more familiar with though not on the level that this production required. I was the Director and Producer for this task, which are two roles that I received my best feedback from and enjoyed working in the most. I had to reach out and contact potential contributors to the film. At first this was nerving, but the process of doing so and building relationships with the contributors really strengthened my professionalism and understanding of a Producers role. Directing a documentary was a new and interesting role for me. Conducting interviews to weave a story out of the answers and content was a rewarding and fun process and we were fortunate with the depth of knowledge and characteristics of each of the contributors. Again sound was a strong element for this film, as we used lapel microphones to record clear, clean interviews which worked highly effectively. 

The Drama film posed some of the more challenging production issues compared to other tasks on this module. Writing the script for this project was something  that I was not new to, nor however was I experienced at writing serious drama. I feel that in the end I overreached on the concept of the story, which may have affected the overall execution of the film. My technical role on this task was as the editor, though I worked as a director also, as I had a clearer, more direct vision for what needed to be shot on the days of filming which kept us to schedule. This carried through to the editing though there were still issues faced. On one cut sound had been synced to the visuals and I extracted a piece of camera audio which shifted the positioning of the visuals and sync sound on the entire track. This caused the editing process to be longer as I had to re-sync the Boom sound whilst fine cutting the film. Though the project in the end came through and I am very happy and pleased with it, along with my other projects on this module. 

Task 3: Drama Evaluation

Evaluation

Pre-production got off initially to a good start, however it slowed down before production. A story concept that was discussed in a workshop was taken as the base foundation for the narrative of our film. From this, a script, of which I was lead writer, was put into development and a first draft was completed early on. However feedback on the script from the group was largely minimal, which meant that, upon review in the actors workshop, it had to go through a heavy amount of rewriting and tweaking when issues with it arose. Additionally, preparing for the production took a slow amble; locations and actors were found a few days before filming, scenes were not extensively blocked before the shoot and use of equipment caused issues with lighting on the set. The first shoot on April 13th, though we shot the best part of 4 scenes, turned out to have lots of issues upon its review in the edit tutorial. We took this feedback onboard and began to plan when we could continue the production. 

From this point we faced as a group, a major stumble, as our actors bailed on a planned day of filming. However, we came out much more prepared on the second day of filming, when we were able to reshoot most of our film and were faster setting up shots, wiser to lighting the set and more confident in the direction of our actors. Communication between members of the group improved greatly over the course of making this film and was constant and clear at the end. The producer gave constant updates on the status of actors and the shooting schedule and on set, there was good communication between the Director, Cinematographer and Sound team. Our Art Director did great work in making a location available for filming and we were able to dress the set neatly, with splashes of colour. Post-production involved a smaller team working together but I feel this worked effectively. There was good communication and understanding of each others roles and by often working on separate parts of the project we were able to produce the film to a polished and higher standard then our previous attempt in a shorter, pressured space of time. 

Weaknesses of the film can be found in missing cutaways and shots that sometimes make the narrative of the film unclear and a lack of varying shot types and angles. This was however due to the space of the locations and large amounts of dialogue in the script. Additionally, the acting is sometimes more theatrical which pushes it to become a little cheesy in places when it needs to be more subtle. There are great strength in the post production, especially with the colouring, graphics and sound design. The colour grading adds visual tonality to the piece, with a cool blue and the music creates a sense of emotion and gives the film some needed depth and variation. Overall, I am very satisfied with the final film. 

The Stage - Final Cut

The Stage [Short Drama] from Liam Atkinson on Vimeo.

This is the Vimeo link to the final cut for our 5 minute short film drama, The Stage.

Production Stills

Sound Logsheet

Drama Logsheet - Sound

Actor and Location Release Forms

Art Direction Notes and Designs

Below is a link to a presentation for the Art Direction on this project:

http://francescachambersdrama.blogspot.co.uk/?view=snapshot

Equipment List

Equipment List

First Draft - Drama Script

Script Untitled Project: This was the very first draft of the script for our 5 minute drama film. At the time of writing this script, a name had not been found for it and so it remained an untitled project, until the right title was found. 

Shooting Schedule

Shooting Schedule

Edit Progress and Feedback

So far in the edit, I have been able to do a rough cut for the Therapy and Theatre scenes. What I have noticed so far during the edit is a lack of varying shot types and angles. For example, there are very few cutaways or establishing shots, which makes creating space or pacing for a scene very difficult. It almost makes the scene very tedious and boring to watch, due to a lack of any real change or variation in angle or positioning. Additionally there are other mistakes made in the production that have a bad effect on the edit. For example, there are takes, especially on Mid-Shots, in which there is clear and obvious shadow in the background behind the character caused by bad lighting. Cropping or Letter-boxing isn’t an effective tool for this and colour correction will only partially help to remove any obvious lighting errors. Feedback was largely negative overall, as there were a lot of problems with the footage. This ranged from poor, wooden performances from actors, as well as uninteresting set design. Additionally I made a mistake in presenting an image only cut, which made it harder to analyse. 

Below is a non-audio rough cut of the footage we shot from our first day of shooting.



The Stage Rough Cut from Phillip Cullen on Vimeo.

Final Script - The Stage

The Stage - Final Draft

Casting Proforma

Casting Proforma

Actors Workshop Evaluation - 200 Words

The actors workshop was a great experience to be able to flex the script and gain some valuable feedback from peers and the actors taking part. As we only had a script with us to work from, we used the session as a reading, in which to go through the script in its entirety to see what its strengths and weaknesses were. The most important feedback we received was that the script seemed to lack any sense of actual conflict or struggle that stopped our main protagonist getting what they were after, in this case, self-confidence, independence and being freed of grief. Suggestions were given, such as changing the attitudes of the characters to be more aggressive, causing friction that would help bring out the ‘drama’ from the script, or to use the location of a previous scene as a recurring motif almost, were we could use it as a playground to expand upon the more surreal parts of the film and display the battle of memory loss. Since the workshop, the script has gone under development and rewrites to accommodate for a better sense of conflict, with an extension of the dialogue in the ‘Therapy Scenes’.

Drama Pitch Ideas

Memory loss pitch from Phil Cullen

Graffiti film-power-point from Phil Cullen

Drama Film - 200 Word Analysis

Audiotour from Hard//Hoofd on Vimeo.

Audio Tour is a short drama about a woman who goes on an art museum audio tour which suddenly becomes a self-reflexive study on the world when the audio guide comes to life. Audio Tour blends light humour with blunt self reflexivity to create a bittersweet drama about a girl meandering along in life and not pursuing her dreams. The whole drama is told through narration/voiceover with the audio tour guide; the lead character (Sophie) does not speak for the duration of the film. When Sophie first puts on the headset, all of the sound drains out for a moment so that the only thing we can hear, initially, is the narrator. Though the voiceover dominates, there is still diegetic sound that can be heard, which helps to blend the surreal of the film to a real relatable world. The use of shot reverse shot between different characters and events that Sophie and the audio guide are observing shows her feelings and reactions toward each. This helps to build Sophie as a character as we see her perspective of things and see her seemingly happy, until the reality of her own life is literally reflected back at her.

Evaluation

Give a detailed critical analysis of the finished piece of work for this project, try to consider your work as a member of an audience and recognise what has worked well and what has not been as successful in your project. Try to be objective and weigh up the pros and cons focusing on the positive outcomes as well as the areas that have room for improvement. Reflect on what you would change if you could make the work again? (100 words)

I feel that the finished film has lots of strengths. Overall, the sound is very clear and crisp and interference with background noise that interrupts the contributors during their interviews is minimal. The only exception is the ambient street sounds that can sometimes be heard during Mark’s interview, however this is very subtle and actually helps to add a nice atmosphere. There are two moments in which the sound editing is a little weak, sometimes ending too bluntly but it is covered by music or a fade out. The cinematography is consistent throughout, with nice framing and there is a good story brought out by strong contributors.

Describe the process of making the work and your individual contribution. Did things work out differently from the way you had visualised them at the planning stage? What production issues did you encounter that caused problems during the creative process? (150 words)

Working as both Director, Producer and Assistant Editor meant that I was involved in each stage of production. The only things that I felt changed from the original conception was the direction of the story. This was caused by not being able to secure a particular contributor, however the content that we did get from our other contributors was enough to still create a good, nostalgic story. There were a couple of other production issues that occurred during the filming. Firstly, we had to secure a location to host an interview the day before it was meant to be filmed. This was solved by organising for it to be hosted at a local venue called, The Tramshed. A large issue was caused in post-production. Our editor kept prolonging to begin the edit and dropped of communication, meaning that the edit for the film was rushed and sloppy when first presented in our assessed presentation.

It is important to write in detail about what you have learnt during the project both technically and creatively. Outline specific skills you have developed because of making the work and new methods or approaches you have experimented with. (150 words)

This was my first time working as a Director and Producer on a production. I had little to no experience in the role of producer and so I feel that I have learnt a great deal over the course of this production. Contacting potential contributors and going back and forth in organising filming dates and interviews was at first quite unnerving, however I grew more confidence in the practice as I did this multiple times and grew comfortable with the contributors and staff. Hosting interviews was a new experience too but one that I really enjoyed and grew into the more I did them. The questions I asked I think helped to bring out some personal stories from each contributor that are reflected in the final film. This was also my first time editing a documentary, and so creating a story around interview material was a new approach that I learned to adapt to.

Reflect on how you worked as part of a team. Did all members contribute equally? What are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to teamwork? How can you improve your teamwork skills? (100 words)

I feel that we worked well as a team up until the post-production stage, in which there was a drop in commitment and professionalism. For the most part, there was great communication and activity, with everyone working on specific roles and sharing them on a Google Drive. Everyone made most of the shooting days and performed well in their roles. However, when it came to the editing, our editor didn’t perform to the standard and committed level that everyone else had. There was a drop in the level of communication and an unwillingness to work with the director to produce the edit for the film.