Confined-Vimeo Settings HD from BDC on Vimeo.
Monday, 19 April 2010
Evaluation - Completed Short Film
Completed Short Film - Reflecting on your finished short film, what works well and how could your piece be improved? Think both technically and aesthetically. How does your piece conform to the codes and conventions of short film? Be specific, use screen shots from your own short film to help. Critically analyse your contribution as an individual to the project.
I feel that the short film "Confined" was a reasonably successful as we planned to create something challenging and ambitious. I personally feel that we achieved this task. When looking back on the final edit I noticed several parts that were not at the standard I was expecting. I feel that the short film has little technical flaws however when viewing the film on a projector I believe that the lighting in the fight scene was poor, as it was not clear to see from a spectators point of view. The scene was too dark and did not give enough impact for the audience. Our aim was for this to be a key scene that would concrete the complex narrative however I do not feel that this scene did our idea justice. Apart from this, the technical elements of our film were near professional standards. The soundtrack was recorded from a piano and then edited on a soundtrack programme. This shows our drive to do more than what was expected when creating the film.
I do not feel that our piece suffered aesthetically as I strongly believe that the overall look of "Confined" is professional, however one improvement that would be changed if I were to complete this unit again would be the narrative. I feel that the style and feel of the storyline was too ambitious for us as a group, especially as we tried to put across a complex story to an audience without much scripting/dialogue. A key strength aesthetically would be the continuity of our film; the fear scenes can prove this. Within “Confined” there are three fears, each of these elements are shown with a glitchy, fast paced/cut style. Each fear also had a vignette that added to the dream like scenarios, the rest of the footage had no vignette which essentially represents reality (See Below).
vignette Represents Fear Scenes
No Vignette Represents Reality
Short films do not follow many codes and conventions, apart from the length of the film. We followed this convention. We also tried to create a film that could easily be recognisable as a short film. We aimed to create an original unheard of storyline and also targeted a niche audience that most short films do.
I personally feel that I was a key member of our group and contributed to each department of the creation of “Confined” from pre-production to post-production I believe that I put in effort to get the best result for the film and the group. My main role during pre-production was the storyboards as I drew the images representing the scenes and camera shots that were going to be used in the film. Another task that I completed was the blogging, I posted several times on the groups blog showing our progression throughout pre-production.
Throughout production I feel that the whole group shared an equal responsibility for the film, and I honestly believe that our film would have come out a lot worse if we hadn’t worked together as well as we did as a group. I was the main actor for the film, we struggled to find an actor and the group decided that I should play the main character “Sean” however I still think that I also contributed to the framing of shots particularly those without “Sean” in. I also found an actor to play an un-named character within the lift scene, I helped film this scene and found the location in which we used.
Pre-production is where I personally feel that I am most comfortable and confident. This is shown as I had taken a huge responsibility for the soundtrack, voiceover for police officer and phone sounds. When creating the soundtrack I used my sister to play the piano and recorded it into the computer. From this Ryan was able to edit to chords and melody that my sister had performed. I also used my dad to voice the police officer, I recorded my dad through my Mac and also wrote the script. I edited the dialogue and then imported it into Final Cut Pro. Throughout the editing period I went up to the edit suite independently several times to make sure that we was ahead of schedule and did not fall behind.
I feel that the short film "Confined" was a reasonably successful as we planned to create something challenging and ambitious. I personally feel that we achieved this task. When looking back on the final edit I noticed several parts that were not at the standard I was expecting. I feel that the short film has little technical flaws however when viewing the film on a projector I believe that the lighting in the fight scene was poor, as it was not clear to see from a spectators point of view. The scene was too dark and did not give enough impact for the audience. Our aim was for this to be a key scene that would concrete the complex narrative however I do not feel that this scene did our idea justice. Apart from this, the technical elements of our film were near professional standards. The soundtrack was recorded from a piano and then edited on a soundtrack programme. This shows our drive to do more than what was expected when creating the film.
I do not feel that our piece suffered aesthetically as I strongly believe that the overall look of "Confined" is professional, however one improvement that would be changed if I were to complete this unit again would be the narrative. I feel that the style and feel of the storyline was too ambitious for us as a group, especially as we tried to put across a complex story to an audience without much scripting/dialogue. A key strength aesthetically would be the continuity of our film; the fear scenes can prove this. Within “Confined” there are three fears, each of these elements are shown with a glitchy, fast paced/cut style. Each fear also had a vignette that added to the dream like scenarios, the rest of the footage had no vignette which essentially represents reality (See Below).
vignette Represents Fear Scenes
No Vignette Represents Reality
Short films do not follow many codes and conventions, apart from the length of the film. We followed this convention. We also tried to create a film that could easily be recognisable as a short film. We aimed to create an original unheard of storyline and also targeted a niche audience that most short films do.
I personally feel that I was a key member of our group and contributed to each department of the creation of “Confined” from pre-production to post-production I believe that I put in effort to get the best result for the film and the group. My main role during pre-production was the storyboards as I drew the images representing the scenes and camera shots that were going to be used in the film. Another task that I completed was the blogging, I posted several times on the groups blog showing our progression throughout pre-production.
Throughout production I feel that the whole group shared an equal responsibility for the film, and I honestly believe that our film would have come out a lot worse if we hadn’t worked together as well as we did as a group. I was the main actor for the film, we struggled to find an actor and the group decided that I should play the main character “Sean” however I still think that I also contributed to the framing of shots particularly those without “Sean” in. I also found an actor to play an un-named character within the lift scene, I helped film this scene and found the location in which we used.
Pre-production is where I personally feel that I am most comfortable and confident. This is shown as I had taken a huge responsibility for the soundtrack, voiceover for police officer and phone sounds. When creating the soundtrack I used my sister to play the piano and recorded it into the computer. From this Ryan was able to edit to chords and melody that my sister had performed. I also used my dad to voice the police officer, I recorded my dad through my Mac and also wrote the script. I edited the dialogue and then imported it into Final Cut Pro. Throughout the editing period I went up to the edit suite independently several times to make sure that we was ahead of schedule and did not fall behind.
Evaluation - Influences
Influences – how have the short films that you have studied/researched influenced your own production? Be specific, think about use of camera, music, titles, structure, narrative etc. What else has influenced you other than short films? News story? Personal incident? Inspiration week?
I personally feel that our short film “Confined” is very original and unheard of. As a group I don’t believe that we gained much inspiration from short films and other media texts to create this idea. I would say that we possibly was inspired by Rubber Johnny created by Chris Cunningham, I would suggest this as we used a lot of fast paced cuts re-creating a glitchy effect which was used in the short film/music video. Shane Meadows short film “The Stairwell” was an inspiration when creating mood and tone of the fears used in our film. “The Stairwell” is dingy, gloomy and contains low-key lighting. After watching “The Stairwell” I believe that this was a definite look that we wanted to achieve and re-create within our dramatic fear scenes.
Shot From "Stairwell"
Shot From "Confined"
When creating the sound track we was hugely influence by an artist called “Adele” and her track “Hometown Glory” As a group we decided that the piano chords at the beginning of the track would perfectly set the scene and would be informative for its audience as it represents the main character “Sean’s” personality. Instead of using the instrumental of this track we decided to record it via midi cable connected to a piano and then manipulate it by adding new sounds and slowing down the chords.
I personally feel that our short film “Confined” is very original and unheard of. As a group I don’t believe that we gained much inspiration from short films and other media texts to create this idea. I would say that we possibly was inspired by Rubber Johnny created by Chris Cunningham, I would suggest this as we used a lot of fast paced cuts re-creating a glitchy effect which was used in the short film/music video. Shane Meadows short film “The Stairwell” was an inspiration when creating mood and tone of the fears used in our film. “The Stairwell” is dingy, gloomy and contains low-key lighting. After watching “The Stairwell” I believe that this was a definite look that we wanted to achieve and re-create within our dramatic fear scenes.
Shot From "Stairwell"
Shot From "Confined"
When creating the sound track we was hugely influence by an artist called “Adele” and her track “Hometown Glory” As a group we decided that the piano chords at the beginning of the track would perfectly set the scene and would be informative for its audience as it represents the main character “Sean’s” personality. Instead of using the instrumental of this track we decided to record it via midi cable connected to a piano and then manipulate it by adding new sounds and slowing down the chords.
Evaluation - Audience
Audience – In what ways does your short film target an audience? Think about the techniques that you have used i.e. content, choice of music, pace of editing etc. You will be presenting your completed short films to a year 12 group. What feedback did your questionnaire provide you? What is your analysis of the comments made? Could you use more appropriate New Media methods of receiving audience feedback? Facebook, Vimeo, YouTube etc.
Short films target niche audiences. “Confined” follows this convention as the narrative is complex and would not be easily understood by passive spectators. I also believe that an active audience would struggle to grasp the storyline and this is an overall weakness of “Confined”.
“Confined” has an abstract narrative;this could help attract short film fanatics. Word of mouth could help promote our film within the niche audience environment. The music and pace of editing could also attract our audience, as they are so opposing and different. This factor adds to our film and creates anunusual experience when watching. The soundtrack is slow and calm, this attracts a neutralrelaxed audience where as the pace of editing within the fear scenes is fast and dynamic. This helps bring the story to life and keeps the audiences attention. I strongly believe that these two contrasting elements attract an audience as it offers something different, and difference is all what short films are about.
As a group we recently showed our short film to a year 12 class, this was a positive experience as we got a chance to get some feedback regarding our film. We were eager to find out if they agreed with the flaws that we had found with the film “Confined”. We were also interested in finding out if the year 12 class noticed anything that we had missed when we watched the film.
When reading over the questionnaires that the year 12 class completed, there were both positive and negative comments generally offering constructive criticism. Several students suggested that the scene with Sean looking out of the window in a variety of different shot angles lasted too long and didn’t keep their attention. We received mainly positive comments regarding the soundtrack one student stated
“The soundtrack gave an eerie feel, but also somewhat comforting”
“The piano soundtrack helped set the mood”
I strongly agree with these comments as the soundtrack was created to give off that effect for its audience.
One of the most controversial subjects within “Confined” was the lighting of certain scenes within the film. This issue raised several different opinions and points of view within the questionnaire. It was interesting to find out what people thought about the lighting, I believe that these are some of the statements that help sum up what people felt after watching the film.
“I felt some of the key scenes were too dark, but what we couldn’t see kept a sense of mystery”
“The lighting was too dark in certain points of the film”
I agree with these statements however when viewing the film on a projector where it has been stretched it becomes harder to see and darker. However when watching it on a computer screen I feel that the lighting is suitable and does help set the mood and tone of the film.
With the convergence of technology I believe that using the internet is an easy way to attract an audience and gain feedback. I have used new media methods including my personal Vimeo channel and blogger to upload “Confined” However as of yet I have not received any comments.
Short films target niche audiences. “Confined” follows this convention as the narrative is complex and would not be easily understood by passive spectators. I also believe that an active audience would struggle to grasp the storyline and this is an overall weakness of “Confined”.
“Confined” has an abstract narrative;this could help attract short film fanatics. Word of mouth could help promote our film within the niche audience environment. The music and pace of editing could also attract our audience, as they are so opposing and different. This factor adds to our film and creates anunusual experience when watching. The soundtrack is slow and calm, this attracts a neutralrelaxed audience where as the pace of editing within the fear scenes is fast and dynamic. This helps bring the story to life and keeps the audiences attention. I strongly believe that these two contrasting elements attract an audience as it offers something different, and difference is all what short films are about.
As a group we recently showed our short film to a year 12 class, this was a positive experience as we got a chance to get some feedback regarding our film. We were eager to find out if they agreed with the flaws that we had found with the film “Confined”. We were also interested in finding out if the year 12 class noticed anything that we had missed when we watched the film.
When reading over the questionnaires that the year 12 class completed, there were both positive and negative comments generally offering constructive criticism. Several students suggested that the scene with Sean looking out of the window in a variety of different shot angles lasted too long and didn’t keep their attention. We received mainly positive comments regarding the soundtrack one student stated
“The soundtrack gave an eerie feel, but also somewhat comforting”
“The piano soundtrack helped set the mood”
I strongly agree with these comments as the soundtrack was created to give off that effect for its audience.
One of the most controversial subjects within “Confined” was the lighting of certain scenes within the film. This issue raised several different opinions and points of view within the questionnaire. It was interesting to find out what people thought about the lighting, I believe that these are some of the statements that help sum up what people felt after watching the film.
“I felt some of the key scenes were too dark, but what we couldn’t see kept a sense of mystery”
“The lighting was too dark in certain points of the film”
I agree with these statements however when viewing the film on a projector where it has been stretched it becomes harder to see and darker. However when watching it on a computer screen I feel that the lighting is suitable and does help set the mood and tone of the film.
With the convergence of technology I believe that using the internet is an easy way to attract an audience and gain feedback. I have used new media methods including my personal Vimeo channel and blogger to upload “Confined” However as of yet I have not received any comments.
Evaluation - Distribution
Distribution – Now that your short film is completed, how are you going to distribute it? What online distribution outlets can you submit your short film to? How do you go about doing this? What about film festivals, short film competitions. We want you to actually do this for real and provide evidence of this on your blog. Be realistic however, for example flying to L.A to enter Raindance probably isn’t going to happen!
Distribution is a key part of filmmaking as it allows people to access your film in a variety of different media texts. In this case with “Confined” we have utilized modern media methods to distribute our film for e.g. embedding videos to Blogger and uploading the film to a Vimeo channel. I personally believe there is a lot of potential with online distribution however as a group we have not yet received the feedback that we was hoping for. Social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace can also help promote our film. Millions of people use these websites daily. Social networking sites offer an opportunity to distribute our film to all these users. It is also a free advertisement that is hugely beneficial for young filmmakers in general and us as a group.
After researching about short film and short film festivals I feel that BBC film network is ideal for us as a group and the film itself. To send our film into this short film network that is based in central London, we need to apply for a contract sheet for copyright reasons. After the group has all signed the contract we can then send “Confined” to the BBC.
We also looked into sending our film into “Encounters Film Festival” This will be hugely beneficial for the promotion of our film as it will enable short film fanatics access to the film direct at the festival. There is a slight issue with “Encounters Film Festival” The issue is group funds as we will need to gather money as a group for an upload fee to join “Encounters Film Festival”
Distribution is a key part of filmmaking as it allows people to access your film in a variety of different media texts. In this case with “Confined” we have utilized modern media methods to distribute our film for e.g. embedding videos to Blogger and uploading the film to a Vimeo channel. I personally believe there is a lot of potential with online distribution however as a group we have not yet received the feedback that we was hoping for. Social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace can also help promote our film. Millions of people use these websites daily. Social networking sites offer an opportunity to distribute our film to all these users. It is also a free advertisement that is hugely beneficial for young filmmakers in general and us as a group.
After researching about short film and short film festivals I feel that BBC film network is ideal for us as a group and the film itself. To send our film into this short film network that is based in central London, we need to apply for a contract sheet for copyright reasons. After the group has all signed the contract we can then send “Confined” to the BBC.
We also looked into sending our film into “Encounters Film Festival” This will be hugely beneficial for the promotion of our film as it will enable short film fanatics access to the film direct at the festival. There is a slight issue with “Encounters Film Festival” The issue is group funds as we will need to gather money as a group for an upload fee to join “Encounters Film Festival”
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