Weekly production reflection

1. STAGE 5
PRODUCTION
REFLECTIONS

2. This week we planned out our short film. We watched a range of short films and noted down techniques and
camera angles that they used. We then learned about more camera work and production techniques. After this, we
began to write down our initial reactions to these films. Once we had completed this, we began idea generation on
a short film idea of our own. My idea is about a man who finds a watch and then discovers he can freeze time with
the watch. The watch eventually becomes his downfall due to greed. We then created a mind map to list ideas
bout what might happen in the film and also made a mood board. After we had finished this we conducted a survey
using SurveyMonkey.com to collect primary research. We then collected the results and analysed them to find out
what genders liked what films, what age people like a certain genre etc.

3. This week we carried on with our research into short films. We were conducting secondary research this week. I
researched films that were similar to mine to see what ratings they had and what customers liked about this type
of film. I found this difficult however as my idea isn't very common. Instead, I found a film that had similarities to
mine (such as time travel) to see what ratings and sales it made. I went over to YouGov.com to find out about
audiences as well. This has helped me to identify a target audience which is younger males aged between 16-24.
After the completion of secondary research, we began looking at production techniques. We found 3 films or TV
series that had good production techniques such as music, editing and special effects and we identified possible
similar techniques that we could use in our short films. I chose "The Walking Dead" for the editing and choice of
shots in a scene with no dialogue as our films aren't supposed to have dialogue. I then chose "Saving Private
Ryan" for its sound track as in the opening scene I found that it engaged the viewer emotionally with the film.
Finally, I chose "Lord Of The Rings" for its use of editing in the Black Gate battle scene in the final film. The use
of slow motion creates a dramatic effect that hooks the viewer as they can see the characters every move very
closely. The use of shots is also very helpful if I was to film an action scene.
I then looked at the BBFC website to find out about film certificates and determine what rating my film should be.
I figured that my film should be no higher than a 12A because there will be no gore/drugs/nudity etc. but it should
also be no lower as the plot could confuse younger viewers.
After this, I created a proposal on a word document to plan out my film. I deciphered the name of my film, that
being "Stop Motion". I settled on this name because the man stops time and a stop motion is a type of film so it is
a little play on words. Within my proposal I also explained the full concept and identified my audience in detail. I
also filled in a detailed schedule saying what specifically I would film on what day and talked about production
techniques. I came to the conclusion that I will not be using much special effects as I want the film to appear as
realistic as possible.
We then filled out a story development worksheet. This was so we could further generate ideas on our short films.

4. This week we focused on planning the actual filming process we will carry out next week. We filled out a call sheet,
shot list, contingency plan, risk assessment, story development and permission forms.
The call sheet has information on contact information and the roles of each member making the film. I filled out my
shot list and ended up with 15 shots. This is definitely enough to make a 60 second short film. The contingency
plan is a list of things that could potentially go wrong so you plan what you are going to do if these things happen.
For example, if the SD card we take out is full, the prevention measure for this would be to format the SD card and
maybe take a spare one. The risk assessment is taking all risks into account and thinking of a solution/prevention
measure once the risk and hazard have been identified. for example, the risk could be someone tripping over the
equipment and the safety measure is obviously be careful and watch where you're going. My story development
helped to identify plot holes and expand the story (if needed) to help the story make more sense. I have not yet
filled out a permission form as I will be filming in a public place that can be accessed by anyone. I will also film a
few scenes in my house.

5. This week I have continued planning out my short film. I have extended and added to my shot list. For example, I
have changed some of my shots to make my film look better and I have added some extra shots so that my film
will definitely reach the one minute mark. This has also helped my story develop more by adding more shots. I
think that my film will definitely reach 1 minute but I think it will be hard to edit.

6. This week I have been filming and editing my short film. We filmed on Saturday the
16th of December and everything went to plan. There was no problems with the
camera or location. For editing, the first thing I did was import the clips from the SD
card into the premiere pro program. I then arranged the clips in the order of the films
storyboard and trimmed them down. I then added simple transitions so the flow of the
film was better. The main transitions I used were dip to white/black and the film
dissolve transition. After all the clips were in order and had been cut down, I found a
royalty free music track to add to my film. I was going to make the track run all the way
through the film but it only sounded good whilst the character froze time so I cut the
song down to the duration of time where the character has frozen time. I then made a
title card for the beginning of the film. To do this I followed a YouTube tutorial. The title
card is one of my shots with a black video on top. I then wrote the title of my film onto
the back video and using the tutorial to help, I made the text transparent so that you
could see the shot through the text.
I have also added a glitch effect into my film. I have also followed a YouTube tutorial to
do this. I first had make many cuts in one clip and then delete every other frame. After
this, I copied each frame and placed it above the original frame. I then changed the
position of the copied frame and changed the opacity. I also changed the colour. I did
this to each frame so that the glitch effect was created. Finally, I exported my film.