1. EVALUATIO
N
William Thirlaway

2. PRODUCTION
PROCESS
EVALUATION

3.  Something from my research which was very useful in my film
was discovering that most post-apocalyptic dramas use earthy
and dirty colours when doing the colour grading. I used this in for
my short film, with emphasis on greens and yellows.
 A weaker side of my research was the research into box office
revenue of my genre, as although it is interesting information, it
wasn’t particularly useful when making the short film, and I
didn’t need to refer to it.
 Something that would’ve improved my research would be some
research into how post-apocalyptic drama’s light different shots as
typically electricity wouldn’t be an option narratively, and I
could’ve been more creative using candles or other light sources.

4.  For my planning, one of my strengths is that I managed to plan it
so that it worked out at exactly a minute, which took a great
amount of precision.
 Another strength of my planning was that I thought about and
prepared the props I needed in advance so I was prepared when it
came to shooting and it meant I was able to acquire all the props I
needed in order to make my location look effective.
 A weakness of my planning is that I didn't take into account
certain details, such as why the desk is so clean, or why the lights
are on, as in an apocalypse there would be no electricity. If I was
to improve this for the future, I would find a way to use natural
light, or make it look like I was using natural light in order to
make it more realistic. I would also use a bit of dirt or dust to
make the location look messier.

5.  My time management went well. I managed to shoot my project
within the space of an hour and a half and I spent a few hours
editing.
 My project would’ve remained mostly the same if I had more time,
however, I would’ve spent more time with my colour grading, to
ensure I had the perfect colour grade for the image I intended to
portray, which I managed to do well, but not perfectly as I ran out
of time.
 During my shoot, I tried to ensure that all logos and brands were
hidden from shot, however, after watching the footage back, I
have realised that I wasn’t 100% successful. This is something I
would’ve fixed if I had the time.

6. I filmed and
exported in 4K in
order to allow
the maximum
amount of detail
to be seen in my
short film
In The Walking Dead
they pulled focus much
more than I did which
helps to demonstrate
depth. This is
something I will use in
the future.
I used a large amount
of low angle shots in my
film in order to give a
sense of looming doom.
This technique is also
used in The Walking
Dead.

7. In my short
film, I used a
minimalistic
amount of
sound which I
added with
ADR in order to
make the scene
feel tense and
dramatic. This
was better than
using on set
recordings as it
meant the
background
noise was very
minimal.
I added the sound of a ticking
watch all the way through
the piece in order to create a
sense of tension, as if time
was 'running out'. When the
main character puts the
bottle down onto the table, I
added a bassy 'boom' sound in
order to re-enforce the
dramatic tension that's
created with the ticking
watch. In the last few seconds
the ticking watch gets loader
in order to suggest to the
audience that time has run
out and that the struggle that
he was experiencing is over.
I added music over
the top of the scene
which I faded in
during the title. The
music I used was
slow and in a minor
key, in order to
connote to the
audience the sadness
and depression that
the main character
was feeling and give
feeling of lack of hope
which is present right
up until the end
when the protagonist
lowers the gun.

8. I used dark colouring in
my short film in order
to set the dark tone.
This contrasts slightly
with The Walking
Dead, which use lighter,
but still gritty and
earthy colours.
I added cinematic borders
to my footage in order to
make it feel more
cinematic and
professional. The Walking
Dead, however, doesn't
add cinematic borders as it
is more typically seen in
film, than TV.
I added a few features
to my footage during
the editing process. I
added titles at the
beginning to give the
audience information,
and I also cut the last
moments to black sound
continued.

9. In my questionnaire I
asked if people would
want to watch a
drama with dark
subject matters in it,
such as suicide, and
10/11 people said that
they would. Based on
this I decided to go
ahead and include the
subject of suicide in
my short film.
My short film appealed to my target
audience because I kept it intense and left a
lot of mystery which allowed the audience
to decide for themselves what they think
it's about/what happened. This is appealing
because it keeps the film exciting even
though it's on for such a short time, it
makes it feel much bigger and longer.

10. PEER
FEEDBAC
K

11.  What did you like about the product?
 I liked the camera angles as a lot of close-ups were used, focusing
on different objects on set, making you think about their
significance.
 What improvements could have been made to the product?
 The colouring for one of the shots could've been improved in order
to keep consistency with the rest of the film.

12.  What did you like about the product?
 There is a feeling of suspense as the ticking watch added a sense of
time running out.
 What improvements could have been made to the product?
 The location used was too clean for the setting of the story and
would've been messier.

13.  What did you like about the product?
 The colouring emphasised the grittiness of the film and set the
tone of the story.
 What improvements could have been made to the product?
 Some shots could've been clearer, you can't read the writing on the
picture very well.

14.  What do you agree with from your peer feedback?
 I agree that the colouring could've been more consistent from shot
to shot.
 I also agree that some of the shots, specifically the one with the
writing on the picture, could've been clearer and I would've re-
filmed them if I had more time.
 What do you disagree with from your peer feedback?
 I disagree with the comment about the location being messier as
although it is set in an apocalypse, it doesn't necessarily mean
everything is dirty, and possibly has been recently cleaned if
someone is still living there.

15.  Based on my peer feedback, if I was to make any changes to my
short film, I would spend more time making sure the colouring is
completely consistent throughout the entire sequence. I would also
reshoot some of the shots to ensure they are clearer and readable.
 Another thing I would change if I was to change anything is to
have another shot featuring a newspaper which would set the
scene of the story. This was something I originally planned to do,
but ended up cutting as I couldn't get the prop newspaper on in
time.