My final evaluation

1. EVALUATION
Rhys Sadler-Scott

2. PRODUCTION
PROCESS
EVALUATION

3. I think the strengths of my research came from the broad variety of pre existing
products I investigated, from television dramas, to other short films. I tried to
keep the subject matter broad and all inclusive. Through this method, my plan
was to include as many different aspects as I could without my film becoming
too busy or difficult to follow. I think it was my research on the soundtrack of
the film Inception, that helped my research the most. The quiet, contemplative
rack I chose is fairly similar to the soundtrack I eventually chose for my film.
Researching the soundtrack also helped me to understand how music can be
used to convey the thoughts and feelings of the characters involved in the film.
So that was definitely helpful. The weaker aspect of my research was the lack
of detail when I described the process of my filming experiments. I only went
into minor detail of what techniques and production tricks we used during the
making of the experiment. This is due to my focusing on other aspects of my
work and, unfairly, ignoring the research aspects a bit. This lack of detail might
have affected how I used the techniques I intended in my final short film,
though I am fairly confident that the effect was minimal, as I am very happy
with the final film as it stands.

4. The strength of my planning was that I knew almost straight away
what film I was going to make, which meant I could build the rest of
my work around that idea. This was very helpful in terms of keeping
my research and production experiments useful to me, as it
prevented my work from becoming to broad and wide for me to use
effectively. It also allowed me to refine the idea for my film a lot
more than I would have been able to otherwise, since I had a lot
more time to properly develop the outline of the story and
characters. The weakness of my planning comes from the same
subject, I was very focused on a singular idea when I was doing my
planning and research, since I knew very quickly what I wanted to
do. This single-minded focus might have prevented me from
exploring other film ideas to a satisfying degree. While this didn’t
effect my final product too heavily, it still might have prevented me
from making another film entirely or refining my idea to a better
degree.
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5. I think I managed my time quite well, as all of the required
coursework for this rotation was completed and handed in well
before my deadline. Though there were some moments when I was
in danger of falling behind on my coursework, I managed to keep
up by working outside of college when necessary, so all-in-all,
though I did occasionally get distracted from the work I was doing, I
always managed to keep up and prevent the quality of the work I
was doing from slipping. If I had more time to produce my final film,
I might have looked at the way the scenes were written and how
they conveyed the story I was trying to tell. Though I designed the
film to be open to different interperations, some people still find the
plot difficult to understand. Aside from that, I am satisfied with the
work that was produced and wouldn’t have needed any extra time
to finish it.

6. My work is very similar to the short film
titled: The Present. In the way close up
shots and intense angles are used.
While The Present usually has the camera at
eye level with the main character, my short
film often shows the character from a
downward perspective. This is done to show
the resolve and inner strength of the main
character in my film, who is struggling with
thoughts of suicide.

7. The audio of my film is similar to the track
“Time” From the inception soundtrack. The
track starts slowly and softly, barely audible in
the first few moments, then slowly, but surely
picks up steam and volume as time goes on,
like the soft, melancholic music of my film.
The main difference between the
music of the two films is the tone.
Time starts off as a reserved,
almost depressing tune, that
slowly becomes triumphant and
dramatic. Whereas the track of
my film starts and ends as a
contemplative piece, which never
changes tone, only volume.

8. My film is similar in the way it is
edited to the comedy film Hot Fuzz.
Which uses very fast editing
techniques in order to get lots of
information across very quickly. Due
to the short amount of time available
in my film, it too uses a lot of fast
editing to establish all of the
information before the time allotted
runs out.
The difference between the
products lies mostly in the
cinematography, my film is
slow paced, despite the fast
editing and is also shot almost
entirely in black and white. Hot
Fuzz is very quickly paced,
with many action scenes and
colour all the way through.

9. I think the strength of my film
lies mostly in the good quality
camera work. The Dutch
angles at the start of the film
are effective to show the
turmoil within the main
character without any
dialogue. And the shaky
tracking shots help to show
the isolation and instability of
the main’s psyche.
The style of the film is
complemented by having the first
three quarters in black and white,
to show how dull and unmotivated
the world around the main
character is. The transition into
colour was also timed and
implemented very smoothly.
If I could improve it, I might have tried to
make the lighting in certain scenes better
and the focus is sometimes off due to the
close up shots. I would have cleaned up the
overall quality of these things if I had the
time.
I think the acting by both
myself and Miss Whitethorn
was strong enough to carry
the film without making it
look too silly or
melodramatic. I am very
happy with this outcome as
the film’s whole focus is on
the main character.

10. My film will appeal to the 16-24 age range because of the dark themes
that are explored throughout. According to my survey, people within this
range enjoy films that tackle darker subjects like depression or suicide.
They also enjoy films with clear, simple stories and ambiguous endings.
All of this data is supported by the results I received on my survey and all
of these subjects were included in some shape or form in my short film.
This will help it to interest those who took the survey and most likely
others within the demographic.
Another thing that might appeal to the audience are the characters
involved, both of which are in a familiar setting and share the age of the
target audience, helping to make them relatable.

11. PEER
FEEDBAC
K

12.  What did you like about the product?
The storyline is very emotional. You really want to see what
happens in the end. The music really gets to you. I like the black
and white at the beginning and then it picks up when he sees the
girl
 What improvements could have been made to the product?
There are some parts that are out of focus.

13.  What did you like about the product?
The focus is very good in all of the shots. Clear and concise storyline.
The audio goes very well in the film and the sound effects stand out.
 What improvements could have been made to the product?
However, there is one scene which is very shaky which could have been
retaken. But all together the film is very good.

14.  What did you like about the product?
The main aspect I liked about this film was the camera angles. The
unfocused shots worked really well in reflecting the character’s
depressive mood. The shot with Libby was really creative and unique
and created a subtle but effective mood change.
 What improvements could have been made to the product?
The clock could have also had a stronger link to the scene, because it
confused me a bit.

15.  What do you agree with from your peer feedback?
There was definitely a change in the mood when Liberty appeared
onscreen. Though the visual effects were very obvious, the mood transition
is more subtle. Which was noticed in the peer feedback.
Compared to many other short films, the story is clear and simplistic. This
was done deliberately so that the plot would be easy to follow and the focus
would be more character-driven. It is easy to get invested in the main
character, as his troubles, especially at his age, are very relatable. And they
could overwhelm him quite easily. Which does encourage people to care
about him.
 What do you disagree with from your peer feedback?
The clock being tied into the scene might be confusing for some, but it
does have a specific purpose for being there and does tie into the
scene it is used in. Showing the main has little time to make his next
decision on what to do next. The shaky camera work and blurrier shots
are both deliberate, to show the instability and raw emotion of the main
character, so they both have a large purpose in being there.