The document provides an evaluation of a film production process by William Thirlaway. It covers various aspects of the process including research, planning, time management, technical qualities, aesthetic qualities, audience appeal, and peer feedback. For research, Thirlaway found inspiration from other heist films. For planning, a script and shot list were created. Some challenges were faced with time management and finding suitable locations. Technical aspects like camera settings and post-production editing are described. Aesthetic choices like handheld camerawork are discussed. Audience preferences determined aspects like the serious tone. Peer feedback addressed likes such as dramatic elements, and improvements such as shortening a slow-motion sequence.

1. Evaluation
William Thirlaway

2. Production Process Evaluation

3. Research
• My research into other films in the heist genre has helped my product
greatly because it allowed me to have some insight into the generic traits
and techniques of the genre and allowed me to take these to use in my
own way in my film. This research was part of my inspiration to use slow-
motion sequences within my film which I did and were very effective.
• Something I could done to improve my research would have been to
research different posters and promotional content, such as trailers, in
order to help me with my posters and content. This however didn’t effect
things too much and the posters still turned out well.

4. Planning
• For my planning I created a script and a shot list in order to help me to
know during my shoot which shots I needed to get and helped me figure
out when to shoot each bit. The shot list was especially helpful as it meant
I didn't need to keep hunting through the script for the different bits to
shoot and instead had it all laid out in front of me.
• Something I could've done to improve my planning could've been to
create a storyboard of my script in order to have a visual representation of
each shot so I could give my actors and crew a better and clearer
understanding of the shots I had in mind.

5. Time Management
• For my film I planned varies days of shooting which I planned out so I
could get everything I needed shot during the shoot. This worked out well
and I managed to get everything shot within the shoot times.
• I did however run into some problems with time management in regards
to planning when I would have my shoot days and was slightly delayed
with my schedule due to difficulties such as having trouble finding a
shooting location or difficulty getting all the actors I need on set. I have,
however, managed to overcome this issue and still managed to get all my
footage filmed in time to put it all together.
• If I had more time I would've attempted to find better locations to work
with, such as a more believable bank vault and interrogation room as I
wasn't 100% happy with the locations I ended up using. I would also

6. Technical Qualities
• For my film I shot mostly in 4K at 23.97fps which I did in order to get the most cinematic
quality of filming possible from my footage. The only exception to this was for the two slow
motion sequences within the film which were shot at 1080p at 120fps, which was then
upscaled and formatted to 4K 23.97 in post, due to limitations with the camera.
• During the editing process I stitched together in sequence, making sure it all flowed
smoothly and as I wanted it to. After this, I then colored the clips in order to make them
look nicer, more cinematic and to give the film a constant tone. After correcting the colour,
pulled out the orange in the highlights slightly and the blue in the shadows in order to
create what is known as the 'Hollywood look' which is common colouring in movies. I also
added a blue tint in the colour for all scenes set in the present in order to show the cold,
clinical nature of the bank.
• After I had finished shooting I moved onto editing the sound and creating the music. I
created all the music myself using Garage Band and timed them all to my edit and altered
both the music and the edit so that they fit together. When editing the sound I overlapped
over bits of audio to make the sound flow smoothly and to try and prevent the audience
from noticing the different shots and to make the dialogue flow smoothly. I also altered the
volumes of the sounds so they all sounded level with each other and so the music didn't
overpower any dialogue. Finally I added some external sounds, such as a gun shot in the
slow-motion sequence, which I edited in Adobe Audition in order to adjust it to fit the
sequence.

7. Aesthetic Qualities
• For my film I chose to shoot entirely handheld in order to create a sense of
urgency a bank heist would have, which is created by the motion of the
camera. This is especially apparent in the one take action sequence near the
beginning of the film when the criminals enter the bank. During the
sequence I had the camera move to different focuses within the scene in
order to create a motion blur which adds to the sense of urgency.
• I used a range of different close-up shots in order to show additional
information, such as, the shot of all the characters pulling bags out from
under a car and of the back bumper of the van as it pulls up.

8. Audience Appeal
• For my research I did a questionnaire where people said in a heist genre they
wanted to see action and a police chase and appealing to my audience, I have
added those things to my film. I filmed a slow-motion police chase in order to
add impact and tension to the film, showing the consequences of the decisions
made by the characters.
• In my questionnaire people said that they'd rather see a serious take on the
heist genre as apposed to a comedic take. This is something I have done in my
film, creating a crime drama which has high tension and intensity, which is made
apparent by the fast shots and close-ups in moments, as well as being shot
entirely handheld.

9. Peer
Feedback

10. Feedback 1
• What did you like about the product?
– I like the poses you do in the product, it gives it a dramatic feel.
– I really like the font in the product, it lets me know what type of
genre it is.
– The lighting is really well done I can see everything of the image,
and the lack of bright colours gives the product a gritty feel.
– I love the use of slow motion in your video, it makes it feel very
dramatic.
• What improvements could have been made to the
product?
– You could have maybe had a bit more on the poster.
– The start of the video is a bit too shaky, however its not too
much of a problem.

11. Feedback 2
• What did you like about the product?
– First of all, I think the poster is decent and is very suiting to
the advert. At the start of the clip I thought all the angles
were great and the music wasn’t to loud and fit well. I liked
the individual shots of each character to get a good look at
them separately. The classic slow motion scene was
perfect and each character did their part perfectly. It
caught my attention and I personally wouldn't mind seeing
the full production.
• What improvements could have been made to the
product?
– For improvements, I think instead of using a image from
the clip take some separate shots in another location or
individual ones to get a better image.

12. Feedback 3
• What did you like about the product?
– I like the video transitions at the start showing the different
characters in the film. The introduction to the film is also quite
good as it shows the setting etc. The hand-held camera shots
are quite effective, making it feel real and making the viewer
feel like they are there. The different camera angles and quick
changes throughout are also very effective. The effect on the
font is very impressive.
• What improvements could have been made to the
product
– I think that the slow motion part of the film was a bit too long,
making it drag on, meaning the film could have been a bit
shorter.

13. Peer Feedback Summary
• What do you agree with from your peer
feedback?
– I agree that the first slow-motion sequence was too
long, and fortunately have had the opportunity to
shorten it and correct it.
• What do you disagree with from your peer
feedback?
– I disagree with the statement saying that the footage
at the beginning is too shaky as this was intentional in
order to portray the movement in the vehicle which
the characters are in.

14. Peer Feedback Summary
• For improvements to my work, some changes I
would've made would be to take some different images
for the posters in different locations to give a wider
range of the film and give the audience a better idea of
what it's about.
• I have also already taken into account the feedback to
shorten my slow-motion sequence and managed to
shorten it last minute before I finished my film. This
made a huge improvement to what it was before and
stopped the film feeling like it was dragging.