unit 12 Evaluation

INtroduction

Overall, I am contempt with the outcome of this assignment. Throughout this unit, the focus was one director research and interpretation primarily through written theming and the video itself. In this evaluation, I will refer to the Gibbs Reflective Cycle to analyse my efforts and find what I must work on and prioritize going into the FMP, which is the central focus of this course.

For the assignment, I chose to study Damien Chazelle as he is an influential director in the light I interpret film generally so this felt like a perfect opportunity to examine his work in more depth and draw my own conclusions. As a result, I believe my messaging and preparation in the written work is strong and to it’s fullest whereas the translation into the final short film was lost and needs work for future. 

research

To begin, I had to compile a research paper of minimum 1500 words to hit the assignment brief, focusing on Chazelle’s career, style and influences. As there were so many areas I wanted to look into, I stretched this into multiple research papers each with a different focus but a clear overall goal. As a result, my word count may be far too long but I believe everything covered was necessary analysis that tied into my finished production. 

Throughout the research sections, I maintained a consistent reflection and references to how this information was going to be useful which presents a strong continuity and understanding of context. Additionally, with the guide of Attila and Fahmida, I was able to consolidate my ambitions by researching historical aspects such as Chazelle’s sources and directors who influenced him. I am proud of the information I assembled and I think the formating is clear and logical. I have had surveys to look over my website and they can clealy find information they are after with interest on the page.

Under this umbrella, let’s look at the types of information I gathered and its application. Alongside the core research paper studying Chazelle directly, I created three film case studies on his primary films, a technical research on LOG format to support the brief and theme analysis. The three case studies are vital for my approach to this unit as I took more detail into specific scenes in order to tie Chazelle’s style into a 3 minute short film as something akin to a ‘greatest hits’ analysis. For this assignment and the time limit on the video, all of the elements I wanted to include may have been too ambitious and didn’t all end up beign useful but I was able to gage my limits and learn to reign in my response for clearer messaging. 

Furthermore, I am thankful to Fahmida for pointing me in a direction to format my theming into its own page as it clearly shows my intentions to be assessed. This is something that wasn’t on the original plan but will be something I factor in going forward. It was useful for me to write my personal themings and ties as I could formulate a cohesive account of my experiences rather than it just swimming in my mind without the examiner knowing the truth. As a result, this theming makes this my story to tell using this style and injects more connection into the final video. 

Moreover, I needed to include something technical in my research. I was concerned by the prospect of using LOG format for this assignment and needed to make sure I understood it. However, as my focus wasn’t here due to my overall ambitions of following a production management role over direct camera work. As a result, this research paper was limited and ultimately didn’t inform my technical skills as much as it probably should’ve. To be honest, again this will not be an area I prioritize in FMP due to reasons above. By the end of the course, I must know how to work the camera but have those around me focusing on that side that I can work well with. 

However, my central comment with research was my time management. Although I looked into all aspects stated above, I found it difficult to fit compiling write ups into my schedule so many of these fell into the last couple of weeks after filming. This meant that I found more research that couldn’t directly inform the film. For my FMP, I must get my research completed in stages to support the scenes of my production.

pre production

Next in the process, as usual, I needed to refine my ideas in the pre production documents. This is the area of the process which I plan on going into following college studies, hence why it was my priority in the production stages. I clearly layed out a schedule for the 8 weeks in terms of which part of production should be completed. The only area I fell behind was on the research as stated above. Apart from that, I had a clear structure of completing a segment of the unit everyday to ease out the workload as to not burn out. In future for FMP, I will recycle this technique. 

Continuing, I had a strong foundation for a personal story which I developed through my music choice, synopsis and story treatment. It was this constant repetition and refinement of ideas, in conjunction to Chazelle, that gave me a clear vision. This is a process I have refined over the last year and will carry into FMP. I did struggle when it came to scripting as I was aiming for a dialoguless film but I, after looking into how Chazelle structured his for the same type, this became clearer. For my FMP, I must continue to make sure all my choices are informed and find the information to help if I struggle. 

In terms of shot list and storyboard, I ended up completing the shot list first before visualising the framing stated there into the storyboard. This is unconventional and probably shouldn’t be my technique going forward but I need a written description first before translation to stills. My stick figures make sense and aren’t artistically detailed to waste time. However, if this were a professional production, I wouldn’t draw the figures myself. 

I also created location plans, call sheets and video consent forms for the on location shot to cover all areas. For the FMP I will also need to run a risk assessment for the location. RGS were very receptive to the consent forms and they found it useful to know what I was after. This shows that my communication and planning was well thought through and I must continue this system in future.

production

Production was separated into two days which I already discussed as a reflective entry in my Production page. In terms of evaluating the days, for the first day at RGS I don’t believe I sticked to the shot list as much as planned which had benefits and draw backs. The benefits were my flexibility, especially when it came to the surprise extra lens, and willingness to experiment. However, I had a flawed production due to missing or unfocused shots along with little use of my tripod, resulting in several shaky shots. For this shot, I wasn’t aware of the ins and outs of the concert in terms of bands and instruments playing. In future, I should make myself more aware of the in house schedule and factor that into a plan of which shots I should get at which time. 

For the second day at college in the studio, as mentioned previously, there were many variables that fell into place due to Jacob filming on the same day. I got lucky with the costume available rather than what I bought and relied on the props in the drama studio. Had these things not been present, the production would’ve fallen apart and I’d have no film. In future, once again, I must scout the location in advance to make note of what’s available for the shoot. Be that as it may, I had thoroughly considered the shots and framing that I could hand to Ben and Korben to film. Due to the storyboard, Shot list and my verbal synopsis they were completely on board with no questions and this resulted in the shots we needed. This identified that I am able to convey my vision as a director with ease due to the long process that went into pre production for the shoot.

post production

The final stage of the assignment was editing and gaining feedback. Due to my research into LOG format, I was able to quickly find a LUT preset that could be applied as a basic filter before adjustments for my vision. In future, I may spend more time on the colour grade and try to reduce my reliance on the LUT. However, on the time scale I had with my schedule, I couldn’t afford to spend a few days builing up a grade. This acted as a shortcut. Since this was my first time using LOG, it was a good way of establishing how to control the image. I believe I now have more confidence to explore a colour grade from the base up in future.

Moreover, a fundamental aspect of my final edit I ended up removing was the archival montage inspired by Babylon to feature RGS and found footage. Due to my short timeline and realisation of the 3 minute brief cut off time, this felt like a logical thing to cut, refining the story in the process. In future, I could take on feedback from this assignment to add in that section for a longer film. Although the Babylon research and a whole day of footage wasn’t used, I would still have completed them if I could do it again as it gave me a more informed idea of Chazelle’s style and the importance of choosing a demographic. In industry, you must have an excess of footage available to give the final vision options so that’s exactly what I’ve completed.

In terms of feedback, I published the film on YouTube two weeks before the deadline and asked friends, family and unknowns to give me their thoughts on the film. For the FMP, like last year, I must format this into a survey to collect evidence rather than just a vocal response. The takeaway from friends was that they understood the messaging due to knowing my previously and my condition with the glasses beforehand. For the general audience, I had comments saying that this was a great representation of what it’s like to be a musician but no comments on the glasses directly. After further explanation and a rewatch, the themes were crystal clear to them.

As a result, I am able to identify that the themes were slightly lost in the aims of making this a short and concise story. In future, I must focus efforts on one core theme rather than trying to tell too many stories and spreading myself thin. Overall though, they enjoyed the shots, framing and general story of the film and I’ve had many positive comments so I’m on the right line heading into FMP. 

conclusion

To conclude, I think this unit had been a great lead in to the FMP, helping me find my areas to focus on and knowing my capability of telling a personal story. In the media, the most important think is why that person must tell that particular story so this has given me the confidence to delve into something close to my heart and receive positive reception. 

I have enjoyed studying Chazelle’s work and my finished short film is clearly representative of his style due to the framing, cuts and themes. Going into the FMP, I wish to continue studying his work and combining this with other directors as well as my own unique style. 

My focus for FMP will be consolidating my pre production stage to show what I am capable of, giving myself lots of logistical challenges to deal with over the three months. This is a time to be ambitious and have free reign so I’d rather go big and have lots to talk about with it falling apart than not pushing it far enough. With research, I must make a constant bibliography and use at least one written text to support my ideas as well as my audio research with, mainly, director interviews. The case study format is something I will use again and I will definitely be asking Korben and Ben to support me with filming to maximise my vision.