For this project, we have been challenged to formulate multiple ideas for a short, one minute film, and create it using the techniques we have learnt so far. In order to help formulate our ideas for the project, we did different exercises which allowed us to challenge our creativity and create a brief outline of an idea. After gaining some feedback from others and considering which film idea would be the most practical to produce, I chose one of my three ideas to create. My chosen idea, which I created as the final product, follows a slapstick comedy theme of a man who has misplaced an old V.H.S Tape. The short film follows the narrative of the man frantically searching for the tape after he realises it is not where it is supposed to be. To ensure that the slapstick element in my film was clear, I knew that I had to create an absurdist piece to keep up with the fast-paced action. To add to the absurdism in the film, I structured the narrative so that the character would search for his V.H.S in strange and unnatural places. This allows the viewer to understand why the man has lost his tape in the first place, is because he is so unorganised. In addition to this, the scene where the man finds a slipper in the fridge, secures this idea. Throughout the process of producing my film, I knew that I wanted to create a film that was enjoyable for the viewer to watch, and for it to have a clear and precise narrative. I wanted to make sure of this so that the viewer was able to promptly understand the concept of the film, allowing them to focus on the comedic elements. I decided to use a slapstick theme as I felt it would prove the most natural for the timespan of the film. I didn’t want to over complicate the narrative so that the footage in the film exceeded the one-minute timespan. The speedy and calamitous nature of slapstick comedy seemed the perfect choice for the amount of time given.
During the pre-production process, I decided on various skills and techniques that I wanted to include in my film. One of which being the use of facial expressions from the character. I knew that allow this technique does not impact the filming of the production, it was vital for the storytelling, allowing the viewer to then focus on the technical elements mostly. As the film had to be non-dialogue, I knew that I needed to exaggerate my facial expressions when filming so that the characters thoughts and emotions were clearly portrayed through the scene. There were various moments where a specific facial expression needed to be used in order to allow the following scene to feel natural. I have included an example of this below.
These two consecutive scenes use broad facial expressions to allow for a smooth transition. In the first image, it is clear to the viewer that the character has had a thought, through the use of the caricature expression.
Furthermore, I wanted to use bright, white lighting when shooting my film to enhance the light-hearted narrative. As I was filming most of my scenes, apart from one, in an interior setting, I knew that I could not solely rely on natural light from the outside. Therefore, I had two options – source additional light sources or alter lighting during the editing process. As I did not have any light sources available to me, I opted for the latter, and found that this proved helpful, and made a clear change to my footage. I have included the difference in lighting, before and after editing, from a scene in my film.
The difference in each image shows the added exposure which I used on all pieces of footage in the editing process.
Finally, another technique that I wanted to make sure I used was a variety of shot types and angles. At this point, instead of focussing mainly on the narrative of the story, I thought about how I could incorporate different shot types and angles at different points of the film. I was aware that there was a moment of despair in my film when the character realises that the tape that he is looking for is not in the box. It was at this point that I thought about how I could shoot this scene in an unusual way. I came to the conclusion that I would film through a hole in the bottom of the cardboard box, creating the illusion that the camera was inside the box and looking up at the character. Through the use of this effect, I shot this scene using a Low Angle Shot. I continued to use different angles when using a High Angle Shot when the character was looking up at the shelve on the wall, and a Dutch Angle in the final shot of the film to show the characters disorientation and shock. I have included examples of these below.
Looking back at my Pre-Production Documents, I strongly feel that I have captured the theme and narrative as I had intended in my film, despite making some minor changes during the production process. I found that the Pre-Production Documents helped me whilst filming my piece as it allowed me to refer back to specific moments that I wanted to capture in order to make my film successful. Some examples of this which I discussed when forming my Treatment were to focus on Shot Types, Lighting and Mise En Scene. I knew that it was very important to use a form of Mise En Scene in my film in the very first moment. I did this by placing some items next to the box, which was on the shelve, which would imply and foreshadow the story ahead. For example, to represent the Wedding Video, I placed some rose petals, wedding cake toppers, and love heart shaped napkins, on one side, and on the other, a football and hat and a football scarf. I had planned to do this during the pre-production stage and so that I felt I successfully referred back to that during the filming process to ensure that I included it in my final film.
After completing the final edit of my film, I sent it to 5 different people to gain their thoughts and feedback. Each person provided me with a strength and a weakness based on what they thought of my film. One of the strengths that I received was that the audience was clearly aware of what was happening in the story. I was pleased to hear that I was able to successfully convey a narrative without using dialogue and only using shot types, facial expressions and minor on-screen text. However, a weakness that this viewer identified was that the fourth wall was broken on multiple times. I had intended to break the fourth wall when filming to make the audience feel immersed into the action, such as in the scenes where the camera is placed inside the fridge and washing machine. However, as this was identified as a weakness, I may need to rethink about how I would convey this effect in a different way in the future. Another strength that I received from another viewer was that they liked the Match on Action effect used during the scene with the tapes pilling up. They specifically noted that they liked the idea of not relying solely on film, but instead recording photographs into the production too. However, they did note that I could have used a wider variety of shot types. Upon reflection, perhaps I focussed too much on including different Shot Angles and did not pause to consider what shot types I was using. I think that this is a valid point I will definitely take this on board when filming future projects. Another person that reviewed my film also commented on the good use of Match of Action. They said how smooth the final edit looked considering that the use of media had changed from film to photographs. However, despite this, they also commented on how the lighting could feel too intense at times. This would be entirely down to how I edited the lighting of each shot on Avid, and although I tried to equal out the exposure on every shot, perhaps the overall exposure of each shot across the film needed to be lower. Another person who had watched my film commented on how they liked the use of on-screen text used in the beginning shot. They spoke about how it instantly made the viewer aware of what the film was about my using a clear title. They also commented on how the font related to the main item in the film. However, for the weakness, they also spoke about how I could include different shot types in my film. Due to several people commenting on this, I definitely think that this is something I need to consider in more depth in the future. I need to make sure that I include as many shot types as possible, for example, some which I did not include in my film were Long Shots and Establishing Shots. Whilst thinking about the variety of shot types that I could use, I also need to ensure that I do not break the 180 Degree Rule during the process. To conclude, the final person commented on how they liked the background music that was used over the top of the video footage. They spoke about how the upbeat instrumental music moved the story along and matched well with the theme of the film. However, in contrast to this, they also suggested that I could further my use of audio by using sound effects in my piece, as well as background music. I found each piece of feedback really useful as it allowed me to gain an opinion from others about what aspects they enjoyed and what aspects they think could be improved on. I will take each suggestion on board and make sure that I refer back to this during the next project.
When personally reviewing my film, there were several strengths and weaknesses that I identified. One strength of which was the use of the on-screen text when presenting the title of my film. I felt particularly happy with the font used as I felt it gave a greater meaning to the title and reflected the theme of my film. This is something that I would like to take forward when editing other projects - I will think about the title of my film and search for a font that reflects that word or the subject that the film revolves around. I was also pleased with the timing of the clips which were cut in the editing process. This was initially an issue which I thought may have occurred when trying to edit my film into such a short timescale, however, I was pleased with both the content of my film, and the timescale that it kept too. Should this issue have arised during the editing process, I had previously filmed a few extra scenes during the production process as a ‘back-up’ if my main scenes had not had fit into the timescale. Finally, another strength that I took from my film was the smooth transitioning of each scene. Originally, I had not planned for this effect, however, during the editing process, I found that it would be interesting to have the opening and closing of doors. It had seemed that when the character closed the fridge, he would open the washing machine, and when closing the washing machine, he would open the shed door. This provided an interesting transition effect and so I decided to include it in my final edit.
Furthermore, when reviewing the weaknesses of my film, as previously mentioned, I think that the variety of shot types was an issue. I knew when editing my film that I could have challenged myself further and include a wider range of shots. Going forward, I will create a list of varied shot types during the pre-production stage, so that, when it came to filming, I would have the list to hand and be able to actively ensure I was using each shot type. Another weakness that I identified was the lighting that was used in my film. Due to having to edit this feature in my final edit, upon reflection, perhaps it would have been more beneficial to use additional lighting sources to create the desired effect. This is something I will look into in more detail when filming my next project. Finally, another weakness that I identified was that I could have used a bigger variety of ‘strange places’ where the man was searching for his tape. This would have enhanced the element of comedy and would have provided a more enjoyable watch for the viewer. I will take all of this points into account when producing my next short film.
During the entire production process, there were several creative, practical, and technical barriers that I faced. One creative barrier of which was forming my idea in the pre-production stage. At points, I found it difficult to form a clear beginning, middle and end. I knew what I wanted the narrative of my film to be based upon, however, there were some aspects that I needed to think about in more detail. These included asking myself questions such as – Why is the man searching for the tape? How can I follow a slapstick theme through relying solely on visual? How can I make my film interesting for the viewer? By stopping to pause and asking myself these questions, I found that this helped me to form a clearer idea for my story. When creating a story in the future, I will remember to regularly stop and pause and consider different points about how I am forming the story, and if it will have the effect I want it to have on the viewer. During the filming stage, I was faced with a practical issue – I had initially intended for my film to include a scene where the character was searching for his tape in the bath. However, when it came to attempting to film this scene, it proved unpractical for several reasons; I would break the 180 Degree Rule by using consecutive scenes of the camera placed in front of the man and then behind the man – this would look unnatural for the rest of the scenes used in the film. There was also limited space for me to film and it decided it could have a big effect on the health and safety issues that I had previously anticipated, especially as it involved dealing with water. Because of this, I was challenged to quickly think on my feet and consider other options available to me. Due to the limited time available to film, I decided that the best, and still unusual place to film would be in the Shed. This proved to work out well and looked seamless during the edit. Finally, a technical barrier that I was faced with was a dead battery during the filming stage. Fortunately, I ensured that I had a spare, fully charged battery and so this did not affect my filming.
If I was to complete this project again, I think I would like to improve on the equipment that I could use whilst filming. For example, I would be keen to use additional lighting sources which would help to improve my film and allow me to learn more about how to use this type of equipment. Overall, through completing this project, I have learnt the importance of forming a clear story to allow the viewer to understand what is happening in the narrative and how important it is to continuously question your own work to ensure that it all makes sense and follows the narrative you desire. I have also learnt that it is important to consider every aspect of your project, from how you will present your idea on screen in the way you had planned, and equally, how you will edit it to ensure that the final product represents your original idea. Moving forward, I will apply all of this work from this project to my future projects, remembering what made my film successful and what could be done to make improvements.
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