Fiction Adaptation - Evaluation

Pre Production, Planning and Research.

What worked?

I feel this stage was really beneficial for me as it allowed me to really develop, research and come to terms with my idea. I hadn't ever actually researched and analyzed a poem before, so I wanted to ensure I did this properly and really come to terms with what the Poet was trying to convey through the poem written. In this case I decided to chose 'The Road Not Taken'  by the poet Robert Frost. 

An Integral Part was also writing the Script, this was key because it was the first part of the developmental stage, in which I needed to of understood the poem at this point and taken from the poem what I wish to convey into my own piece. I loved this part of the stage, as it allowed me to creatively put into a script what I took from the poem, what I thought the poem meant and how I could then adapt that into my own short film. 

I also found the test shoots extremely beneficial, as it allowed me to see how natural light was more beneficial for my shoot. Due to the fact I was shooting in lots of different rooms within the house, with lots of different windows and other light, it would of been hard for me to create the same light source in every room with one LED light. So by doing the test shoot and seeing how filming flat and using natural light, I found this was more beneficial to be able to get natural lighting. 


What Didn't?

I have to admit that unfortunately, Pre-Production is always when I feel the most stressed, this is purely because I have an issue with feeling unorganised and until this stage is complete, I always feel slightly under pressure. 

Normally, I actually would worry about writing the script as this is not something I don't normally enjoy however on this occasion, I actually liked seeing the development of my ideas and adaptation of the poem into the script. Although, I had no dialogue, this was the main focus of my pre-production which definitely took away my focus on other things that stem from the script, like the shot list and the storyboard. As I didn't spend as much time on these things as I normally would because I felt like I knew my adaptation inside out because I knew the script. When it came to the night before the production and I looked over the storyboard and shot list, I became to worry that I wasn't actually prepared for the production. 

I then took the time to go over everything, visually trying to envision my shots, I created the set list, call sheet and began to get together all the props and things I needed.

What would I improve next time?

I've learnt from the pre-production stage of this Unit that it is okay to feel unprepared, if you then ensure you're spending the time to go over things and investing the time to make sure I then feel on top of everything like I did. So I have definitely learnt just to take things slowly and enjoy all stages of making the film. 

I think next time I would also want to ensure that I am writing lists of what I need to do at the start of each project, this was I wouldn't feel overwhelmed as I can continue to go through the list in order of which I need to complete it. This would definitely help me feeling less overwhelmed by the work load, especially since I have gone from doing a lot of work within a team to then having to do it solo. So I am happy I have been able to manage but next time I would want to try and ensure that I don't leave the workload to late and I am fully prepared for production.

Production.

What worked?

Although It seemed mad at the time, actually taping the tripod to a heavy vest with gaffotape worked and also safely. Which I am really happy with as I did not want to lose the authenticity of having both hands in shot. So I'm extremely happy that I thought outside of the box and attempted to try a different method of keeping my camera stable. 

I also was happy with the shots I did get as I feel they came really useful in the edit. I managed to consistently get the alarm clock shot which I felt was my most important as It was the the main image that then allowed the viewers to see it's fast forwarding to a new day. By keeping the camera in the same position and just rearranging the shot and the time, I felt this really worked well in my opinion. It allowed me to convey the symbolism I wanted to through this image by changing the time, showing my character getting up later and becoming messier. 

I'm also really happy with the production itself, as I really felt a tole in this unit to stay motivated under the conditions we are in. In some sense it was lonely, having to do it all alone and home alone. However, I have learnt from this situation that I can adapt and push myself to ensure I get things done to my best ability, regardless of how I am feeling or that I have to get over, what feels like a mountain.

What Didn't?

Although I am happy with myself that I adapted to the circumstances without the equipment I needed, I did have a problem in production with the sound of the tape. As I wanted to have this as a silent film with only the sound effects of the things my character was using, like the television etc, It was hard to hide the noise of the gaffatape crinkling, when I moved. Although, this was evident in the test shoots, I actually managed to solve this problem  by buying a hard vest, which meant that the gaffotape was on a solid surface. Although, this improved the crinkling noises it didn't get rid of them completely but it did allow me to get rid of them in the edit easier. 

One thing I think that affected my production is that I was very set on what I wanted to attempt to achieve and I didn't actually look into any music as I was sure I would be doing what I've mentioned above in regards to the silence. I think this was a wrong decision as It meant I went into production a bit more blinded, which meant it didn't leave me much room in the edit to be able to experiment with music etc. Because I had already planned that the clips would be extremely short as I was representing a build up of emotion and a number of days within a short period of time. It meant the music I would need to have for the production would need to be extremely fitting to the cuts, as there is a lot of cuts due to the edit being so fast paced. Realistically, I should have looked and prepared music just incase during production or the edit, I felt it would of worked better.

What would I improve next time?

Next time as I've mentioned I would want to ensure I am more prepared, as I mentioned in Pre-Production, I think due to pressures I hadn't been organized enough to ensure I covered all avenues, like music and with my cuts being so fast paced, it would of taken a long time after production to find music to fit the many cuts and scene changes. I have learnt from this that although I may feel I have a idea in my head, I shouldn't not then look at other avenues as this then could leave me in a position of trouble, if when it comes to the end of production, my first idea hadn't worked. So next time, I will ensure I look at many ideas and concepts like having music, SFX and other avenues before just deciding to go with my first idea. I may need a back up plan in the future and to be prepared in case something doesn't work out. 

Also down to planning, If I had been ahead on work, I probably would of had the opportunity to go into University and get the equipment I needed to be able to film with the POV before lockdown happened. Because I left being organized until after Christmas, it meant I wasn't able to get equipment due to rules, which left me having to try and make my own equipment which was a lot harder.

Post Production and Further Comments.

What worked?

I'm really glad that I filmed in a preset that was flat, it means that you can add colour in within the edit and it helps to be able to make the colour more vibrant or darker without the whole scene changing too much. This worked in my eyes as it allowed me to add the blue tones, I was looking to go for, on this occasion for the tone of my film.  I think this adds to the feel and suspense of the adaptation and impacts how the viewers, view a scene. So, I'm really glad in the edit I was able to go through and colour grade the shots to how I wanted them, to achieve the blue undertone I had researched that my colour pallet should be.

The POV shots I also felt worked well within the edit, I was worried that I had made the wrong choice in attempting to do POV shots and that it wouldn't convey what I wanted it too within the edit. However, when coming to do the edit, I found that the POV shots worked well and I feel it will have the affect on the audience I wanted it to. As I wanted the audience to feel as if they were in her shoes and going through the decision she was, making the whole situation relatable. In this case and while editing, I could see this and as my piece came together in the edit, I saw what I had researched and planned for come together.

What Didn't?

Although I was happy with the film i had put together initially, I think there was a lack of shots within the edit which obviously is my own fault. Although I feel the repetition of shots work as I'm trying to show the repeat routine my character has, this was in fact not on purpose. When planning, I must of worked out some things wrong and not planned to shoot enough. For Example, I needed to show numerous amount of tea's being made with extra dirty mugs being added, however as I had only shot this on three separate occasions, when it came to the edit, I definitely needed more then that to represent 5+ days. This is the same with the alarm clock, I should of actually gone up in hours and shot each hour 7am - 12pm and had 6 shots of the alarm clock but instead I shot 7am, 9am, 11am and 12pm which meant I was two shots short. 

I also found when coming to the edit, that some of my footage was out of focus, this was down to the difficulty of having the camera attached to me and not being able to fully see the screen as it is in position to capture the POV angle, which was actually really frustrating within the edit as you couldn't see crucial information in some shots like the 'mum' on the phone, when seeing who the text is from. 

I also felt I had been confident in the lighting as from my test shoot, I discovered that actually the natural lighting worked better as I shot in so many rooms with different windows, It was hard to use the LED ring light with different parts of natural light and manage to get the same looked. Looking back within the edit now and while colour grading, it was actually harder to colour grade the shots to all look the same. I should of done a test shoot using both natural light, LED light and my home lights to see which worked best without the other and vice versa. If I had spent more time on this, It may not of been as hard to colour grade with different harshness of natural light. 

What would I improve next time?

I have learnt from this that it is always better to get as much footage as possible and to ensure that you overshoot your scene if needed, especially as if I had of got more shots, It wouldn't have been so repetitive, which I think took away from the meaning of the adaptation in some aspects. So in my next production, I need to learn to keep taking shots, different angles and to get a few takes as you never know what may come in handy within the edit. 

Knowing that it is so easy for shots to be out of focus if you're actually acting and shooting in POV, although I am proud of what I have achieved doing it all my self with a tiny error of some shots being out of focus, this is something I have most definitely learnt from. It has made me aware that next time I need to be focused on ensuring that I am trying to keep on top of all aspects of the production, like filming, sound, acting and of course the camera being in focus when needed.

I also have learnt from the editing stage that I need to focus more on lighting, as this is what let me down in the edit and you can see from all the different shots, I wasn't able to get them looking exactly the same due to the natural light. If I had of attempted to use the natural light as the main light, I could of attempted to use my LED light on a soft setting to fill the scene. Next time, I will want to ensure that I look into all aspects of lighting and really think about everything I have access to as on this occasion I let lighting feel non important as I just assumed it would be hard for me to create good lighting with little equipment and on my own. 

Conclusion

Overall, this has taught me that regardless of how I feel and how tough I think it is, I can adapt on my own and get on with any situation. I am proud of myself for filming in POV and allowing myself to be able to complete this Unit and film even if it was all by myself with no cast and crew. 

I also feel this Unit has taught me that I can also stay calm under pressure, that I can also find meaning in fiction and convey it into my own. From choosing the poem to gaining meaning and my own perspective to what I feel the fictional piece meant, it has allowed me to see symbolism and meaning differently.

This Unit has also highlighted how important it is to ensure you're planning and preparing for shoots, to ensure that you get the best out of your production as possible and ensure that everything runs smoothly. By organizing and preparing, I probably would have felt less pressure and less burden of having to do this on my own.

Overall, I am happy with this Unit, I can say that I tried my best in circumstances. Although, i feel now I have finished my film that I could have created and shot it better, I am proud of myself for what I have achieved during this time.

Final Video 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYTR0CC4Jjk