The Meeting | Project Evaluation

The Meeting

 

Within the process of writing my script, I had to find a way in which to write how my characters are receiving information without it being from the word of mouth. So as an alternative I decided that my characters would get text messages and Facebook messages, as these are the most common forms of  communication in the present day. At first, before getting feedback, I had thought that I could just film the messages on a phone and a laptop, but Simon mentioned that it would be quite hard to do that for continuity purposes, but also it might be a bit boring. So after this feedback I decided that I would show the messages through text, which will be added during the editing process, and also I would shorten the messages slightly.

When adding the text in, I found that there wasn't too much of it and also it worked really well. It's clear to see that they are both getting messages from someone and that's what I was hoping for. To make the messages more realistic, I made sure to add a text tone and a Facebook message tone once the messages appear on the screen. This helps add to the realism of the messages, and also it helps tell the beginning of the story.

Also when filming I decided to do a few extra clips of footage, mainly focusing on the audio, to help add to the atmosphere. I made sure to film my actress crying and walking in the leaves so I can add them in when editing and make them louder to emphasise the location and the emotions her character is filming. This helped impact my final video as it made the emotions clear and it helped create the atmosphere of the locations.

 

Within the process of editing my video, I found that the flashbacks were probably the hardest part to perfect. I struggled with finding a clear way of showing the flashbacks and I experimented with quite a few different techniques. First I increased the contrast of the flashback shots, and then I added a black and white filter onto it, with a flash to black transition in between. This didn't work originally, so I had to find another alternative. During the rough cut, Simon mentioned that I should try an echo effect leading into and out of the flashbacks. I tried this as well as adding a cross dissolve transition and liked the way it sounded and I liked the way it flowed well from one clip to another. Simon also mentioned that I should add a drone type sound effect in the background, and once I had added that it made the flashback more effective, and now it looks and feels like a flashback in the past.

I had originally decided to add the titles of the actors in one of the flashback shots and have them 'sat' somewhere in the room, but after feedback I realised that it didn't work too well with having text on the screen from the messages. After this I decided that I would just add them at the beginning after the production title and this worked better and it helped introduce the opening nicely.

During the writing process I learnt that the middle of the story is the hardest part to write effectively. I found it difficult to show and not say throughout the script due to the storyline I had created. However, I think there is a nice amount of action and dialogue in all 10 pages. I also found it quite hard coming to an end and finishing the script, but I think after the feedback from Steve I have ended the script nicely.
During the filming process I learnt that there is a lot of different pointers to think about, like the audio, the white balance and the focus. I enjoyed the filming process, but I did found it quite time consuming and fairly difficult to remember everything I had to change and check before filming all of the shots. I also found that, depending on the weather and the location, filming can either take all day, hours, or just 1 hour. All of my filming took 2-3 hours each day, which gave me some time to check the footage and make sure everything I wanted to film was filmed.
During the editing process I learnt that it's quite hard to get the colours similar in each shot due to the lighting in the original footage, however, the three way corrector helps a lot when making the colours look more natural. I also learnt that sometimes the telling of the story works better without music in the background, and sometimes the ambience in the clips and the locations helps create a better atmosphere for the audience.

In my next project I will make sure I plan my filming with a storyboard, a shot-list and so on because I found them really useful during the filming of this one. I will also think about filming in different locations and I will think of some other plans if the weather is bad or if an actor can't make the filming days. If I were to do my short film differently, I would probably have filmed with the actors actually together and maybe experiment with different filming techniques like panning and tracking. I might also use the clip mic, but since I was only filming the first 2 minutes there wasn't a lot of dialogue anyway. So if any of my next projects have a lot of dialogue, I will use a clip mic to help make the audio more effective and clear.
Overall, I really enjoyed the process of making this short film, and the first two minutes of it. I am very happy with the outcome of the full script, and I am also very happy with the first two minute video.