Drama and Documentary Evaluation

Our Creative Media Project tasks in the past two semesters have consisted of a documentary based project and a drama based project, the second semester being devoted to documentary while the third semester was devoted to drama. Working in groups of six, we each took on different roles for each project, developing all our individual skills in at least two different areas of film making, the options for roles having been director, producer, camera operator, editor, sound recordist and sound editor. Throughout Semester Two, our project was to create a documentary that was based on an aspect of Liverpool. In our group, we decided on two different ideas that we would then propose to our tutor. The first of these ideas was basing it on a Beatles tribute act that we had done some research on who performed at the Cavern Club, hopefully gaining an insight in their day to day life as well as why the Beatles inspired them. The second of our ideas was to discuss the Hillsborough disaster, looking at the aftermath and how Liverpool has moved on from the incident. Unfortunately, due to the fact that our contacts for the first idea would not reply to us, we had to instead work on our second idea that the group was slightly less enthusiastic about. However, we found various contacts that would be interesting to interview in relation to Hillsborough that sparked far more interest, even though in the end only one of these contacts would reply to our calls, this being the Hillsborough Justice Campaign. My role in the project was that of camera operator, meaning that I was to take control of setting up the camera equipment and making sure that the footage would come out in a fairly good quality; this required checking the white balance and lighting so that there would not be glare on the footage as this would be difficult to remedy in editing. We encountered a few problems when it came to filming out interview; we had brought in various lights, though these proved to be quite unhelpful as the room was far too small to house both the lights that we had brought without creating various shadows that would have been distracting to the audience. With the lights off, however, we found that the room could look extremely dark because we were forced to have the curtains drawn to a certain point so that we avoided glare on the photographs that were behind our interviewee. These problems, however, were worked around, and at the time were unavoidable due to the fact that when planning the interview, we had been unable to see the location beforehand and so were unaware of any problems that we might have faced on the day of filming. If we were to redo this project, I think that it would have been in our best interest to have at least seen pictures of the room that we would be taking the interview in or have chosen our own location. However, this is something that we would only have done in hindsight as the location chosen for us was the Hillsborough Justice Campaign building, which was appropriate for the interview. Considering the size of the building, though, I feel that I and the crew on a whole did a rather good job of manoeuvring ourselves in a way that got us fairly good shots without having to change anything within the building too greatly. For example, in the reception of the building there were various posters and pictures that we wanted to get footage of, though the area we had to film in was extremely small and so we had to remove the tripod. Despite this, the footage gathered was of fairly good quality and though most was not used in the final cut of the documentary, it was still considerably successful. I believe that, were we to do this project again, I feel that it would be more beneficial for me to make more contact with the director about their ideas and image for the piece of film. This would help me to take more initiative in creating the shots for different scenes, whereas throughout the project I found myself needing correcting a few too many times. This would have inevitably saved time for the crew and would have meant that I had been able to input more into how the film looked instead of simply operating the camera. While I also believe that it might have been beneficial for the director to take initiative in this, I do not think it would have been as helpful to my learning and would not have helped me develop as much as a camera operator as if I had made the effort myself. I also think that I would have quite liked the opportunity to experiment with different camera types, using a DSLR as well as a Canon simply for ease of movement that would have been required in some shots, as well as simply using this as a chance to expand my knowledge of how to use various cameras, rather than learning how to simply use the Canon. This would be something I would like to mention to the director in future projects if I were to take the role of camera operator again, and would like to gain the chance to expand my knowledge in this area. Our third semester project was a five minute long drama, for which I took the role of editor. We had originally decided on two different proposals; the first proposal we had in mind followed a man named Danny who was a homeless busker, visited by Death. He is granted one last act before he dies, and he decides to request the name of a woman who has been civil to him for some time, speaking to him like a normal person and giving him change when she could. The second proposal we had in mind was about a deformed man who works in a coffee shop, suffering through taunts in day to day life. After accidentally spilling coffee on one of his customers, he is heavily taunted for the act and decides to quit and move on. We decided to go with the first proposal as it was an idea that we all had a clear image in our heads for, and also did not require the effort in prosthetics that the second idea would require- none of us were proficient in this sort of make up, and so we decided it would be best to ignore the idea. I feel that I had managed to progress somewhat in discussion with the director so that I knew before editing roughly what would be expected, therefore saving us time in the eventual editing. This turned out to help quite a bit, as the group was scheduled to film early on but we were halted due to the fact that our actor did not turn up on the day he was expected. This meant that we had to push back filming by another few days, this being a period of time that we had intended to be editing the film, leaving far more time to sort out sound than we were eventually left with. When it came to the editing, I believe that I did a fairly good job considering the time restraints that we had come across. Though the first draft of the film was fairly loose, I believe that this was fixed rather well in re-edit sessions, cut down to a point where the film made far more sense and included less of the extensive walking scenes that were seen originally. I also feel that I have gained a far better grasp on the effects available on Final Cut Pro, as I got to grips with Colour Correct. This turned out to be quite a successful experimentation as some of the lighting in the scenes filmed at a pub and the abandoned factory were quite dark, and the added effects brightened them to a point where you could see the actors clearly without distorting the light to a point where it looked false. If we were to do this project again, one of the first things I would do would be to take notes on shoots so as to gain better knowledge of how things would be edited, as while I had gained quite a good idea from discussions with the director, some of the issues that we had faced with trying to extend certain scenes to accommodate dialogue could have been fixed had we taken more thought as to the timing of the shots. However, this was in part because of the fact that on the day of filming, the crew was quite rushed due to the fact that the location we had originally booked for filming had cancelled on us, meaning that we had to find somewhere else rather rapidly and film within a short period of time; the process was therefore rushed slightly, and we were not able to put as much concentration in as we would have been able to had we been able to use our original location and had as much time as needed in this building. Despite this, I still did not take particularly detailed notes or ask many questions throughout the process of filming and this would have saved more time, this being something that in the long run would have severely helped out with time keeping as we were left with very little time for the sound design to be created, which created pressure when it came to both the design and fixing any audio issues that came about with the speech of the actors. I also believe that if I were to take the editing role in a future project, I would like to have the chance to experiment more with the effects available on the editing software, as the success with Colour Correcting on this drama piece has interested me in how far post-production can change the film footage, either for the better or to simply see what does not work. This would be a particularly interesting way to learn more about the editing process, and I think that it would develop my skills which would be useful in the future, as I would be able to tell how to improve the quality of a clip, or simply make it more attractive, quickly without having to waste time if we were to face the same troubles with time keeping that we faced during the third semester. Throughout both projects, the most important lesson I feel that I have learnt is the importance of talking to other members of the crew so as to better understand the different interpretations of whatever film we are creating. This way, no matter what job I have on the film, I will better be able to develop my own ideas about how to tackle the task which will in the end save time and develop my skills in whatever area I am working on. I have however managed to develop skills in the areas that I have worked in; I feel that my confidence in using a camera has grown, and I have managed to develop better abilities in Final Cut Pro that I did not have before editing our drama piece.

Pudding Bowl Analysis

The short film Pudding Bowl, directed by Vanessa Caswill, tells the story of a young girl Ivy who, after an unwanted haircut, goes into a fantasy world of her creation. It is a very simple story carried out in a simple manner, reflecting the 50s backdrop of the film. There is minimal speech within the film, the very few lines that are spoken taking place early on as Ivy’s mother chides her for the glue in her hair and during the hair cut. This seems to be a way to isolate Ivy from the rest of the world seen in the film, in turn giving her reason to delve into the fantasies that create the plot. It also means that more emphasis is placed on the reaction of the characters, and Ivy’s performance, this being one of the highlights of the films as we are given a range of emotions without the need for dialogue. One of the aspects of the film that has worked successfully is the separation between Ivy’s world and the very bland suburbia she is brought up in. The colours of the house are very muted with very little vivid colour, which contrasts heavily to the bright red that Ivy surrounds herself with, wearing a red dress and putting on red lipstick. While this separates the two worlds, it signifies Ivy as a far brighter person than those she is surrounded by, and also signifies the points at which her imagination becomes more prevalent in what she is doing (ex. The colours are more muted until she decides to take action in ‘transforming’ herself into one of the models from her magazine, at which point the reds are used more). This is also reflected in the music somewhat; there is minimal music in the first part of the film, only the sounds of the mother in the kitchen and Ivy cutting her magazines. After she has had her haircut, though, and begins using her imagination, there is more music being used to create an uplifting atmosphere. Again, this emphasises the divide between the two worlds, and works in presenting one as a far more inventive and happy alternative. The use of angles in this film also create a very interesting visual experience. For example, after Ivy’s haircut, a high angle is used looking down on her. This coupled with the ring of hair around her that might represent entrapment would often provide a very oppressive image, but the way in which the actress portrays determined emotions turns this around and makes the scene somewhat more empowering, making the audience feel more sympathetic and hopeful. We are also given quite a few close ups of Ivy, which strengthens our feeling of sympathy for the character. At the beginning of the film we are given an extreme close up of the character, instilling in our minds immediately her importance to us. We are also given frequent close ups of her, or find that Ivy is the sole character shown in a shot, for example when she is looking in the mirror. This works in getting the audience to feel a connection with her, and creating sympathy for her when it is needed.

Filming Issues

One of the first problems that came across in this project is the second day that we had planned to film. A time and place had been organised, but our main actor did not turn up to the filming session and so we were not able to carry on with the planned day. This meant that eventually we lost the chance to film in the restaurant that our producer had procured for us, in turn meaning that we were rather rushed in the process of filming when we were able to get the actors back in. A few locations were looked at before we were given permission to film in a nearby pub. While this was a completely different location from the original plan of a coffee shop, it ended up working fairly well as we were able to change the script in a way that made the location make sense. We also faced an issue when it came to the sound equipment that we had planned to use to record dialogue, as the sound did not seem particularly clear when recording through it. After having changed the equipment we were using, but the same problem still occurring, we decided to use the camera sound instead for the film. This turned out to be quite a problem in editing as certain clips were completely unusable due to the fact that we could not hear the actors speak, or there was too much background noise that would have been heavily distracting. Another issue that was faced was lighting; though the cinematographer found the footage to be fine when recording, as the preview footage came out clearly, it turned out that it was not entirely clear when it came to editing, some of the shots being far too dark to use. These various problems that we came across are ones that were hard to amend in post-production, and so time will have to be taken in the future to either re-shoot scenes or redo the audio for certain pieces of footage.

Location Scouting

We as a crew took a trip to Old Jacob’s Factory, which has been abandoned, as we intend to use it as part of the drama piece. It is to be the setting of Danny’s make-shift home; it used to be a factory that his family owned, but its downfall is what drove Danny to homelessness. We looked for different areas that would be appropriate for filming, there being a few rooms that had varying levels of light. Finally we chose that we would use one of the rooms with two large ‘windows’ which would provide us with plenty enough light to shoot film, considering there would be no opportunities to plug in any lighting that we might have decided to bring. All in all I feel this was a rather successful day, as we got to know the area that we would be working in such as where the different entrances are that would be easiest and safest to access, and we were also able to tell how difficult the area would be to walk about and were able to tell both our actors and any missing members of the crew how to dress for the process of filming, so as to lessen any danger that might come about due to the uneven terrain outside of the building and the glass that covered the factory floors. We were also able to gain a far better idea of how the film would look, as we could see the scenery that our actor would be in finally rather than working under the vague idea of using an abandoned factory. This highly improved our ability to work quickly and sufficiently when we came back to film with the actor, as we had already planned out the areas and routes that would be taken for the scene.

Proposals

Originally we had two ideas that we would present at our proposal session for this drama piece Idea #1 Danny, a homeless busker, regularly sees a young woman who gives him money for his playing or casually talks to him unlike others, for which he is very appreciative. The day comes where his lifestyle out on the streets take its toll, and Danny becomes incredibly ill. He is approached by a suited man who claims to be death, and is given the chance to fulfil his last unfinished business which turns out to be finding out the young woman’s name. Idea #2 A deformed man works behind the counter of a coffee shop and has to regularly put up with mocking from both customers and his co-workers. After accidentally spilling coffee over a customer, and receiving a barrage of taunts for this, he decides at last to quit his job. We finally decided that it would be best to go with our first idea, as the second would require either a certain level of prosthetics or a far too specific casting requirement. The first idea would be far easier to sort out in terms of casting, and it was also the idea that we all had the strongest image for when it came to location and the like.

General Analysis of Morgan Spurlock Documentaries

To this date, Morgan Spurlock has created three documentaries: Supersize Me, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden and The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. These documentaries fall under the Direct Cinema Documentary category, all of them including Spurlock actively taking part in the narrative and conducting interviews to get the story across that he wants to convey. This is done in a manner that comes across as more cinematic than most documentaries, including an array of graphics and cartoon snippets created for the purpose of the documentaries, these acting as a way to illustrate a point being made without the need to film someone speaking for a long period of time. For this reason, the documentaries usually end up being quite successful as they become more accessible; if there were extended scenes of people talking without interruption, it is likely that the audience may lose interest unless they watched with an already existing interest in the subject manner. These documentaries were, for me, an introduction into mainstream documentaries and how they are able to be extended from the shorter programmes one might see on the television to larger productions that can inform a wider audience. This does, however, appear to only reach wider audiences when different mediums are put in, not only including the usual interviews but additional scenes such as the aforementioned cartoons and graphics, as well as the scenes such as in The Greatest Movie Ever Sold where advertisements are used, this being one of the more interesting additions used in a documentary as not only does it humour its audience, but it also serves a purpose within the film. However, the use of these additions means that the documentaries become slightly less believable as their purpose is focused quite heavily on entertainment as well as actual knowledge, meaning that information can be sacrificed so as to make time for more entertaining factors. Despite this, I feel that these documentaries are more often than not successful in their goal, providing a clear enough message to intrigue and inform audiences.

Lessons Learnt

Lessons learnt whilst completing this documentary 1) How to look at a project through various perspectives, not only in terms of creativity and how things should appear, but also what needs to be done by different people within a group. What may be interesting and/or easy to do with a camera may not be viable when it comes to creating sound to fit 2) The use of filters and other available effects on the camera. While outside filming, the issue of zebra levels came up quite a lot. This was solved eventually when experimenting with filters. From this I have learnt when it is appropriate to use these filters, as previously I have used them in our first semester to less successful effect. 3) As well as technical skills, more personal skills have been learnt about how to deal with certain issues when shooting on location. In this case, while filming at a memorial we were approached by a member of the public who intervened with our work. I feel that we, as a group, worked well in not aggravating said person, and it has acted as a lesson on how to deal with the situation