My project is a film about domestic violence and actively demonstrates how to respond to it when it breaks out in public. The film lasts one minute and fifty seconds, and would be longer had it not been edited down so much. This is good because through support from my tutors my final outcome has developed to a higher standard than at first. The script went through several changes and I was put under severe limitations concerning equipment and actors.
I have continuously kept records of what I’ve done through my blog and sketchbook. My tutors suggested that I watch particular movies and pick apart how they work. Many screenshots were taken and I have analysed them, annotating the structure and cinematography and how they contribute to a certain emphasis. Museum exhibitions and lectures helped me to rewrite the script and decide on really suitable locations and video effects, derived from particular styles and theories.
I have visited all the exhibitions and internet sources in my Harvard referencing, except for one exhibition which was closed at the time of carrying out research. I adored much of what the exhibitions had on offer, the Crime Museum especially, but they were all either too elaborate to possibly incorporate into my film, or just felt irrelevant. Filming commenced and finished later than I anticipated, due to poor teamwork of the actors I managed to recruit. Because they were all university/sixth form students themselves, they were busy with their own things so couldn’t show up all at the same time.
I started with high ambitions, setting up posters around the Ravensbourne building in an attempt to seek out actors and a crew. I pictured my final project being hugely cinematic, like a professional film, with detailed lighting and dynamic camera angles. Only about two or three Rave students responded to my posters, and it turned out I didn’t need a filming crew. Only one student got a part in my film as an actor, the rest of the cast being old friends, and towards reshoots became ill so I had to take his place. The film is supposed to take place at night, but that wasn’t convenient for any of my actors so I had to darken the film during editing.
The most useful information I got were from lectures by my tutors, who provided useful theories on researching and structuring stories. I have been enthusiastic in approaching my tutors so that they can offer any feedback in terms of script, filming and editing. I wanted this project to come out feeling like a high standard piece of film, and by consulting my tutors over again they kept on pushing me forward.
Teamwork is paramount, but in this case it wasn’t efficient enough. Everyone involved, actors and tutors, should’ve played more of an active role in watching over me and supporting me continuously, as opposed to cropping up on a rare basis. My action plan changed drastically because of this; efficiency is vital. As pointed out in my project proposal, I chose Lens Based Media because I’m drawn to Art’s storytelling aspect, and from this pathway I have gained satisfactory information on how to structure stories, develop characters and deliver messages through the visual medium, which will come in handy when proceeding onto the Fda Illustration at UAL. This course has opened me up to the bigger picture and made me feel more optimistic about my future.
