Evaluation

I think it can be quite clearly seen that the video was produced in a rush, and far from the standard of films previously produced.

The key area that I feel threw everything into chaos was the initial idea; or lack thereof at the beginning. Until Carly joined our group, Alice and I struggled to devise a concept that we were both happy with and felt could be achieved. Because Carly joined the group at a very late stage, with very little time left until deadline, we were very pushed for time, and thus did not work to a high standard. However, it would not have been unfair, in my opinion, to have gone ahead with any idea Alice and I had agreed on if Carly had not approved, nor had any creative say. As it turns out, it is because of her that we had a finished product, the idea for the story being entirely hers.

Planning is always stressful, even more so when you have a time constraint like that which we ended up working with. Because of this, a lot of planning and forethought was completely left or forgotten about as we concentrated on getting the film produced. We did plan out the whole film verbally, discussing as we did the shots we were after, locations, angles et al. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t write it down whilst discussing it, as more often than not, what was discussed was forgotten about or disregarded.

I do feel though that the film has some strengths. We were blessed to have two talented actors in the shapes of Billy and Kira, without whom there would be no film. Some of the camerawork is also rather impressive in my opinion; Carly and myself both kept looking for an interesting shot to film whilst filming the scene. The times and conditions under which we filmed led to some very unexpected, and previously unconsidered, angles and opportunities, which of course we were quick to utilise and making the film as strong as possible. Some of the night shots, particularly Billy underneath the street lamp, are prime examples of this.

In the end, the film has gained some positive feedback. A lot of people have admired the story being divided in parts, with the montage and speech scenes clearly dividing things up and showing key elements in a way that otherwise would have gone on for too long. The camerawork has also been praised for its use of angles and positioning.

If the chance arose to repeat this project, an idea would certainly have been set upon sooner, with a lot more planning taking place to ensure that the final product was not rushed in any way. I feel, perhaps, that some additional supporting characters may have added some life to film; something that would have been considered if more actors and actresses had been available.