As a finished piece, I am overall fairly happy with the outcome we have achieved despite the problems had along the way. A particular strength of the film would have to be the use of interesting shots and thought-provoking acting. I purposely used silhouettes and shadows frequently throughout the film as I think that it not only represents an interesting image of an unknown thing or person, but demonstrates the ‘black or white’ thinking going on in the protagonist Lola’s mind as well.
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| Example of the use of shadows within the film |
I think that the strong camera work in the film helps it progress in a compelling way. This combined with the editing in some scenes gives a generally aesthetically pleasing portrayal of the film to the viewer. I think that this could have been accomplished even better if their was a greater hight of emotion to the centre of the story. I felt that it was a little bland in comparison to my original vision for the scene, yet the lack of time on the day of filming limited what I ideally wanted to create. As well as this, the sound for the film as a whole could have been improved. The simple syncing of footsteps would have enabled even myself as a member of the audience to concentrate better and think less about the weaknesses.
I intended to form a film that would make my audience think about conditions such as autism in a new light. To realise the day-to-day problems that some people go through. I don’t think this came across as well as I wanted because I focused too much on the setting up of shots and working closely with the actress and camera. In hindsight, maybe this idea was quite brave and would have made more sense in the form of a documentary.
As well as this, I wanted the question to be asked in the final scene, as to whether Lola's 'moment' in the park was reality or another one of her day dreams. Through the use of sound and editing, I think that we have managed to challenge the audience's thoughts on this, by for example, freezing the last shot as the swing reaches the sky. I think that this notion gave the film more depth and left the idea of her still being alone in that alley a possibility, creating quite a dark concept.
As well as this, I wanted the question to be asked in the final scene, as to whether Lola's 'moment' in the park was reality or another one of her day dreams. Through the use of sound and editing, I think that we have managed to challenge the audience's thoughts on this, by for example, freezing the last shot as the swing reaches the sky. I think that this notion gave the film more depth and left the idea of her still being alone in that alley a possibility, creating quite a dark concept.
The lighting in many of the scenes proved to be difficult, and we payed for this when we viewed the results when editing. Much of it appeared to be very grainy, however, there was no time to re-film the sections. If I were to do the project again, I would ensure that all footage is lit well enough to view the action before moving any further with the film.
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| Example of poor lighting in some areas of the film |
Producing was a large issue for me, especially in this project. Despite my role being the Director, I had to fulfill much more than this and constantly organize the rest of the group. I think that this in turn did mean that my directing was affected as I did not have enough time to do exactly has I wanted. However, if I did not stand up to this role, I don’t think that film would have been made as efficiently, if at all.
Throughout the process of making the 10 minute film, we would regularly meet as a group to discuss various aspects. For example, once I had completed the script, I would meet with the group to gain their feedback. We also met prior to filming to discuss what needed to be done in order to gain the most organized time filming as possible.
Before filming, I would talk through the script with the actress, Fiona to ensure that she understood what was expected of her and that she knew her lines. I think that this worked very well as it meant that because we had this professional relationship, she wouldn’t mind if I gave her any constructive criticism throughout the filming process. As well as this, I would also talk with the cinematographer to go through the shot lists and storyboards. This made sure that he was happy with what needed to be filmed and had the same vision as me. On some shoots if I didn’t feel like we had enough footage, I would give the cinematographer the freedom to add more shots and experiment with different angles he thought would work. This turned out to be successful in that we obtained some interesting images through this way of working.
From this project, I have learnt to listen to others as their thoughts and opinions can be valuable in creating a good piece. However, ultimately some of the decisions were mine as director and I should have spent less time on worrying if everyone was happy with what I had chosen, because the majority of the time, not everyone will ever be. As well as this I have acquired the skills to connect will with people in a group and take on the responsibility where fit, in order to get something finished. I think that I can work well as part of a team and have learnt that not everyone can take criticism well. To overcome this, I have tried my best to ensure that all of the good aspects a crew member did were praised.
As an individual role, mine was Director. I approached this by initially writing the films script. This had its own problems as members of the group would often question certain elements, meaning that I had to re-write it numerous times. Learning from this, in future, I will probably stick with what I wanted at the outset, in order to provide more time to expand those ideas through the use of shot lists and storyboards.
As director, I worked closely with most members of the crew. I communicated with all of them throughout and I think they appreciated this as they wanted to ensure that my vision was being met. The only person I had lack of communication with was the Producer, I therefore would have liked to here more from him to help the project run smoothly.
I spoke a lot with the actress and because she was a third year performance for stage and screen student, she took direction incredibly well. I found her easy to work with and she made my job as director relaxed during filming. In contrast to this, I did have my problems with the sound recordist and feel like challenges met with him made it hard to progress efficiently in filming. Very trivial issues were made to be my problem and I think that this affected my role. If a producer was present, this could have been avoided as the sound recordist would have had him to turn to.
Overall, I think that we have worked relatively well as a team through the great communication between myself and the cinematographer, and myself and the editor. However, the lack of contact with the producer did cause its own problems. I also think that despite my best efforts, me and the sound recordist did not operate particularly well together.
By using the theory of semiotics, “concerned with everything that can be taken as a sign” (Eco, 1976, p7 in Chandler, 2002, p2), my film demonstrates varying examples of symbolism. The sign of entrapment portrayed by the consistent use of gates, railings and metal fences in the film was used in order to help the audience examine Lola’s emotional state. Lola’s condition of autism means that she finds it hard to communicate with others and gets easily overpowered by the bright lights and loud noises of the inner city. The idea of her being trapped by this disorder is definitely more subtly construed as opposed to presenting the obvious. I wanted the film to make an audience think and I hope that I have achieved this.
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| Example of the use of gates in the film. |
Another example of connotations established within the film, would be within the use of shadows and silhouettes. I often asked for the lighting to be placed behind Lola, or shadows to be visibly caught. For example, the connotation of the image of a shadow on the wall of the building in the pirate scene, presents something scary and shocking as it represents the idea of pain and even death; however, the denotation is that it is just simply a shadow of what is realistically a display, set up for the admiration of children. This idea in itself is a great illustration of Lola’s personality.
I wanted to take inspiration from the theatre practitioner Steven Berkoff for a particular scene in this film. The section in which Lola has a confrontation with three youths would have ideally been presented in a more stylized manner, however, due to the lack of experience from the actors, I was unable to gain this performance. Because of my experience being in a Berkoff play, | know the reaction it can generate from an audience. This could have given a more chilling and eerie effect in this sequence and helped give more emotion at this point - something that tutors said the piece needed when giving feedback.
A particular book that I have found to be a good guide would be Bordwell and Thompson’s ‘Film Art: An Introduction’. The chapter named ‘Making the Movie: Film Production’ has been a great help, especially throughout the pre-production of the piece. The book speaks on each of the roles throughout a production and has helped define what each crew member should have to do. Obviously, because our piece was a student film with no budget, some roles would overlap, however, I did not expect to do quite as much as I did, considering everyone should have been doing their roles to the best of their ability at a degree level. Sadly, this was not always the case.
Many films inspired me in the creation of this film, including many that were viewed in seminars at the beginning of the project. Jane Campion’s ‘The Piano’ (1993) made me think about how a simple section of a film can make an audience think. The scene that we watched in the seminar demonstrated a girl after she had tied herself to her piano before being thrown into the ocean. However, as adrenaline took over, she found herself trying to save herself when it came to nearly drowning. This notion made me think about how I could use this kind of emotion in my own film and how I would portray it to an audience.
Overall, I think that we have completed a piece that gives examples of good camera work and acting in particular. A favorite shot of mine would be within the final scene, where Lola swings back and forth in the park. The sun shining through the houses behind her gives a slight silhouette that helps portray the connotation of her child-like mannerisms and persona.
I think that if we had some more input from the producer, the production process would have ran a lot smoother and individual roles would have been completed to a higher standard. We did however work well as a team, especially when it came to pre production and meeting as a group.
I have learnt many things throughout this process, the main one being that it is incredibly hard to gain a crew that are all available to film at the same time, to which sacrifices have to be made. In this case, we had to alter the set up of the film to be at night so that we could get the film done.
Particular influences have helped me also in the creation of the film, such as theatre practitioners and various films including Mr and Mrs Smith (2005). To conclude, I am happy with the outcome and although I would have changed some elements, I still stick to my reasoning behind why I did them.
Bibliography:
Chandler, David (2002) Semiotics: The Basics USA; Canada: Routledge
Bordwell, D / Thompson K (2010) Film Art an Introduction (Ninth Edition)New York: McGraw-Hill
