The ‘Zine Final Evaluation

Context
The idea of producing a film set in a different time period came about during our specialist
study. I decided I wanted to specialise in period dramas, and in the process, I learnt a lot
about the subject matters tackled in a lot of them; issues that we still face today but set in a
different time period. I originally wanted my film to be set in either the late Victorian era,
the Edwardian era, or the 50’s, because those were the time periods that interested me the
most. However, I quickly realised that I didn’t have the recourses nor the budget to produce
something set in any of those times, so I started thinking more realistically and settled on
the 90’s.

I knew from pretty early on that I wanted my film to have a LGBTQ+ theme, because it’s a
topic that isn’t represented nearly enough, especially in period dramas and products set in
any time before the present. I was inspired mostly by series that were made recently but are
set in the 90s, and that tackle similar topics to what I was aiming for. Derry Girls, My Mad
Fat Diary and Everything Sucks are some examples of the pre-existing products that largely
influenced and inspired my idea, as they are all set in the 90’s, and they all at some point
feature some kind of LGBTQ+ storyline.

I stated in the beginning that I wanted my film to help those who aren’t in the community
understand what it was like for a gay teenager growing up in the 90’s; what it was like for
them to come out, or have to hide who they were because of fear of prejudice and
unacceptance, and just the struggles and hardships that they faced. The deeper I delved into
the research, and the more I learned about the homophobia that people faced not only in
the 90’s, but also nowadays, the more my original intention became stronger. I do feel like
my finished product has achieved my goal to show people just how difficult it was to be part
of the LGBTQ+ community in the 90’s, because it doesn’t shy away from the fact that my
main character likes girls but is afraid to tell anyone, and while there is no outright
homophobia displayed during the film, during the final scene when Emma and her brother
are talking, she explicitly lists all of the offensive terms that people use at school and that
she hears in her everyday life.

Research
Before I could create a film that would allow people to understand the struggles that those
in the LGBTQ+ community faced in the 90’s, I needed to further understand it myself. In
order to do this, I needed to research both homophobia in the 90’s, and homophobia in the
present, so that I could compare and contrast. I found a very interesting and insightful
report from 2017 by the LGBTQ+ rights charity, Stonewall, about hate crime and
discrimination in the UK. I found some really helpful statistics that allowed me to back up
my research and the idea that homophobia and LGBTQ+ discrimination is still a very real
issue today. I sent an email to Stonewall, hoping they would be able to answer some
questions for me and help me further understand homophobia in the 90s, and I also sent
the same message on Instagram but unfortunately, I never heard back. I wish I had reached
out to more LGBTQ+ charities or even online groups or forums that might’ve been able to
help me with those questions, and perhaps if I’d had more time, I would have.

I also made a survey to collect some primary research. In my survey, I asked questions such
as “if you were around in the 90’s, do you remember experiencing or hearing about a lot of
hate and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community?” and “Do you think we’ve come a
long way since the 90’s in terms of homophobia? Do you think it’s better or worse now?”
and although most of the people that took the survey were my age so they weren’t around
during the 90’s, the answers from 90’s kids that I did receive were quite helpful. They stated
that they did remember derogatory terms being thrown around in the 90’s.

I also researched a lot into 90’s-related things so that I could succeed with the mise-en-
scene of my film. I watched shows that were set in the 90’s, such as Derry Girls and My Mad
Fat Diary, and analysed things like the way their bedrooms were decorated, and the clothes
that they wore. I also added some questions in my survey, such as “what items and décor do
you think would be seen in an iconic 90’s teenage bedroom or household?” and “when you
think of 90’s fashion, what comes to mind?” The answers that I received to those questions
were very helpful, as they allowed me to figure out what items I would need to acquire for
my film.

Planning & Production

One of the biggest concerns I had for making the 90’s setting believable was turning my
bedroom into a 90’s teen’s bedroom and in order to do that, I had to do some redecorating.
One of the first things I did was set dress a corner of my room with the recourses I already
had. This helped me get a clearer idea of what else I needed to do or get in order to make
my room look like it was from the 90’s. I also took some photos for my storyboard, to help
me better visualise exactly how I wanted each shot to look, because I don’t feel like drawing
a storyboard personally helps me.

I also did a test shoot so that I could make sure the shots I had in my storyboard would
work, and also so I had some footage to test editing softwares with. The test shoot went
successfully, it also gave me a chance to set dress my room a little more and get an idea of
how exactly how I wanted it to look.

I think my planning was thorough enough to an extent. When it came to filming, I had a
script ready, I knew what costumes each of my characters were going to wear, and I thought
I had a good idea of exactly how I wanted each shot to look. However, when we came to
film for the first time, I realised that I hadn’t thought through the dialogue of the argument
as Emma’s walking down the stairs, which slowed the production down as I had to quickly
think of the dialogue and add it to the script. I also had a little bit of a mind-blank when it
came to exactly what shots I wanted, and needed to rethink a couple. Because it was getting
late at the time of filming, I decided to call it a day and finish the scene the next day. When
the next day came, I made sure I was more prepared and fortunately, it went a lot
smoother.

Problem Solving
There were a number of problems that I encountered during my final project. The biggest
problem, of course, was the lockdown and COVID-19. Like many others, this meant I had to
completely rethink my original ideas due to casting and location options being very, very
limited. Originally, I planned to have my film set in a park or a café and it was about a
teenage girl watching another girl from afar, because she likes her but can’t tell anybody.
Obviously, I had to scrap that idea due to lockdown and instead came up with my final idea,
so that I could still keep the LGBTQ+ theme, but I could film it in my own house with the
people I live with.

The lockdown seemed to have a bit of a domino effect on my final project and because of it,
I came across a number of different problems. I didn’t have access to all of the equipment I
usually would at college, so I had to make the best of the recourses I had. I booked out a
camera from college before it closed, so at least I had that, but I was completely stuck for
editing software. I thought I would be able to get Adobe Creative Suites on my uncle’s
laptop or PC, but that didn’t work, so I tried HitFilm Express. That did work, however, when I
first tried exporting it, there was a huge watermark over the video that ruined the whole
thing, so I thought that option was out. However, I came up with the idea of editing in
HitFilm and then filming it off the screen with a camera before I exported. To make sure that
this would work before I spent ages editing, I tested it with my test shoot and uploaded it to
YouTube. The quality and everything were fine, so I went ahead and edited the real thing. It
turned out that on my uncle’s PC, I was able to export without the watermark, so it worked
out in the end.

I also came across some location problems during pre-production. The final scene was
originally going to be set in the kitchen; the brother would be making a cup of tea before
bed and then Emma would walk in and they would talk. However, when I came to
storyboard that scene, I realised that I had way too many modern appliances in my kitchen,
the fridge, oven/microwave, kettle, etc. and they’re all things that I can’t exactly remove,
plus they take up too much space for me to have filmed without getting any of them in shot.
So, I realised I needed to have a think about where to set that scene. In the meantime, I was
still able to film the first two scenes, so I continued to plan them until they were ready to be
filmed. Eventually, I decided to have the final scene set on the landing, at the top of the
stairs because it’s a big enough space, and my bedroom is directly across from the top of the
stairs so it worked to have Emma coming out of her room just as the brother is coming up
the stairs and they bump into each other and talk.

Practical Skills
I think I learned more about directing during this experience than I would’ve otherwise. At
college, everybody knows how to be in someone else’s film because we’ve all had to do it at
one point or another in the last two years. Obviously, at college I would still have to explain
to people what my film is about and where I want people, what I want them to say, etc. but
we all generally know how the filming process works. However, at home, I had to be much
clearer and more specific and explain my reasoning for doing things like filming the same
scene several times from different angles, having people say their lines again because it
didn’t quite work the first time, etc. This skill will definitely help me in future projects
because even if I don’t continue in the film industry, being able to clearly direct people is a
useful skill to have in any profession.

I also learned how to use HitFilm Express because of this project, which could become a very
useful skill to have. Although the free version of the software is fairly basic, and it’s no
Premiere Pro, it can still allow me to practice my editing skills even though I’m not at
college.

During this final project, and also during this college course in general, I have also learnt a
lot about writing for screenplays, rather than short stories which I’m more used to. This is a
really valuable skill for me personally, because it’s allowed me to broaden and strengthen
my skills as a writer. It will be a very useful skill to have as I go into university, and hopefully,
into a career in the future.

Through this experience, I have also learned how to adapt to changes in circumstance, and
to sacrifice original plans to make things work better. I think this is the most valuable
development I’ve made, because it’s a really important and useful skill to have, not only in
future projects, but in life in general.

Presentation
I had two target audiences in mind for my film: those in the LGBTQ+ community who could
relate and resonate with my main character, and those who are not in the community who
can watch my film and get some kind of understanding about the struggles and hardships
that those in the LGBTQ+ community faced in the 90’s.

I mainly presented my film on Facebook. I posted it on my normal profile for those not in
the community, and I also found a Wiltshire based LGBTQ+ group where I posted my film as
well. I got a lot of positive feedback on my film, from both places. I did get some
constructive criticism, but it was more about the acting than the actual tone and quality of
my film. One commenter did suggest I should’ve used a “Diva” magazine instead of a
“Playboy” one, however someone else pointed out that if I did that, it wouldn’t have worked
with the storyline of the brother pretending the magazine is his.

I wanted my film to have a 90’s look to it, but I also wanted the LGBTQ+ theme to be clear,
and I also wanted the fact that this film is about someone facing struggles and unhappiness
to come across as well. I made a poster to promote my film; it was a snapshot of me from
the film, looking worried and troubled, and I had the LGBTQ+ flag over the top and faded
slightly so you could see my face still. I think that my troubled face indicates the struggles
my main character is facing, and the faded flag obviously represents the LGBTQ+ theme, and
I also used a bold, funky font for the title which I think added to the 90’s vibe.

The Final Product

Despite the difficult circumstances we were all in during our final project, I think I’m actually
happier about how this film turned out than I am about my other college projects. I’m really
pleased with how the final product looks, I like that the storyline is strong and the pacing
flows nicely, and the shots look good. I think I did a good job at turning my bedroom into a
90’s bedroom, and turning myself and my cast into a 90’s family with the costumes and
hairstyles.

Of course, no project is ever truly perfect and there’s always area for improvement and
things that could’ve been done better. There was a mistake made that I didn’t actually
notice until it came to post-production. I planned to have my film set in the evening, so in
the bedroom scene, the curtains are drawn and the only source of light is from the lava
lamp and bedside lamp. However, I came to realise that as Emma is walking down the stairs
and through to the kitchen, you can see the broad daylight coming through the panes on
the front door, and the kitchen windows. Although, I never actually specified what time of
day it was in the film, apart from the final scene when they’re in pyjamas, and no one
commented on it when I posted the film online so I just about got away with it, but it’s
definitely a continuity error that I need to remember and learn from in the future.

There was also a continuity blip in the final scene at the top of the stairs, when Tyler slams
his mug down on the cupboard. It the shot before, he’s holding the mug in his left hand, but
then it cuts to a close up as he puts the mug down, and it’s in his right hand. Again, nobody
commented on the error so maybe no one noticed it, but it’s definitely something to learn
from and make sure I don’t make that mistake in the future.

There was another fatal flaw that I didn’t notice until Nicky mentioned it later on. In the
scene where the mother and brother are arguing, I broke the 180-degree rule with the close
up of the mother. I should’ve had the shot filmed from the other side of my cousin’s
shoulder, but I didn’t even think about it when I was filming. This is a rookie mistake that I
should have noticed beforehand, and is also definitely something that I will be sure to look
out for in future.

I think my final product is suitable for both my intended audiences. I think that Emma is a
good portrayal of a queer teenager who has to hide her identity and who is afraid of people
finding out in fear of not being accepted, which a lot of members of the LGBTQ+ community
can resonate with; those who were teenagers in the 90’s, and also those who are dealing
with it nowadays, who possibly still feel like they have to hide who they are. I also think I did
well in showing those not in the LGBTQ+ community what it’s like to go through those
struggles, although I think there is area for improvement in that sense because even though
Emma does list the slurs that are said at school etc, perhaps it would have been more
effective had I involved someone actually saying those sort of offensive things to her or
some kind of other harassment towards her, just to show what it’s really like and how it
makes people feel.

I’m happy with the feedback I got on my film. A lot of it was positive, and people said that
they resonated with the film and that it was a very real, relevant and raw topic to represent.
I thankfully didn’t get any backlash about making an LGBTQ+ film even though I’m not part
of the community myself, which I am glad about as that was a concern of mine when
posting my film in the Facebook group. I also received some feedback from college peers
and was given some more points about what I could’ve improved. For example, someone
suggested that I could’ve done with a soundtrack just to fill the silent moments like when
the brother is walking up the stairs, etc. and someone also said that I could’ve done with
some kind of indication to whether it’s set in the early, mid or late 90’s, perhaps through a
prop or something. The constructive criticism that I did receive was very helpful and I will
definitely remember them and take them into account in the future.

In Conclusion
Overall, I’m pleased with how my final product turned out. Despite the circumstances, I
believe I did a good job at adapting to the changes and putting in the work to make my final
project reach it’s best potential. There are, of course, areas for improvement such as being
more prepared when it comes to filming, e.g. making sure I’ve thoroughly thought out the
script and storyboard beforehand, and being careful not to make any continuity errors. I’m
happy with the feedback I got on my product; I’m glad that people liked my film and that it
resonated with them like I hoped, and I do feel like I did well in reaching my target audience.
I will be sure to take any constructive criticism and points for improvement with me into
future projects.