Evaluation

At the beginning of this unit I generated three different ideas. After my focus group where I
described my three different ideas I concluded that my third idea ‘Tea time’ was my best
option as it was the one my focus group seemed most engaged by. Regarding my third idea
'Tea Time' it was suggested it could be successful as a radio drama in my focus group, a
point that I agree with and should have possibly taken more into consideration, however I
wanted to push myself and attempt to create a short film of this idea as I wanted to
improve on and focus on my use of camera work and other visual aspects. Additionally, I
think my final idea would have been too confusing to follow without the use of visuals. My
first idea was a horror, thriller genre short film however the storyline wasn’t very
adventurous and I don’t think it would have been engaging for viewers to watch. However,
as I wanted to create something within this genre I decided to mix this genre with my third
idea, ‘Tea Time’s, storyline.
The original plan I had was to film in a coffeehouse in Henley called ‘The Hot gossip
Coffeehouse’ and use shots from the exterior and interior of the shop. I was really intrigued
by this location when I was researching cafes/ tea rooms around Henley as the name of it fit
so well with the storyline of my production. Luckily, I was granted permission to film in the
back conservatory of this coffee shop which helped make my production look authentic and
meant I could make use of the name of the shop. However, if I was granted permission to
film the actual drinks being made and the interior of the coffeeshop that would have helped
my production as I could have used that for b-roll or as a title screen which was my original
plan that I had to improvise by using clips of the exterior instead. Furthermore, in my
original plan I wanted to hire actors on the creative hub however by the time I wanted to
begin filming I hadn’t received any responses on this therefore I used my contingency plan
and casted peers from my course that fit my character profiles as closely as possible.

My secondary research helped me significantly during the pre-production of my short film

especially researching into the psychology of confessions as it enabled me to understand
and develop my character more. Specifically looking into partial confessions as that is what
my character does due to the fact he only confesses to an extent and is untruthful in some
parts. I have linked the website below that helped me expand my knowledge on partial
confessions
Psychology Today. 2022. Why Confessing Is Good for You | Psychology Today United Kingdom. [ONLINE]
Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/ulterior-motives/201501/why-confessing-is-
good-you. [Accessed 07 June 2022].

Another part of my secondary research that

benefited me in my pre-production was analysing
videos of a similar genre or theme to my production.
The two productions I analysed that helped me gain
inspiration and ideas for my production were two
short films called ‘roadside’ and ‘gossip’.

The production ‘roadside’ is a short thriller film on

YouTube which inspired me to include shots where
you can only partially see one character as shown in
the screenshot; where one character is shadowed in the dark and cannot be seen whilst the
other is visible, I was inspired to use a shot similar to this in my production as I liked the idea
of having the villain shadowed and in darkness to represent his threat and the Victim out in
the light to portray their vulnerability.

On the other hand, I analysed the production ‘Gossip’ as it

was relevant to the theme of my production and used
techniques such as voiceovers and flashbacks which I had
planned on
using in my short film. I took inspiration from their use of
dark lighting and close-up shots in suspenseful flashback
scenes, as shown in the screenshot to the right, as I feel like
the darkness helped add to the tension of the scene and
horror genre and the use of the close-up shot effectively
draws the viewers’ attention to that specific area.

Moreover, the establishing shot at the beginning of this

production there is an establishing shot to portray
the location. I took inspiration from this and began
my production with an establishing shot as I feel it
gives the viewers more details about the scene
consequently making them more engaged in the
storyline. I have shown the comparison between the
shot I used and the shot from the production I took
inspiration from in the screenshot to the right.

Additionally, my primary research helped me

significantly especially my target audience focus
group as it helped me understand whether my
target audience would be interested in watching my
production and what streaming services they use. The majority of my target
audience said they would be most inclined to watch a thriller short film on
YouTube; therefore, I uploaded my production onto that platform. Furthermore,
in my surveys my target audience voted that they would most like to see 2 main
characters portrayed therefore using this response I decided I would have the
tea shop owner and that villain as the two protagonists. Also, in my surveys
100% of respondents said they would prefer to watch a non-linear narrative
which helped me come up with the plan to use flashbacks throughout the
production to make it more engaging for viewers.
According to my feedback, 100% of
respondents enjoyed my production
which was my aim to make it enjoyable
and interesting to watch. Furthermore, in
the responses regarding the narrative,
two responses said that it was clear to
understand due to the voiceovers, I
planned to use the voiceovers with that
purpose to make the storyline clearer
therefore I’m glad that was effective. One
response stated that it would have been
better if the main boy was in it more which
I agree with as that was my original plan
however due to him not being able to act
during certain time slots I had to
compromise and use several POV shots instead.
My responses to the question asking how the editing, camera work and lighting worked
were positive. I purposefully made the flashbacks lighter during the happy memory and
darker during the more sinister flashbacks and am glad that is recognisable in the
production. Furthermore, I agree that some camera shots are still slightly shaky which I
could improve on, this is due to not using a
tripod for some shots or not using the warp
stabiliser editing technique.
I agree with my improvements and will
make sure I have enough shots for my next
production so I don’t have to re-use or edit
slightly shots I have already used once as it
looks unprofessional. In regards to the
volume I struggled with finding a volume
that worked where you could hear the
background music and also the voiceover
clearly and will spend more time on
perfecting that next time.

The editing of my flashbacks is mentioned in most of my strengths as I spent a lot of time

researching how to edit flashbacks and took inspiration from other short films techniques
which is why I think it worked effectively.

Personally, I think I could improve on many aspects in my next production such as

organisational skills during pre-production, specifically knowing how many shots I need
which will prevent me from having to repeat shots in future productions. Moreover, this
effected the duration of my production also as I had to cut parts of the voiceovers due to
not having enough shots to use for them. Additionally, I will also make sure to research
more into the use of audio and how to use this more effectively in my production as
mentioned in my feedback certain parts of the production have a much higher volume voice
over than others.
My strengths in this production were mostly my use of editing, for example using the video
transition for the cheerful flashbacks to dip to white and the more suspenseful flashbacks to
dip to black to emphasise the contrast between the lighting and moods of the shots.
Furthermore, I attempted to experiment more with camera angles and shots, for example
high angle shots during the basement scenes to portray the victim is vulnerable, which h I
think was successful and made my production more interesting for viewers to watch and
helped effectively create suspense and fear in my more sinister scenes.

In this unit I have learnt several skills that I think will aid me during year 2. For example,
over this unit I have learnt several editing techniques, such as video transitions and using a
warp stabiliser to help shots that are possibly shaky. I have also learnt skills regarding
lighting and how to adjust camera settings like ISO to fit to the lighting that will match the
mood of my production. Additionally, I have also learnt the importance of organisation and
pre-production and will make sure to go into more detail in my pre-production work in the
future so I am more prepared for my filming.