final cut

Right, its been a 3 week project, its been 4 peoples efforts, but ultimately, its a 1 minute(ish) single shot film.




I really like the look of the film. In a word, it's DARK. Both visually, but also metaphorically. The contrast and the dimness of the grayscale sort of preempts the negative, ominous feel of the piece - this certainly isn't a happy go lucky chick flick or family friendly kid scene. You could criticise it due to that you cannot make out what is in the background very well with it being covered by the shadow/darkness. However, that isn't whats important about this piece - the main action is the main character, who is perfectly visible due to wearing a bright white shirt.

Whilst on this point, you should be able to notice that from our original take, the shots becomes alot tighter, more up close. This is something I repeatedly focused on during filming, from the learning in our seminar sessions. Instead of a wide open, ornate background for the audience to wander off into and lose the close intensity and anxiety we sought, the majority of the screen focuses on the job in hand - the main character. I much prefer it this way, as I can see the worthiness of the technique we were shown - you are in there and with little background distraction to lose your focus. This is why the key parts to the film, particularly the ending with the gun, are tight, close up shots, magnifying the effect of the action on screen.

The gun that David brought in was spot on for what we wanted. It looked like the real thing, and is another small thing I notice as working well for the film. When pointing against Davids head and the pillowcase, you couldn't get any stronger a contrast in colour - white and black, which is another way of representing good and evil.

The heartbeat effect I really like as well, it creates a rhythm, it sets the mood/tone - an identifiable sound effect used nowadays to signify stress or anxiety. The volume we tried to increase throughout, although it isn't that noticeable because we could only do it a little due to the sound distorting. Nonetheless, we did this with the intention of upping the anty, and increasing the intensity of our main character. Whilst filming, the door slamming sound conveniently came coupled with the sound of metal reverberating from the door slam. This wasn't intended, but from the first run through and finding out this happened, we definitely knew it should be included. To capitalise on this, the heartbeat sound mutes during this time, to make sure the door bang is noticed and emphasised.

Whats more, at the end where the screen goes blank, the beat continues, this again is something I really like. You only have that thumping heartbeat to concentrate or focus on, silence and then the loud BANG of the gunshot answers the question about our characters outcome, but also is quite a dramatic ending, a definite ending to the piece.

If I were to pick out any niggles about the piece, there is a slight bit in the middle where David goes down to pick up the pillowcase to hood himself with, and his head goes up and off the shot for a second. It is only for a quick second as he recovers by lowering himself and putting on the hood, but if I were to change anything, it would be to make sure his head remains on screen, all the time. This though, is only a tiny bit I have picked up on in the post production stage.

We did have a few slight discrepancies over which direction to take the piece in, and these were really very minimal - i.e. the man should stay on the chair, or the man should get off and get onto his knees, there should be a gunshot at the end, there shouldn't be a gunshot, but we quickly sorted this out by clarifying the options behind each of the choices, and then as a group, agreeing on the solution. It will probably be a never ending circle as to should we or shouldn't we have included the bang at the end, it has equal outcomes for the audience. The gunshot that we have gone for, I am in cooperation with as gives a forceful end, packing a punch to close the film. But silence would work equally as well. Lastly, we could maybe have thought more about the costume used. If David were say to have used a dirty, messy, crumpled up shirt, that would have provided more visual signals.

We were unlucky not to be able to obtain a studio when we hoped for, and thereby delaying us, but it is a lesson to be learnt, and means I'll definitely ensure we secure a location early on. Also, nobody had any tape to film onto, so Leanne had to hot foot it to WHSmiths. Being 100% prepared is therefore another thing to highlight just to smooth out any potential problems that could occur! But these are all really quite minor.


Nonetheless, it is the accumulation of all these pros, and cons, that have resulted in our final piece. I am very happy with the look of it, and feel it has been a really beneficial and productive module, something I'm proud of - 'One Shot'.

As a last note, in our brief we were told that the camera was only permitted one move. We asked Deb what specifically was meant by this and she gestured as picking up and moving the camera. When watching our take, we pan up and down a few more times than once, but hopefully this will be permitted. Other groups have taken it as being a non moving shot at all, i.e. the camera can only move OR pan once. Fingers crossed we won't be penalised. :(

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Teamwork was divided into several categories.

The pre-production aspect saw Leanne drawing us up some storyboards. I myself, being the main author of the idea took on a sort of directive role, pitching the idea, hinting at deeper meanings that the piece could pursue, and then writing all this up in the Synopsis, Summary of Action and Scheduling documents - chief organiser or so to speak! Andria decided she would like to try her hand at the actual filming, so alongside this, wrote a piece about the look on screen, how it would be composed and so on. Last but not least, David took on the role of finding us a location, booking the equipment and studio facility.

Whilst filming, David was the main actor of the piece, myself the executer. Leanne donned her earphones and pitched up the mike, to capture sound, whilst Andria operated the camera and grabbed all the shots! We all played a part in setting up the camera, positioning it, the lighting rigs and placing set pieces.

Post production saw us all playing a part. Leanne initially captured the raw dv and then as a group we all came up with a different version of the final piece, then coming together and choosing the best bits, mixing these ideas all into our best and final final cut.

In terms of what we could have improved on, we could really have made it an absolute priority to attend our little meetings. It is difficult to get everybody in the same place at the same time, and admittedly, we experienced this. Leanne lives away from uni so it meant a long bus trek for her, and then the same back, meaning bus times can wreak havoc when you want to dig in and crack on. Obviously life can throw up problems and get in the way, but if we all could turn up, we would all be in the know and be up to date with the way the piece is going, whilst also knowing what tasks they need to be looking at and working on. This really is the only not so successful aspect of our group work project. We didn't experience bickering, we all managed to come to compromises when dealing with the ideas, ways we can work in and so on, meaning it all came together well.

As a last little bit, I've done my own edit of the piece. It's ALOT darker - instead of applying one light reduction effect, I doubled that, along with doubling the grayscale! I also went with the soundclip of the heart where the increase in volume is more easy to perceive.



If I'm being honest, I do prefer my cut due to it looking alot darker and for me, more grim. Nonetheless, our collective effort is our group choice and so will be the definitive edit.

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