Evaluation; Reflective analysis
In this evaluation, I will be sharing my difficult but enjoyable journey through the adventure of film. I will also be discussing the knowledge I have gained and what I have learnt during the time of this course.
In my micro analysis, I studied the popular film Kill Bill Vol.1. In my exploration of the film, I did not just learn a large amount of information about the film, but also about how to research information on films. I learned what the cast crew had to do to produce and promote the film, and was surprised at the hard work which they had to input to make it a success, however I did know some information but I gained a more valuable insight to film making. It was difficult to research, however it was worth it because I gained information, I previously didn't know. In my textual micro analysis, I got the opportunity to put my knowledge and skill to the test. I wrote about the sound and special effects of Kill Bill Vol.1. Although I knew about theses topics it was fun to learn about different types of sound like diegetic and non-diegetic. This also took some researching, but it was more about observing the sequence, and noticing with your own eyes what is happening in font of the camera instead of behind it, in contrast to the exploration. Either way I leaned loads studying this and I now have a better understanding of how films are made.
For the next part of my coursework the pre-production I did a pitch and wrote a script. Firstly I had to come up with some ideas for a film and eventually decided on a solid idea for a film. For this I drew spider diagrams and made bullet pointed lists of ideas for films and explored different types of genres. I considered horror but however chose to do an action/drama film. Once the genre was decided I have to come up with a narrative which became about the upbringing of a prostitute and how she became who she is today, and then when my decision was final I had to create a pitch. Although when I did my pitch I was mostly unaware of what a pitch was like and what sort of information it contained, I researched pitches and easily had a great understanding of the task I had to do, including learning how to write a log line which became very useful. I wrote the pitch as if it was going to be presented to a producer; the most difficult part of this task was trying to fit all the details into few words. However it gave me a chance to describe my film in detail and gave me a greater experience in transferring my ideas from my mind onto paper. I also held real auditions and cast real people for the roles. When I had to perform the pitch I was nervous but I had so much passion that I could confidently give my ideas in the way the producers would like to hear. Overall it was a great experience because I learned a sizable amount about how to begin a film idea and how to present it to people and learned how to match ideas to the target audience, also to have practise in confidence having to stand up and verbally explain my film as well as show it on paper, and I feel I succeeded in this task.
I found doing my script partially hard, because trying to do a scene in the film, with a minimum of 500 words was difficult, however I enjoyed writing it because it gave me a chance to express what the film is really about and I felt like the film began to become real, finally starting to come together. Before writing the script I was unaware that the script font had to be a specific type which was most likely the most important and useful thing I learned. Also the arrangement of the writing was interesting to learn for example; the description on the left and dialogue in the middle and much more. Whilst writing I was unaware that the description had to be so specific and detailed, which was also very useful to know. I feel that the script definitely showed the genre of the film through words, because the film is a drama/action and that is a very dramatic scene and the dialogue showed that. Also I think it defined the personalities of each character, and the audience would be able to tell who the villain of the story is and who we feel sympathetic for.
When I did the production, I Made Three Posters. When I began I never even heard of Photoshop so it was very important to learn how to use it straight away, when I did the rest came less about knowing what to do and more about using your imagination more. I did a teaser, character and a final poster. I had to research a lot of what my films genre posters had on it, so I could get it right. I also used Dafont text to make the writing more interesting. Also it was very useful to know how to delete the background of pictures, so I could use the pictures the way I want. Also I leant how to change the contrast of pictures which became very useful. I also learnt to do a billing block so I could write the details of the whole cast and crew, which a poster needs, I used it for my character and final posters. For my teaser I took pictures from the internet but for the others I took my own original characters which I took of the people I cast’s characters. For character I used only pictures of the main character and only wrote name starring in the film. To show the posters genre I used the main colour as red to represent sex, and to show its Russian I used the three stripes of the three colours on the Russian flag. Overall even though it was a challenge an required a lot of research, I was very impressed with my posters, and looked at them as if they were real posters, I feel did very well and it was a success and I am very proud of them.
In conclusion I was impressed not only at my coursework but how much I pushed my self to do it. It involved loads of hard work, research and effort, which is what you need in the film industry to make it, as well as passion, which I know I have. I am impressed with all the work I have done and feel as id I tried my best and I learnt an astonishingly amount of information that I will keep with me forever, and I can also honestly say my knowledge of the wonderful world of film has grown, and learning it has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done.
By Jack Coribel
