Project evaluation
This project was definitely the biggest learning experience that I have had so far when making films. When starting this unit and learning that I would need to make the entire thing on my own as well as acting I felt very apprehensive. I doubted my abilities and thought that I would really struggle with setting up the shot as well as being in it myself. However, this has been the best thing that could have happened, in this unit I have learned so much about my abilities, and what I am capable of. I have learned so much from making mistakes and solving problems that occurred, but most of all I have grown a great level of film making confidence.
Creating an Adaptation:
When creating my adaptation something that I kept in mind was that an adaptation was "an act of revision in itself." (Sanders, 2016:18) I focussed on the poem and how it can be adapted into anything with little limitations. After analysing the poem I was confident on my idea and this did help as it meant that I could then start applying all theming from the poem to my film, along with the main story structure. I do feel that my adaptation was a successful one, due to constantly reminding myself of "I choose the Mountain" throughout the production stages as well as the post production stages. When filming, I also had a copy of the poem with me as although an adaptation is an "ever-evolving cultural mosaic" (Sanders, 2016:17) that may not be directly linked to the original media source, I always wanted to have the poem at heart. Furthermore I believe that my film is a true adaptation of the poem and I am beyond please with the finished product. I tried to relay multiple themes through it, such as strength of will, determination, and inspiration to make choice. As well as this I reflected metaphors that are used in the poem such as the foreboding "mountain"which is represented through Billie's insecurities. Therefore I am happy with the final film and I have really enjoyed making adaptation, this will not be the last one that I do.
Biggest Challenges:
The biggest challenge that I faced was with using the green screen. I had carried out extensive research on setting it up and I wanted to create a 'hole in the wall' effect therefore I nailed the green screen cloth into the wall. A big mistake that I made was that I did not light it successfully, which was really unfortunate as when it came to putting the clips into Adobe After Effects I tried to use the key light effect and it was not picking up the green screen. As my wall is yellow it was also picking this up which meant that the image that I was trying to use was just covering most of the wall as well as the green screen. This was very disappointing and when using 'Screen Matte' in After Effects it was still just picking up the wall even after adjusting it. As you can see below the colour just spreads across the whole shot rather than the specific green screen area. To solve this problem, I decided to re shoot the shots using the green screen. This time I made sure that I lit the green screen accurately by lighting it separately to me, and I also using a warmer light and adjusted the white balance and this then enabled the key-light effect to work correctly.
Fig. 7 Green screen problem
Fig. 9 'Screen Matte'
The next big challenge that I faced was with the projector. I wanted to use the projector to reflect the weather images onto my face, as well as a sequence of shots of Billie growing up. However, something that I did not anticipate was just how loud the projector was going to be. luckily I had planned to film one shot with the projector and one without for the audio's sake, but when editing unfortunately a challenge I faced with that the audio's did not match. This meant that in the shots where the pjector is used all that you can hear is the projector which was very unfortunate. In future to stop this from happening I would place the mic closer to me so that it picks up the audio from the action rather than from the projector. To solve the problem this time I used sound effects and a buzz track to disguise the noise.
Another issue that I faced with the projector was getting it at the right angle. Due to working in such a small space it was hard to fit all kit in the room so I ended up having to use pillows under the projector to prop it up as I could not fit a table in my room to put it on. If I was doing this again in future I would purchase a small pop up table to place it on as that would be much easier and more effective.
Fig. 11 The projector
Another big challenge that I faced was with using my laptop to edit the video. As it does not have much memory and I experienced some WiFi issues, my Premiere Pro file kept corrupting. This was frustrating as it kept feeling that I had wasted time with editing when it would then corrupt. To solve this issue I purchased another hard drive and moved premiere pro (the application) onto a hard drive rather than it being on my laptop. This seemed to solve the issue as it did not happen again after this. Unfortunately this was an aspect of completing work from home and was something that could not be helped, but my quick thinking to get another hard drive did solve the problem.
Finally the last challenge that I faced was differentiating between living at home and shooting. By this I mean on shoot days trying to act as if it is an official shoot even though it was just myself at my own home. There were times in which it felt too relaxed as I would think it’s okay to sit down for ten minutes as I’m at home, however I had a tight schedule and lots to get through so I had to keep focussing on working efficiently. In the future I will remember this if I am in a similar situation again and I would factor in more time for shooting as it does need extra time when doing it by yourself.
Biggest Successes:
The first huge success I feel that I had was with set design. I feel that I really wanted to fulfil the brief of creating an experimental film so I gave myself no limitations and did not hold back with set design. The first aspect that I feel very proud of is the mirror room that I created. I wanted to encapsulate how she feels trapped and contained by her own appearance so I had the idea of having the sequence in front of a mirror. Consequently as it is experimental I thought I would take it a step further and surround her with mirrors in a cupboard. Being experimental means "emphasising colours, textures, patterns and shapes" (Brown, 2016:113) and this is exactly what I tried to do with my production design and during my rough cut Sam commented on how it was very effective which made me feel that I had fulfilled my aim. Having no boundaries with design has taught me that it film making should not have limitations. Being brave and bold is definitely the way to go for my future projects, because if it is possible to turn a messy cupboard under the stairs into foil and mirror coated room, then anything is possible. I also feel thatI was successful with creating the post it note wall. This added a very large amount of colour to the inspirational section of the film at the end and in post production whenI used Lumetri, vibrancy and Saturation to brighten the shot, the post it notes looked very effective.
Fig. 1 Cupboard under the stairs before
Fig. 2 Cupboard under the stairs after
Fig. 3 Lighting used in cupboard under the stairs
Fig. 4 Post it note wall
Another big success that I faced was with working on my own. I have worked on my own for films before but have never had to act too. To begin with I found the thought of this almost overwhelming, but looking back on it now it was the best thing that I could have done. I have learned so much about how to use the camera and functions such as expanded focus, and setting up user profiles, when before I did not have much confidence with the camera as I always preferred to go for Producer and planning roles on projects. I also learnt a lot about my own capabilities and the fact I managed to create montages in my film is something that I am really proud of. I am very proud of the fact that I have also displayed a large insecurity of mine on camera, and created a film about something that is quite personal to me.
Fig. 5 Expanded Focus
Once I had a fine cut of the film after I had made the appropriate changes from the rough cut; such as cutting down the length a bit and cutting out some unnecessary movement, I showed the video to my family and a fellow classmate for feedback. This was useful as they commented on finer details that I may not have picked up on such as a sound effect coming in ever so slightly late, or a cutaway not being held for long enough. Doing this was a great chance for me to get some critique from others and I would do it again in the future.
Fig. 6 Using the Grid
My Fine Cut with Sam was also a successful aspect of the project as he commented on how the emotions really came through and I was very pleased with this as I had really wanted to make the audience feel a connection with the film whilst watching.
Conclusion
In summary, this has been the most rewarding unit that I have undertaken so far. I feel immensely proud of the fact that I have managed to create an adaptation that successfully reflects the theming and idea of the poem "I Choose the Mountain" by Howard Simon. I have also filmed as well as acted in the adaptation, and I believe I have successfully created an experimental film in Lockdown circumstances. I have taken many risks while pushing myself and I feel that they have payed off in the finished film.
Bibliography:
Sanders, J. (2016) Adaptation and Appropriation. [online] At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/reader.action?docID=308508 (Accessed on 3.1.2021)
Brown, B (2016) Cinematography: theory and practice: imagemaking for cinematographers and directors. [online] At: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/reader.action?docID=720723 (Accessed on 24/12/2020)
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