Theoretical Evaluation of Production

Section 1a: Media Language

Ferdinand de Saussure

Language and communication presented through the process of Signification – a sign is the sum of the signifier and the signified.

SIGNIFIER + SIGNIFIED ———-> SIGN

A sign is the sum of the signifier (the sign’s physical form in the real world) and the signified (the mental concept evoked by the signifier). Operates at a level of denotation, identifying a sign which is interpreted through connotations.

Sign connotes things, for example: a girl wearing a blue jumper could perhaps create a connotation that she is feeling sad etc etc – a sign is much more common through mise-en-scene. Can convey a contextual sign/connotation to the audience.

Sassure also distinguishes between Parole and Langue:

Langue is the rules of sign systems, what the speaker/actor does or say.

Parole is the articulation of the signs, what the speaker knows implicitly.

Charles Sanders Peirce: semiotics is a formal doctrine of signs, because for him, signs must have “real connection with the thing it signifies”.

“Apply the concept of media language to one of your media productions.”

Media language can relate to the signs and connotations filmmakers create to engage the audience and to create a number of symbols. In my A2 Media Studies coursework, my short drama film Rosemary depicts the tale of a young woman using virtual reality to connect with her deceased brother. Consequently, media language can be related to the camera work, sound design, editing and mise-en-scene in my short film.

The idea of signs and connotations is pivotal to the format of media language. Ferdinand de Saussure’s theory of signs states that language and communication is presented through the process of signification – a sign is the sum of the signifier and the signified. When relating this concept to camerawork, the way a shot is constructed and moved can create a number of symbols and meanings. In Rosemary, the handheld shot at the very beginning shows a level of instability to the shakiness of the shot; this instability can relate to the girl’s personal life which is not focussed on until she has passed through the closed door. Furthermore, handheld shots can also be representative of the closeness the audience have with the protagonists which is a common archetype in the drama film genre. The closeness between the audience and the protagonist is also signified in the point of view shots between the young woman and her brother at the dinner table. The idea that the audience are witnessing everything from the protagonist’s point of view further immerses the audience within the girl’s personal life and emphasises the drama genre conventions.

Mise-en-scene is arguably the concept which provides the most signs and symbols within any film. In Rosemary, colour is a key part in creating particular atmospheres and emotions; colour is represented through the colour palette as well as the costumes the characters wear. The primary colour palette of Rosemary consists of dark shades of blue as well as black; blue has a predominant connotation to sadness which is a fundamental in the drama film genre. Whereas the black symbolises a much more stronger theme of death which, even though it may not be a fundamental theme in the drama genre but, it symbolises and forebodes much of Rosemary‘s storyline. However, a much more symbolic meaning embedded in Rosemary can be identified in the contrast between natural and the unnatural imagery. The whole concept and idea of the rosemary plant emphasises the tranquillity and natural way of life the protagonist should be living however, the technology based imagery of the virtual reality headset contrasts greatly with this and juxtaposes the natural imagery of the garden and the plants. The technology symbolises the unnatural way of the life the girl is living and how the natural elements of the plants (and even the salad on the characters’ dinner plates) allow her to carry on living and thus, the technology becoming her natural way of life. Mise-en-scene is hugely important when identifying media language, symbols and signs in every film but, particularly Rosemary.

Sound design is established at the very beginning of the short drama film Rosemary and can signify a number of connotations and symbols. At the very beginning of the short film, the opening starts with a non-diegetic soundtrack which primarily piano based. This particular soundtrack is arguably quite steady and there are very little ranges with the notes and keys being exhibited. Since the audience have very little knowledge of protagonist’s life and background, the stable soundtrack signifies the steady routine and there appears to be no abnormalities. Furthermore, piano soundtracks are pivotal and widely used in the drama film genre as they usually connotes to melancholy and a theme of sadness; even though this is not hugely represented in this specific piece of non-diegetic soundtrack, there is arguably an undertone of melancholy within it. The steadiness of the protagonist’s routine and life drastically changes at the end of the short film, when a different non-diegetic soundtrack is exhibited. The non-diegetic soundtrack used at the very end of the film is still piano based but, it creates an entirely different tone. The final non-diegetic piano piece has a range of notes which do not fit together as much as the first piano piece; the notes create a much more unstable atmosphere and emotion. This juxtaposes to the symbolism that the girl had a very stable lifestyle however, after the audience find out much more about the protagonist, the girl has an incredibly unsteady life. Even though this is represented visually, the sound design and choice of non-diegetic soundtrack contributes to the media language of the film massively.

The final concept within filmmaking is: editing and this also contributes to how the audience interpret the film as well as the different connotations the editing portray. During the very beginning of Rosemary, the pace of the editing is quite gradual and steady which relates strongly to the previous point about sound design and the stability of the protagonist’s life. It only becomes clear, through the editing, that something is going wrong in the young woman’s “stable life” as towards the scene of dialogue between the young woman and her brother, the pace of editing increases. An increase in the pace of editing stereotypically signifies that there is an increase in action and suspense which, is the case in Rosemary as the brother begins to malfunction. The malfunction scene also creates tension through the editing of the short film, since the audience were unaware of the involvement of technology in the girl’s life, the editing of the virtual reality headset and the video graphics, implies that the protagonist has been seeing her brother in a much more different light and perception. It can be argued that through the pace of the editing and the graphics, that editing is key in creating emotions as well as symbols which engage the audience further.

Camerawork, mise-en-scene, sound design and editing are important features of any film, feature or short. However, the media language rooted within them whether that be: symbols, signs and connotations created by the filmmakers allows audiences to see a deeper meaning of the film.

Section 1a: Audience

PLAN

Introduction:

Paragraph One: HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY; Paul Lazarsfeld and Werner Herzog; also known as the ‘Effects Model’; discusses that the consumption of various media texts have an effect on the audience – this can have positive and negative effects. Media “injects” thoughts, values and beliefs into a passive audience. In films, certain stereotypes and pieces of symbolism can create an audience response. Thingumablob doesn’t really apply to this theory; passive audience – girl reading book which “injects” into the audience that the book is good because one of the main characters is reading it. POSSIBLY – girl leaves house and blob begins to move around indicates to the audience that the blob isn’t supposed to be doing this/is doing his actions in secret.

Paragraph Two: CULTIVATION THEORY; George Gerbner; another direct effect theory; suggests that through repetition, attitudes and responses towards media texts may become normalised and considered natural. Suggests that they are accepted by audience as opposed to considered. Media – not necessarily change opinion but reinforces and emphasises pre-existing ideas. This theory is mainly associated with television; George Gerbner – comparison between TV and the power of religion. Cultivation theorists – television has a small, gradual influence which effects audiences over time. Doesn’t really associate with short film. Usually has a negative effect on the audience. Looking at short film – Blob knocking stuff over; children may think that this is the right thing to do. However, could reinforce the idea that it is wrong.

Paragraph Three: Uses and Gratification Theory; indirect effect; complete opposite to Cultivation theory and Hypodermic Needle Theory; accepts that media can affect people but, focuses on the fact that people respond differently to different media texts and images; audience is seen as active, not passive; emphasises what audiences do with media texts instead of the power of the media text; people use media texts for: diversion, escapism, information/educational purposes, pleasure and entertainment, identity and integration or social interaction; younger audiences use this film as a means of escapism – they are on the journey with Blob; whereas an older audience may use this as a means of pleasure and entertainment; Uses and Gratification theory mainly applies to television; can also apply to the different ages of the audiences watching the short film.

My A2 Coursework piece was a short animated, family film titled Thingumablob. When looking at audience theory, different strands of this particular theory such as: Lazarsfeld and Herzog’s ‘Hypodermic Needle Theory’; George Gerbner’s ‘Cultivation Theory’ and finally, the ‘Uses and Gratification Theory’.

The two main theorists who are associated with this category of audience theory are: Paul Lazarsfeld and Werner Herzog and it is the ‘Hypodermic Needle Theory’. This theory, also known as the ‘Effects Model’, discusses and argues that the consumption of various media texts have a considerable effect on the audience – this however, can have positive and negative effects on the viewers. Theorists who are firm believers of the Hypodermic Needle Theory believe that the particular types of media “injects” thoughts, values and beliefs into passive audiences. When investigating the world of cinema, certain stereotypes and examples of symbolism for instance, can create a distinct audience response. When looking at the animated, family short film Thingumablob, it is quite difficult to directly apply the Hypodermic Needle Theory to what is exhibited in the product. When considering the idea of a passive audience and the “persuasive” techniques a device may demonstrate which “injects” the audience with certain beliefs, there is one scene in Thingumablob which features the young woman reading a book (Big Little Lies to be precise) and since she is so in depth and in the middle of the story, this perhaps “injects” the audience with thoughts and certain understandings. For example, this signifies that this specific book is quite good since one of the main characters is reading it and the audience should then perhaps buy that book themselves. Another possible example in Thingumablob is when the young woman leaves the house and the blob comes to life and begins to move. This possibly indicates to the audience that what the blob is doing is wrong and would perhaps, looking at the film’s target audience, imply that one should not knock over objects like Blob is doing. Even though the Hypodermic Needle Effect may be applicable to advertising and television, in regards to cinema and Thingumablob it is quite difficult to apply to.

The next strand of audience theory is: ‘Cultivation Theory’. The main theorist for Cultivation Theory is George Gerbner and this too, is another direct effect theory; this means that the Cultivation Theory treats the audience as passive, rather than active. Cultivation Theory suggests that through repetition, attitudes and responses towards different media texts may become normalised and considered natural. Cultivation Theory also suggests that different elements of media texts and products are accepted by audiences as opposed to considered. It could be argued that the media does not necessarily change opinions and attitudes but, it reinforces particular pre-existing ideas the audience may have. The Cultivation Theory is mainly associated with television as George Gerbner made a strong comparison between television and the power of religion. Many Cultivation theorists argue that television has a small, gradual influence which therefore affects the audience over time. Even though this may be applicable to television, this doesn’t really apply to Thingumablob. This is perhaps because, since Thingumablob is a short film, there is not that room for the audience’s opinions to change over time. Similarly, the Cultivation Theory argues that this repetition the audience is receiving, actually has a negative effect on the audience in regards to their attitudes. When looking at Thingumablob, it could be argued that the only aspect of the short film which applies to producing a negative affect on the audience is the scene where Blob is knocking different objects over. When looking at the target audience of young children, it could encourage children to do the same thing. However, in response to that, it could be argued that this particular scene has a positive effect as it encourages children not to do what the blob is doing. There is very little of Thingumablob which relates to Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory entirely. This is perhaps because, this specific theory is more applicable to television and arguably feature length films.

The final strand of audience theory is the ‘Uses and Gratification Theory’ which is the complete opposite of the previous two theories (Hypodermic Needle Theory and Cultivation Theory) as it belongs to the indirect effect – this means that the audience is in fact active as opposed to passive; something the previous theories presented. The Uses and Gratification Theory accepts the fact that media texts and products can affect people but, this specific theory focusses on the fact that people respond differently to different media texts and images. This reinforces the idea that the audience is active, rather than passive. This theory also enforces the argument that it is in fact what audiences do with the media texts instead of becoming passive to the power of the media texts and images. The Uses and Gratification Theory believes that people use media texts for: diversion; escapism; information and/or educational purposes; pleasure and entertainment; identity and integration or social interaction. When applying this to Thingumablob, younger audiences may use this short film as a means of escapism (as well as pleasure and entertainment). This is arguably because, they are on a journey with the blob. However, older audiences may just use the short film Thingumablob as a way of entertainment because, they are not as immersed in the film as a younger audience would be. The Uses and Gratification Theory mainly applies to television but, unlike the two other audience theories, the Uses and Gratification Theory emphasises the different audience emotions. Similarly, it also emphasises the different ages and types of audiences which view the different media texts – something which is quite important to Thingumablob and its target audience.

Section 1a: Digital Technology

June 2013: Explain how your skills in the creative use of digital technology developed over time. Refer to a range of examples from your media productions in your answer.

Pre Production

Apple’s Motion Pro X:

AS – Last year, my partner created the an ident on Apple’s Motion so, I didn’t get a chance to use it.

A2 – Since I am working on my own, I am creating idents by myself so, I got to grips with creating animations from scratch, exporting music into the application and creating a professional and realistic looking ident.

Keynote:

AS – I never used this in AS so, I had no experience of Keynote what so ever.

A2 – Since I was completely new to Keynote, I learnt how to use the software from scratch. Very similar to Window’s Powerpoint but, slightly more technical. Have experience with Windows but, needed to get to grips with basic (animation, font, slide setup etc)

Production

Nikon DSLR Camera:

AS – First had experience during the preliminary task. Learnt basics: zooming in/out, framing and composition. Then worked on it more during my coursework of creating the film opening. My partner focussed more on the camera work whilst I did sound design so, I didn’t learn a great deal more. The new thing I learnt during this task was focussing manually and I also learnt how to do a focus pull.

A2 – Like I previously said, I am working by myself so, I am going to have to work a lot on the camera work unlike last year. I have looked at techniques like crash zoom and focussing on much smaller objects like my armature. The genre of my short film was an animated adventure film but, more specifically, stop motion animation. This resulted in me taking multiple pictures where I have to take into account the framing (16:9).

Post Production

Pixelmator:

AS – The only time I used Pixelmator in AS was for creating the idents. I had to edit a drawing of a tree to fit into our ident. However, in terms of editing and post production, I didn’t use it at all.

A2 – Like I said earlier, I am creating a stop motion animation film and since some of my sequences involve propping the armature up, I had to edit the object propping it up, out. This meant focussing much more on the “photoshop” aspect of the software and using the editing side to it in a lot more detail. I gained a lot of skill on Pixelmator through doing this.

Apple’s Final Cut Pro X:

AS – At the start of AS, I began my preliminary task where I only focussed on: exporting footage and editing it to specific times wasn’t too demanding. However, in my next preliminary task of recreating the ‘Reservoir Dogs’ title sequence, I had to focus a lot more on meeting specific times for editing and I also had to focus on exporting the soundtrack from the original title sequence. I also had to recreate the opening credits which meant that I had to get the credits to be animated over the footage which proved quite a challenge at first. In my film opening, the editing wasn’t so demanding, I didn’t have to match up times and clips with one another like the previous preliminary task. However, I also focussed on creating and editing the clips to fit a colour scheme and create more of a “thriller” and “dramatic” effect.

A2 – Carried on most of the skills from AS but, since I am creating a stop motion film with pictures, I had to focus on “frames per second” as well as getting the armature to look like it is actually alive and moving.

Section 1a: Creativity Essay

Explain how your creativity/creative skills have developed over time. Refer to a range of examples from your media productions in your answer.

Pre-production

Films

Basing film on things that I have already seen.
Sparks creativity due to the huge selection.
Netflix – range of genres to choose from and can be very specific when searching for genres of film. Lots of inspiration which is specific by genre.
Vimeo – free unlike Netflix. Accessible and lots of independent filmmakers on the platform. Lots of original content. Used Vimeo a lot during A2, as there was a lot of stop motion animation films on it. Whereas in AS, I used Netflix a lot more because the film opening was of a genre which usually has bigger budgets (thriller genre) and would therefore be on a bigger platform like Netflix.
Can adapt shots from other films and take inspiration. For example, I really liked the colour scheme used in Anomalisa and I therefore, adapted it into my short film.

Script

Three Act Structure usually seen in a film – this means that there is more structure to the film and you can be creative with your story.
AS – didn’t really look at the conventions of a script online so, the script didn’t look professional or realistic. Whereas in A2, I looked at the conventions of a script in bigger detail and I could draft the script better with the right format.
Scripts are good for getting initial ideas down and developing ideas.
Getting constructive criticism and feedback means that I can think of creative solutions to take into account the feedback without changing the idea all together.

Storyboards

Visual medium – sparks creativity
Allows us to illustrate what we want the shots to look like and can envisage what the film can look like.
From these storyboards, we can obtain feedback which can help us develop our creative skills and progress further in storyboard making.
Animating the storyboards also allowed me to see how the shots would look in a sequence. In AS, I did not accompany the storyboards with music whereas in A2, the storyboards did have music. This was helpful to me for seeing how it would look in sequence like it would in the finished product.

Equipment

The equipment can sometimes be quite complex and can be difficult to manage.
A lot equipment requires additional add-ons which can be quite expensive.
Online tutorials on Vimeo and YouTube (also free) which can help combat the difficulties in the equipment.
AS – we filmed the dolly shots on a rocky, patchy bit of grass which was shaking the camera about quite a bit and affecting our filming. However, we were quite creative with our solution and we cut up planks of wood to lay down and stabilise the shot(s). In A2, I used online tutorials on three-point lighting, a subject I was unsure about. I thought three-point lighting could only be achieved using big, studio lights. However, I saw online tutorials which allowed me to use my small desk lamps to illuminate my setting for my stop motion animation. The tutorials allowed me to be resourceful and independent with my problem solving and consequently lead me to be creative in my decisions.

Production

Idents

Inspiration from other films pointed me allowed me to be creative.
In AS, I used Apple’s software Motion whereas in A2, I did not use any software (apart from Final Cut Pro X) to put the idents in a sequence. Not using software was challenging but, it meant that I had to be creative manually and not use any effects which were already there. This also allowed me to be original with my ideas and not use basic effects on Motion.
However, the different effects on Motion arguably made the idents look professional and more advanced. It was also quite a difficult software so, I had to think creatively to get around those problems and the difficulty of it.

Locations

Filming a short film with no budget can be limiting as we cannot get huge studio locations.
This meant that I had to be resourceful and look at what I had.
Allowed me to be creative with lighting and mise-en-scene in terms of making the setting look unique and interesting.
AS- did not do this as the location (a ruined castle) was how we wanted it.
A2 – I filmed in my room so, I had to be creative with lighting, colours and shadows

Post-Production

Editing

Using the colour board to convey different emotions.
AS – didn’t have to do this much as it was only a film opening and there was only really one emotion conveyed throughout.
A2 – the three act structure – setup, confrontation and resolution. Different emotions conveyed throughout the story so, different colours would have had to have been used.

Explain how your creativity/creative skills have developed over time. Refer to a range of examples from your media productions in your answer.

Pre-production is all about research and planning and this involved gaining inspiration from existing feature films and short films. The first place I went to was Netflix where searching for genres can be incredibly specific. For example, I searched for stop-motion animation and multiple films came up in which I could take inspiration from. Even though Netflix was incredibly useful and gave me lots of inspiration, there aren’t actually many films which are in the stop-motion film genre. Netflix was used a lot more in my AS coursework when I was studying the conventions and features of the thriller genre because, evidently thriller films are some of the highest grossing and big budget films in the industry (Inception, for example). In A2, I gained a lot of inspiration from Vimeo, an online video sharing platform which is also free. A lot of the film-makers are independent and their work is incredibly unique. Some stop-motion films were aimed at a child audience and some were aimed at a much more mature audience which helped spark my creativity for exploring different stories and genre features/ideas. I also used films to not only help my story creatively but, to help with the style of my film. For example, I noticed that colour schemes and boards are a huge part of stop-motion animation films so, I adapted the yellow/warm tones seen in Anomalisa into my film. Inspiration and techniques from films have really helped my creative skills for my A2 coursework.

The next part of the creative process is arguably the script. The script allowed me to express my ideas into written words and a structured story. In my AS coursework, I worked with a partner so, my creative ideas weren’t completely free as we had to compromise between us and mix our ideas together. Not only that but, in AS we had to focus on a film opening so, we didn’t have a huge amount of time to show a whole story but, only a snippet which was incredibly hard. Whereas in A2, I needed to create a story which would fill the time of a short film so, I could create lots of content and creative ideas. For my short film, the script had a “three act structure” which means there are many elements to think about. For both AS and A2, my script was read by multiple people so I could consequently receive feedback and constructive criticism. Sometimes, I needed to change my script whether it be certain pieces of dialogue or the structure of the story. Evidently, I didn’t want to change my whole story so, I had to create and think of creative solutions to overcome the constructive feedback. My problem solving definitely improved at A2 as I had to take into account a whole short film story as opposed to just a film opening so, I had to be even more creative with my problem solving since there was much more content to take into consideration.

After the script, storyboarding was a huge part in the planning and research stage of the production of the film. For me personally, I would describe storyboarding as a visual medium which was able to spark creativity and ideas. Unlike scripting, storyboards allowed me to see what the film would look like visually and it allowed me to envisage what each shot would look like with the location, composition and framing in mind. Similarly, the storyboards allowed me to obtain feedback which can help me develop my creative skills and experiment with different shots which would perhaps look and fit better into my film. In AS, my storyboards were incredibly useful and became a big part in the production of my film opening as we used them as a constant reference. However, in A2 I animated my storyboards in Final Cut Pro X with music which were of greater use and helpfulness. Animating the storyboards in my A2 coursework was a lot more helpful than just leaving them how they were in AS. Animating the storyboards with music helped me envisage my film further and doing this, it was easier to make amends to the shots as I could see them in a full sequence.

Another element I had to take into account in pre-production was the use of equipment and what equipment I am going to use. The equipment can sometimes be incredibly complex and difficult to manage and to create a full “cinematic effect” the equipment add-ons can be quite expensive. In AS, the dolly sequence was filmed on a rocky and hilly part of grass which would affect the sequence and stabilisation of the shot. Consequently, we used different materials which could perhaps even out the shakiness and level out the stabilisation. Eventually, we were resourceful and we used a plank of wood to help the wobbliness and it successfully worked. We were arguably quite creative and resourceful in our solution. In both AS and A2, I had to be resourceful and creative since I had no budget and huge studio sets. Online and free tutorials on Vimeo and YouTube helped combat the difficulties in the equipment since there were thousands of videos to help me. For my A2 coursework, I was required to use three-point lighting which is something I was unsure about. I experimented with the box lights we have at school but, I found them to be too overpowering and way too bright. Instead, I opted to using lights I had at home, like a desk lamp for example. This was also quite bright so, I had to yet again, be creative in my problem solving. I used different resources I had at home and found that greaseproof paper was the best way to filter down the bright light. I definitely feel that my creative skills have developed in A2 as I was working on my own which meant I had to be more independent and creative in my decision making.

In the production of the film, I decided to look at the idents and how they would look in my short film. In my AS coursework, I used software like Apple’s Motion which was quite a difficult software to work with as there were so many options to choose from and so many settings. Motion did make my film ident(s) look quite professional and realistic but, because of how long it took to use and make the ident(s) with, I decided not to use it for my A2 short film. Therefore, I had to think of creative ways to make my idents look unique and original but, professional at the same time. Motion didn’t allow much creative freedom as the idents were pretty much there already; you just had to choose the colours and animations that you liked. I decided in my A2 coursework to use stop-motion to be more creative in my ident making. Personally, I think I have progressed creatively in my ident making as opposed to my AS film opening as in A2, I started completely from scratch.

Filming a short film with no budget can be limiting as we cannot get huge studio locations like big budget films have. Yet again, this meant that I had to be resourceful with what I had and experiment to make the location(s) look like a professional film set.

Creativity Essay (2)

Pre-production is all about research and planning and this involved gaining inspiration from existing feature films and short films. The first place I went to was Netflix where searching for genres can be incredibly specific. For example, I searched for stop-motion animation and multiple films came up in which I could take inspiration from. The films I was inspired by made me think very creatively about what I would want my film to include. For example, what type of look I want my stop-motion to have or what the characters look like. Even though Netflix was incredibly useful and gave me lots of inspiration, there aren’t actually many films which are in the stop-motion film genre. Netflix was used a lot more in my AS coursework when I was studying the conventions and features of the thriller genre because, evidently thriller films are some of the highest grossing and big budget films in the industry (Inception, for example). In A2, I gained a lot of inspiration from Vimeo, an online video sharing platform which is also free. A lot of the film-makers are independent and their work is incredibly unique. Some stop-motion films were aimed at a child audience and some were aimed at a much more mature audience which helped spark my creativity for exploring different stories and genre features/ideas. I also used films to not only help my story creatively but, to help with the style of my film. For example, I noticed that colour schemes and boards are a huge part of stop-motion animation films so, I adapted the yellow/warm tones seen in Anomalisa into my film.The warm toned colour scheme I used really made my film look a lot more professional and a lot of time and care went into editing the film. Inspiration and techniques from films have really helped my creative skills for my A2 coursework.

After the script, storyboarding was a huge part in the the pre-production of the film. For me personally, I would describe storyboarding as a visual medium which was able to spark creativity and ideas. Unlike scripting, storyboards allowed me to see what the film would look like visually and it allowed me to envisage what each shot would look like with the location, composition and framing in mind. Similarly, the storyboards allowed me to obtain feedback which can help me develop my creative skills and experiment with different shots which would perhaps look and fit better into my film. In AS, my storyboards were incredibly useful and became a big part in the production of my film opening as we used them as a constant reference. However, in A2 I animated my storyboards in Final Cut Pro X with a non-diegetic soundtrack which were of greater use and helpfulness. Animating the storyboards in my A2 coursework was a lot more helpful than just leaving them how they were in AS. Animating the storyboards with music helped me envisage my film further and doing this, it was easier to make amends to the shots as I could see them in a full sequence.

Another element I had to take into account in pre-production was the use of equipment and what equipment I am going to use. The equipment can sometimes be incredibly complex and difficult to manage and to create a full “cinematic effect” the equipment add-ons can be quite expensive. In AS, the dolly sequence was filmed on a rocky and hilly part of grass which would affect the sequence and stabilisation of the shot. Consequently, we used different materials which could perhaps even out the shakiness and level out the stabilisation. Eventually, we were resourceful and creative in trying to and we used a plank of wood to help the wobbliness and it successfully worked. We were arguably quite creative and resourceful in our solution. In both AS and A2, I had to be resourceful and creative since I had no budget and huge studio sets. Online and free tutorials on Vimeo and YouTube helped combat the difficulties in the equipment since there were thousands of videos to help me. For my A2 coursework, I was required to use three-point lighting which is something I was unsure about. I experimented with the box lights we have at school but, I found them to be too overpowering and way too bright. Instead, I opted to using lights I had at home, like a desk lamp for example. This was also quite bright so, I had to yet again, be creative in my problem solving. I used different resources I had at home and found that greaseproof paper was the best way to filter down the bright light. I definitely feel that my creative skills have developed in A2 as I was working on my own which meant I had to be more independent and creative in my decision making.

In the post-production of the film, I decided to look at the idents and how they would look in my short film. In my AS coursework, I used software like Apple’s Motion which was quite a difficult software to work with as there were so many options to choose from and so many settings. Motion did make my film ident(s) look quite professional and realistic but, because of how long it took to use and make the ident(s) with, I decided not to use it for my A2 short film. Therefore, I had to think of creative ways to make my idents look unique and original but, professional at the same time. Motion didn’t allow much creative freedom as the idents were pretty much there already; you just had to choose the colours and animations that you liked. I decided in my A2 coursework to use stop-motion to be more creative in my ident making. Personally, I think I have progressed creatively in my ident making as opposed to my AS film opening as in A2, I started completely from scratch.