I can honestly say that the Creative Project Realisation module has been my favourite, and most interesting module of this course so far.
Because the module covers a lot of different areas, from idea development and early planning stages, through practical solutions and procedures for creating what is seen by the camera and depicted to the audience, and then filming it, and then goes even further and covers post production techniques which were brand new to me, the module has filled in a lot of gaps concerning the real life experience of creating a film project, being on set and creating effects and post production.
I learned how to nurture and develop ideas (and equally important: to know when an idea isn't working and change it, or put it to one side and concentrate on a different idea or approach), and then learned how to write up a proposal and present it in an exciting way that would engage the person I'm pitching to.
I learned how to use Photoshop to create moodboards. I haven't fully got to grips with Photoshop yet (I have to be left alone to play with new software so I can practice and get used to it) but I thought I created good moodboards for my proposal that showed exactly the feel for the piece and illustrated the story that I was telling.
Although I haven't conquered PhotoShop yet, I have seen examples of what it can do and I will keep practising with it to get the hang of it and use it for future pitches. I was really impressed with Owen's moodboard when we did our pitches. With practice I shall get to produce moodboards as striking as that.
Probably my favourite part of the module has been the group project where we learned how to use the workshops and tools, and build a set and props in the studio, and then film it.
I learned so much from this project. I have been doing bits of work in the theatre as an Assistant Director, and filming theatre productions, and it was interesting to see how much of the set up between theatre and film crosses over. It was interesting to see how sets are constructed and to build and dress them ourselves, it was interesting and useful to see the process of considering lighting design on set and also the making of props and effects. What really struck me was the importance of 'blocking' which I have done with actors for stage but it is also vital to plan and execute correct blocking for screen too. I learned that, in the same way gestures have to be exaggerated for stage, to reach the audience, actions and positions for films also have to be adapted for the camera to film, for example, when I was acting in the film and had to look through the keyhole, for the camera I had to be in a quite unnatural pose in order for the frame to be right.
I really enjoyed everything about the group project. It was a joy to go through the whole process of creating a short scene and I really threw myself into it. As extra curricular activities I have been involved with two film productions, one where I was cinematographer and one where I was called in last minute to film interviews and rehearsal footage to possibly be shown on Croatian TV. The first project was before this module and the second was after the group project, and I was quite relieved to realise that I was actually quite professional in the first shoot as I followed a lot of the procedures used by the cinematographers in the group project, such as framing shots, checking moves with the actors, having run throughs, marking positions, checking lighting and so forth, and when it came to the filming I did after the group project I was a lot more confident in taking time to make sure that shots were set correctly, lighting was checked, art direction and continuity was spot on etc. I also understand the roles of the crew better now. This again, shows how what I have learned in this module has made me more confident as a film maker. It's also made me even more enthusiastic about taking on further projects over the summer. I've already been accepted as part of the film crew for DocFest and I've been asked to do two short films, one a monologue and one a 'dance horror' which will involve using the blocking, lighting and framing techniques that I have learned this semester a lot, as it involves classically trained dancers.
I like to think that I contributed a lot to the group project. I got involved in set construction, art direction and set dressing, and even contributed my limited acting skills! I hope I came across as keen, rather than pushy. One thing I try to do is treat everyone with respect and help get a good, productive working atmosphere going. I think we had a great team and succeeded in producing a good piece of film between us. The set looked great. I enjoyed building and drilling and getting up the ladders to wallpaper and paint. The props were brilliant, especially the chopped up fingers in the casserole dish. I liked how we worked out how the green screen footage was to be shot, and then seeing how it looked after we composited it. I also liked how we planned the shots and where the effects would take place and how they would have to be constructed to create the effect on screen, for example the bleeding book that squished the mini version of me.
Learning about the visual effects and the special effects was fun as well as interesting. The scary woman with the backwards uncanny moves was really effective, as was her costume, and as with PhotoShop, I am going to spend time during the summer practising with After Effects and Maya and play around with them to see what effects I can create. I found it difficult to make notes and keep up with the classroom sessions for Maya, After Effects and PhotoShop, because if you miss one click of a button you end up in the wrong place doing weird things to your images, but I like learning new things and there are plenty of online tutorials explaining how to use each package (I've checked!).
I do like to spend time researching different things, be it the homework we were set, or just relevant stuff that I was interested in finding out more about. I was amazed when we started set design and I went online, and saw what a huge industry set design is. I had no idea!
When it came to researching my proposal I looked into the traditional imagery of fairies. I'm not entirely sure why I chose fairies, or where exactly my idea came from. I liked the idea of somebody in a contemporary setting having something extraordinary. I think I thought of fairies because it would be a creature that could be trapped and kept in a cage. I like the idea that fairies are actually real. After all, the idea of fairies must have come from somewhere, so perhaps they do exist, and people have actually seen them...
My initial idea was to have models fairies, but as was pointed out in my feedback, for the living fairy it would be better to use an actor in costume, and green screen. This makes a lot more sense as it would make the changes in facial expression and demeanour more natural and fluid when it changes from good fairy to evil fairy. To get that level of detail from a model would require professional model makers and animators and waste a lot of valuable time and budget.
I have posted my research on my blog along with the pitch itself and the planning for how the film would be shot.
I'm really quite proud of my story and I thought my pitch went okay. I wrote it in such a way that the action flowed and the different moodboards illustrated each scene. I have a bit of a weird attitude to presenting in public. I call it my karaoke effect. I get quite nervous about going up, but once I'm up there, I love it, and want to do it again and again. Unfortunately it takes a couple of minutes to get into my stride, which is quite a large chunk out of a five minute presentation, but I am getting better. Apparently I don't appear as nervous as I feel, so usually I give a decent performance. This course has helped me a lot with presentations.
I think that this module has taught me a lot about the process of creating and executing a film project, and about the roles of the crew, and it's made me appreciate the work involved in the art design of each scene and the amount of work that goes into creating the illusions that you take for granted when watching a piece of film back. Although I struggled to keep up with the post production packages, the tutorials gave me a very good idea of what can be produced and this was helpful as it breaks down a lot of the limitations that I would have otherwise foreseen when dreaming up new ideas. One of the effects in my pitch was the fairy with the light trail, similar to the face with the sandstorm trail in The Mummy. Now I can see how that could be achieved with After Effects and Maya.
I managed to create some effects myself and get a mini version of me composited on to the mantle piece. With a bit of practice I know that I will be able to do a lot more.
One of the strengths that I have gained from this module is a confidence in what I am doing when I take on filming work. Because we have studied how crew and departments work together, and how elements of film making, such as art design and cinematography, go together I feel more aware of the look of scenes and the framing of shots. This will result in me creating better, more professional film work. Also, the experience of being on set, and seeing all the roles played out, everyone from director to dolley operator, AD to props department, camera operator to set dressers and costume, etc, I feel more confident about applying for roles on bigger projects that I see advertised. The out of university projects I have worked on so far have been small crews, which is comfortable and means that I had a lot of responsibility, but I need to get experience on larger projects (hopefully maybe even get paid for my work!) and when I do get to work on larger projects, with larger crews, I wont be as overwhelmed as I would have been without this group project experience.
Croatian Contemporary Drama Festival at RADA Studios
Thank you for this module, it's been great fun and extremely useful and interesting.
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