Unit 2: Reflection and Feedback (Section E)

Generally speaking, everyone in the group felt the shoot day was very successful and we completed the shoot with time to spare. Of course this was mainly due to thorough planning and considerate execution. However, when looking back at some takes I personally felt that some shots could have very much been improved upon, there was a slight level of disagreement in regards to this but our production and film wasn't particularly hindered in any way.

(Feedback of the shoot day from Ryan)

Ryan also felt we had managed our time particularly well which gave us the opportunity to experiment with a few shots we had not originally intended. I agree in the fact the weather was quite an issue as both ourselves and actors were getting uncomfortable, even though we had spare jackets and layers it was very tiresome having to do this between shots that didn't take long to set up.

Reflection:

What was successful?

Pre production went quite smoothly, I ran into a few issues which may have hindered the shoot but I believe we overcame any lasting problems. For example, the actor who cancelled on us the night before the shoot was the biggest issue we could have faced but I promptly asked our team member who has had acting experience if he would be willing to take on the role. Prop's were difficult to make but were very much possible; I made them at home a few nights before the shoot, giving me plenty of time so I could make them of fairly good quality.

Also, the shoot day itself ran smoothly and we stuck to our plan and completed all of our shots with time add a few extra. Everyone was enthused on the shoot day which made it less stressful and we were much more productive.

What was challenging?

In terms of pre production, we were challenged with the fact we only had two weeks to plan our films and that involved scripting, recruiting actors, shot lists, schedules, props and even more; these all had to be completed to a final draft as well which made it quite tough. The weather was also something of an issue, as previously stated, having to provide the actors with layers between very short takes became quite tiresome even for the actors, they often said that they would prefer not have a jackets on between takes as it becomes uncomfortable. In post production, we had an issue with sound, it was far too loud and caused a very harsh rustling sound even when turned down. We worked with a supervisor of the course to try and solve the issue but it was particularly difficult. A few members of the time had little experience in film making and had not been taught any basic principles which also made the shoot day a little bit rough at times but as we progressed we overcame most of this issue.

What would you do differently?

If I were to this again, I would hope to have more time in regards to planning as it felt far too rushed and, although no major issues arose, it made me less confident about the day in case we had missed anything. Also, I feel that the shot list could be more thoroughly gone through as some shots did not look right and I felt that some were unclear as to what was happening. I think it would have been more beneficial to work closer with the writer in pre production as there were some parts of the script which proved a bit tasking (such as some of the props) which could have been dealt with if I were to work more closely with him.