Final Major Project Evaluation

Hello.

I've finally finished. This is Magic Bullet, a short documentary on prescription drugs.

I am really proud of myself for making 'the magic bullet' as i'm going to make documentaries in the future, as well as many other types of film. I feel like this project has really set it in stone that I want to be in the media industry, And that feeling is very, very fulfilling.

I really let myself down when it came to planning my film as I changed my idea throughout pre-production week and it threw a spanner in the works....

I am grateful that i've had this oppurtunity as it has genuinely taught me something important.

Do not leave planning until last minute!!!!!!!!!! BECAUSE IT IS ESSENTIAL.

It seems completely absurd that I didn't know this but I used to leave everything I did in regards to film until last minute, and I didn't have any problems, But i've realised through my FMP that having things work out even if they are not planned is just mere coincidence.

THE EDITING PROCESS

I took three weeks to edit my final major project. It seems like a long time, but when you come in three times a week, it's only a short duration. I had to come in during half term to add finishing touches to my project and to fix annoying glitches.

On this blog i've already shown that I could colour correct on premiere pro, but I didn't colour correct my documentary at all as I wanted a rough and natural feel to it. But I did distort a lot of my documentary at the start, using video effect tools.

I used the Echo effect at the startof Magic Bullet at duration 1;21.

It was my first time using that effect and i've got to admit, it looks pretty strange but correlates with what mood i'm trying to iniciate in this stage of the film. An uncertainity is in her eyes as she speaks, so I presumed that a mirage-esque filter could express this to the audience.

In my opening scene, I put two clips of lighting on lambeth bridge on top of each other and lowered the opacity in order to create a red flanging spritz of light that matched with the voiceover when I said the word "Madness." It may not be that recognisable, but it's a technique many people use to describe something without audibly elaborating on it.

I also used audio effects on her voice, which I learnt how to do when I made my Radio Play earlier on this year. For example, I used a hollow echo on her voice when she said 'empty and cold' just to emphasise the meaning behind those words. I did this by dragging the Chorus/Flanger preset effect, cutting my audio on the words where I want the effect to play, and then dragging the sfx onto the audio file, adjusting it however I see fit. These echoing words may appeal to the viewer as bringing focus to certain phrases into the forefront of a scene creates an importance to them.

The idea of making a documentary instead of a abstract film was very dangerous, but my risk paid off. I think that informing other people about your personal views and opinions is a part of being a filmmaker as people get to see the world from your point of view - through your lens. I think I chose my cast well, picking people from different backgrounds to be inclusive and also choosing characters with contrasting illnesses in order to get a fresh perspective and opinion with each interview.

With editing, again, I think that my cuts are really clean and my transitions aren't amateur looking. I spent ages cutting up and deleting audio that was unpolished and invasive to the eardrums. I previously had a lot of my own voice in the interviews, making noises of agreement and constant murmurs of "yeah" and "mhm" which quite frankly, wasn't needed and was personally quite annoying to listen to. I have one laugh of mine in the introduction which I couldn't edit out due to the interviewees voice overlapping mine. For continuity, i've realised you cannot risk the fluidity of your shots by cutting everything you dislike out of the film.

I like the way I've edited sound effects into my film, like the laughter and the footsteps. I wanted to add these two sound effects in so I could have a stamp on my work, almost like a personal touch. For me, the footsteps resembled running away from the truth or an answer, and the laughter stood for society mocking us for falling into their schemes. I quite liked to be quite the conspiracy theorist in my editing, whilst keeping things subtly abstract. I didn't want to take away from the message of the film by overdoing the sound effects.

I believe one of the things that didn't go well in my documentary was the length of Aaliyah's interview. By the time that she crosses the road and starts walking down the alleyway, the viewer gets bored. There aren't that many changes in enviroment while she's speaking, so the eyes aren't very stimulated and grow tired. If I had time, I would either cut the scene short, or add more effects to keep the brain entertained.

I was also given feedback that my documentary wasn't abstract enough. I can see where that critisism is coming from, but being abstract isn't about completely blurring the storyline (especially if your goal is to inform the public and educate them.) Next time I explore this genre, i'll read up on it more in order to gain a greater understanding on how to be experimental.

In conclusion, I think that this project has creatively pushed me as I was given infinite ideas and I still chose something challenging and out of my comfort zone. I think that it has developed my skills in terms of time management and planning and also helped me feel comfortable with colabarating with others. I feel more independent now i've curated my own work and excited for the possibilites filmmaking has for my future.