Evaluation - Strengths/Weaknesses of AS Film

The short film itself deemed very effective towards gaining the grade that we did eventually get as a group. The genre for the opening (thriller) was also convenient for our group as most of the films we watch in our free time through the time of production were thrillers (e.g. Book of Eli, 2009, dir. Albert Hughes), as well as the fact that the thriller is the most popular genre of the target audience in which we intended to aim for (15 – 24 year olds). Taylor Gladwin (main actor in Allegiance video) seemed to make the perfect character in our opening, not only the way he looked, but his costume (the torn clothes and dirty cloth) completed the crazy man look that we had intended for Taylor’s character.

The strengths of our AS video really helped us get the grade in which we achieved. These attributes came from the entire group, which helped make the project more manageable.

Strengths:

We tried to get the filming done in one go
Continuity deemed a problem for all AS groups filming the opening of a thriller. So attempting to film on two separate days was a risk, as weather, attendance of group members, loss of equipment etc. We avoided this as best we could by getting as much done within the day that we had organised, mainly by getting to location early, getting preparations done as soon as and shooting from a variety of angles greater choice in the editing room.

Location hunting
The location was important for maintaining the mood within our thriller, so (like many of the groups, our location would mainly be on an abandoned house. The iconic atmosphere it created (along with the non-digetic soundtrack) completed the illusion we had intended. However, due to complications with authorities, we were forced to evacuate the premises, so we need a new location. Due to the urgency of the situation, we wasted little time settling on a new location (which happened to be the location we used in the final production).

Weaknesses:

Maintaining seriousness during filming
As the location that we used was owned by a friend, whilst filming, filming seemed to be ruined through many distractions provided by the owner of the location. Because of this, filming seemed to prolong itself, along with the continual breaks (but the filming was eventually completed as soon as possible.

Filming in the dark
During the first day of filming, due to complications in timing, the filming managed to get done in the dark. Because the cameras aren’t effective in the dark as they are in light, we had to re-film the second half of the film. All members of the group were annoyed at this factor, however, we came back the next weekend about 11 o’clock to make sure we had plenty of time to film with a variety of shots.

The mistakes we made and the lessons we learned from last year shall gravely influence the decisions we make this year in our short film. Though we as a group started filming later than everybody else, the overall result was the best in the year. This year we hope to keep this upand be the best again using these factors to guide us.