EVALUATION

For this project in media, our task was to research into different types of film and to then create a 2 minute opening sequence. We really enjoyed our task, all chipping in with different ideas, bouncing different ideas around. I thought we really did well and from looking at our final production- it shows just how hard we tried.

The best part I like about our film is the choice of locations. I really like how they all flow together and the church scenes work really well, with the gravestones and the eerie look it has about it. I like the choice of lighting, how the partial black and white shots are all previous events- which would then become fully clear to the audience if we had carried on with the full film. The actors we used, being friends of ours, all did really well- the zombies looked and acted really well. Jade, the main ‘druggie’ girl in the production, acted very well on camera, and because she is part of our media group, she was very reliable. From the view of editing, I think it flows nicely, not any obvious jumps or parts where it drags on a bit.

If we had to finish the film and carry on with the process of the production; show it in the cinemas and then later bring it out on DVD, we know it wouldn’t be a huge blockbuster hit, but I think it would do quite well. From our research, people were interested in our idea and from looking at their reactions to watching our 2 minute production; they all enjoyed it and thought it was very good, liking the make-up choice and acting.

Obviously, as we were the ones who created the film, we could see little parts where we could tweak and improve. We said that if we could edit it slightly, we may have the ‘druggie’ girl saying a few lines or screaming in parts, e.g. outside the church door, this may then look that bit more realistic. Another part was Doctor Greenwood (the girl asleep at the desk), to maybe introduce her a bit better; perhaps having her snoring- to make it clear to the audience that she was asleep. But as this is only the first 2 minutes, we agreed that if we had carried on, we would then link back to this and explain.

What I learnt from this whole experience was mainly the fact that even when making a school production-not yet knowing all the techniques & skills of a professional- the budget was still high! Thinking back, we did have to put quite a lot of money together to get all the products and other things we needed to film. We tried to stick to simple, cheap ideas, but making them effective. For example, the costume was just plain dark shirts, which we covered in mud, giving a brilliant, rotting effect! From creating a film of your own, it makes you think about just how much money it must cost to create a blockbuster film and how their budget must be in its millions!

Overall, we all really enjoyed this project, making sure that as a group, we all agreed on decisions made and each getting input. I would say we worked well as a team and stayed on task.

Link to our main production: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7wo0D3tf_U