Evaluation

Evaluation

For this essay I’ll be discussing the successfulness of my documentary and whether it turned out the way in which I intended it to.

I think that my documentary was successful in creating a calming mood for the audience with the specific shots shown and the voice over informing them of a stressful scenario of which the interviewee had experienced during their GCSE exams. The outcome of the film was very suitable for what it’s intended for, each shot had a specific purpose in the video whether it was for a technical purpose indicating calmness to the audience or giving the video an aesthetic feel. In my opinion the best aspect of the film was the voice overs and steady camera work, the voice over gave the documentary more depth and purpose as it informed the audience about how to prevent stress in their lives, also the shots gave the specific mood I was hoping to achieve; the steadiness of the camera work also made the documentary appear more professional. However, one thing I thought gave the video some weakness was the lack of different shots, this was due to technical difficulties as the camera batteries didn’t last as long as I needed them to. I think this could’ve in some of the viewer’s eyes make the documentary seem somewhat boring and they are looking at some shots was a long time.

During this project I think that my time management throughout was satisfactory but can use a lot of improving. This is because at the beginning of the project my work was very slow paced which meant I didn’t get as much done as I should, this made it very difficult when I got to the product stage as I rushed a lot of the filming and editing which perhaps brought down the quality of the film. Although I only had one other person working with me during production, I think we worked very well together as we managed to film everything in one day without any difficulties, this professionalism was needed as I was filming so close to the deadline and didn’t have the time to mess around. Furthermore, although I managed to complete each stage, I think I gave certain stages more time and attention than I did in comparison than others. For example, I think I spent a lot of time on the ideas and research phases because when doing the previous project, I didn’t excel in those areas, however this meant I didn’t have a lot of time for the production and pre-production stages perhaps meaning I haven’t reached my full potential in those areas. Also, the planning area in particular could’ve been a lot better and more detailed in my opinion as I didn’t put much time or thought it that section, which may have reflected in my documentary as I didn’t have as many shots as I would’ve liked.

When choosing the topic for my documentary I wanted it to link in with the visuals shown on screen, I then decided on the topic ‘stress’. I made the film relevant to this topic by using an interview/voiceover explaining their experience of stress, how to manage it, whether stress can sometimes be a good thing etc. Although I personally liked having the interview incorporated into the documentary as it gave it more depth and insight into a serious thing, there were some slight weaknesses to it. For example, during the on screen interview there are a few moments in which the interviewee stares at the camera which could be off putting for the audience, also I didn’t have the proper microphone to use so the audio mostly comes through the left earphone.

For my research I looked at multiple types of documentary, researched about my chosen topic (stress) and completed a research essay which was thousand words long, I therefore think that my research was detailed and effective enough to help when I got to the production stage. For example, as I had done research into stress, I knew what questions to ask the interviewee making sure their answers were as informative and insightful as possible, also looking into other poetic documentary gave me an idea of what sorts of shots I wanted in my own. However, there were still some aspects to my research that I’d missed out, I conducted a lot of secondary research and then had no time to conduct any primary, this could affect my overall mark as presenting primary research shows certain skills to the person marking. Therefore, next time I need to manage my time better and ensure I have enough to conduct both primary and secondary research.

By doing this project I have gained a lot of new knowledge. Such as, I’ve learnt about all the different types of documentary modes, this could not only be useful if I’m ever doing university work, but it will also be a great help if I decide I’d like to make another documentary. In addition to learning all about documentaries I’ve also learnt about time management and how to take responsibility for my work which I’ll now know and hope to improve on when doing my final major project. As well as knowledge gained I have also learnt a lot of technical skill, for example before starting this project I didn’t know how to use the DSRL cameras or how to do a time lapse but now I feel confident when using the camera to both film and take pictures and if I was to ever do another time lapse I’d know exactly how to do it.

In conclusion, I think my final piece was very successful in for filling its purpose. I’ve also learnt a lot of new knowledge and skills which I’ll use not only in my final major project but in anything I want to create. Additionally, I’ve been able to identity the strengths within this unit and all my weaknesses which will be useful going into the future.