jevin!!!!!!!!!! didn't have access to a scanner so this is my first (and hopefully last) sketchbook picture of the challenge... you can see the scale i'm actually working on here (i have small hands so my sketchbook looks bigger than it is) tbh i do not like how this came out but it was fun and i might recreate it digitally once the challenge is over

EVALUATION

My partner aidan and I had decided to make a stop motion narrative based on pollution. We relied on DSLRs during the production. The DSLRs we used were Canon’s 60D and 1200D cameras. While I handled everything behind the camera, Aidan focused on playing the character. For post-production, we used Photoshop and Premiere Pro.

Making this movie, I got to learn a lot more about the software. For instance, I wasn’t aware of the ‘action’ and batch processing features in Photoshop before.  Using Photoshop, we processed the entire stop motion sequence, which we then merged using premiere pro to make a stop motion video. The same goes with Premiere Pro where I placed an enlarged a chips packet in one of the shots to make it seem like it was blocking the character’s way. The ultra-keying feature helped me isolate the image of the chip bag (with a green Chroma BG) allowing us to resize and place it in the shot. I went from being a hater of premiere pro to being one of its biggest fans. I was again reminded of the fact that you must spend more time with something to be really good at it. Now I am as confident with Photoshop and premiere pro as a pickup artist is with girls.

Having sorted the visual side, we then focused on the audio part. We had initially considered the prospect of including live audio or at least prerecorded sound effects in the film. However, we had to gradually rule the option out as the deadline approached faster and faster! Finally it came down to adding just soundtracks to set the mood. We added 3 different soundtracks for the three parts of the film as each part had a unique mood set to it.  The three parts being- pre-vision (ambient), during the vision (dark and eerie) and post-vision (uplifting). The final cut was approximately 5 minutes 30 seconds long. In terms of creative side, I intentionally made shot duration a bit long and draggy in the opening and as I moved on to the vision sequence the shots got relatively shorter. The idea was to portray pollution as an ordinary act of daily life when in reality it’s something that is far more serious. The serious part came in the vision where we show an exaggerated effect of pollution. The shorter duration of the shots in the vision sequence along with a lot of cuts did its job of adding tension in the sequence. This was primarily inspired from the legendary murder scene in the bathroom from Hitchcock’s Psycho. There were about 50 shots in that 3 minute scene alone. Likewise, I learnt a lot of things making this film.

The project was completed over the span of almost 3 months. While it is surprising that it took us the time to make a feature film for a five minute short, most of the production was carried out during weekends. Had we followed a strict schedule, the whole project could’ve been completed in just a week. Also, we approached the production without the storyboard we had initially made for our proposal hoping that it would help us have maximum creative control. However, this led to a lot of confusion while shooting and affected the ‘flow’ of the cuts in many parts of the movie later on.

I am of the opinion that every movie I have made so far has taught me one or two things about filmmaking. Making this movie taught me the importance of having a story board and how much time it will help save in a project. In my view, the film in its current form isn’t the best and a lot could be done to improve it considering the vast scope for the amazing effects we could’ve rendered using after effects and premiere. I hope to improve my skills in adobe creative suite over the summer.

As for sharing the film, we shall focus on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram. We will be using these platforms considering how easy it is to gain a large audience to our content without having to worry about paying any cash at all.

Overall, I really liked the whole filmmaking experience. It was more of learning than making. In these months, my partner and I had several disagreements on several aspects of our project. However, we always came up with solutions for these differences. In a way the film has brought us closer not only as work mates but also as good friends. I look forward to more assignments like these.