Directions Unit | Project Evaluation
Breaking Bad - Vince Gilligan Adaptation Evaluation
This will be my overall evaluation for my second project for my UCA TV Production course. I will detail what went well, aspects that didn't go so well, what I learned from the entire experience and of course what I can use to develop moving forward.
What worked?
I feel that a large portion of what I was going for ended up working in the end, I'm proud of the fact that I was able to produce something consistent to the script, shot list and original scene that I had planned to adapt. Ever since watching Breaking Bad for the first time, I immediately developed a large amount of respect for Gilligan and have followed him since, being able to replicate a small part of what he has done has been an exciting and insightful experience for sure.
I was also very happy with the casting decisions that were made, despite an actor dropping out in very short notice, my friend, Amin Rissaoui was able to step into the role and really owned it. One of the main issues I face tends to be a lack of confidence in myself and what I'm capable of, so when I saw it start to come together towards the end of the shoot I became much more motivated to get the edit done. I was also content with the way in which the sound was recorded, I initially expressed concerns as to using a boom mic, however it was much easier to configure and use than I would've expected prior to taking part in Ferg's audio workshops back in the winter.
What didn't work?
There were a number of things that nearly put an end to this project and I want to emphasise how tight the production was on this particular shoot. I ask that you bare this in mind when coming to evaluate my piece. When it came to shooting the piece, we had allocated time slots within our camera groups, mine being on a weekend. Unfortunately while we were planning to shoot together on the Saturday, it snowed consistently for the large majority of the day, making the conditions somewhat dangerous to shoot in - not to mention it would risk damaging the equipment which of course I didn't want happening.
Given the weather problems, we were fortunately able to reschedule for an early morning shoot, however overnight one actor was forced to drop out, therefore creating further frustration on the entire thing, especially when we had such little time to film in the first place. One of the things that most bothered me during this project was the minor continuity error that occurs towards the beginning of the edit. I initially felt happy with the footage we had captured and due to the tight time constraints, transferred the footage over to review later that evening. However, there is a point where the camera is slightly off-centre, and for that reason the transition from two clips doesn't flow. I attempted to mask it with what is known as a 'morph cut' within Premiere Pro, however it just doesn't look that great at-all. This I would say, is the biggest thing that I'm unsatisfied with looking back over the course of this project, can be found approximately 53 seconds into the video (pictured below).
The final self-criticism I would have would be the length of the piece. I originally intended it to last much longer, however in practice, the script ended up equating to much less screen-time than I expected, therefore the piece finished at just over 3 minutes, rather than 5 minutes which was originally planned. This is something that I should have foreseen and planned for in advance.
What have I learnt?
I've learnt a lot about the importance of planning, preparing for unforeseen circumstances and adapting to be able to work with said circumstances. This unit has been a real eye-opening experience for me and could end up shaping my decisions in the future significantly.
I've definitely gained insight into the technical aspects of shooting with dialogue, since my first project consisted only of narration and static shots, we did not need to use a microphone. However this time round, using a boom mic was crucial, and fun! I also think that working with people on set has developed my social/directing skills slightly, perhaps boosting my confidence somewhat which is never a bad thing.
How will I develop moving forward?
Going forward it's going to be interesting to see where the next unit takes me, I feel that one of the main focuses is going to be working with strangers on set, whether that be professional actors or real people, it means strengthening my ability to foster and grow relationships within the industry, for the benefit of the current project and other future tasks.
I also want to be able to develop my vision for a scene, I feel that too often do I find something that works and run with it, rather than plotting out extensive designs and working from a transcript. I want to be able to tell stories with my work, but I don't know if I'm going about the right way of doing that.
In conclusion, overall I would say I'm happy with what I have accomplished, and while I have spent many hours over the past month stressing over this, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of making this.
This will be my overall evaluation for my second project for my UCA TV Production course. I will detail what went well, aspects that didn't go so well, what I learned from the entire experience and of course what I can use to develop moving forward.
What worked?
I feel that a large portion of what I was going for ended up working in the end, I'm proud of the fact that I was able to produce something consistent to the script, shot list and original scene that I had planned to adapt. Ever since watching Breaking Bad for the first time, I immediately developed a large amount of respect for Gilligan and have followed him since, being able to replicate a small part of what he has done has been an exciting and insightful experience for sure.
I was also very happy with the casting decisions that were made, despite an actor dropping out in very short notice, my friend, Amin Rissaoui was able to step into the role and really owned it. One of the main issues I face tends to be a lack of confidence in myself and what I'm capable of, so when I saw it start to come together towards the end of the shoot I became much more motivated to get the edit done. I was also content with the way in which the sound was recorded, I initially expressed concerns as to using a boom mic, however it was much easier to configure and use than I would've expected prior to taking part in Ferg's audio workshops back in the winter.
What didn't work?
There were a number of things that nearly put an end to this project and I want to emphasise how tight the production was on this particular shoot. I ask that you bare this in mind when coming to evaluate my piece. When it came to shooting the piece, we had allocated time slots within our camera groups, mine being on a weekend. Unfortunately while we were planning to shoot together on the Saturday, it snowed consistently for the large majority of the day, making the conditions somewhat dangerous to shoot in - not to mention it would risk damaging the equipment which of course I didn't want happening.
Given the weather problems, we were fortunately able to reschedule for an early morning shoot, however overnight one actor was forced to drop out, therefore creating further frustration on the entire thing, especially when we had such little time to film in the first place. One of the things that most bothered me during this project was the minor continuity error that occurs towards the beginning of the edit. I initially felt happy with the footage we had captured and due to the tight time constraints, transferred the footage over to review later that evening. However, there is a point where the camera is slightly off-centre, and for that reason the transition from two clips doesn't flow. I attempted to mask it with what is known as a 'morph cut' within Premiere Pro, however it just doesn't look that great at-all. This I would say, is the biggest thing that I'm unsatisfied with looking back over the course of this project, can be found approximately 53 seconds into the video (pictured below).
The final self-criticism I would have would be the length of the piece. I originally intended it to last much longer, however in practice, the script ended up equating to much less screen-time than I expected, therefore the piece finished at just over 3 minutes, rather than 5 minutes which was originally planned. This is something that I should have foreseen and planned for in advance.
What have I learnt?
I've learnt a lot about the importance of planning, preparing for unforeseen circumstances and adapting to be able to work with said circumstances. This unit has been a real eye-opening experience for me and could end up shaping my decisions in the future significantly.
I've definitely gained insight into the technical aspects of shooting with dialogue, since my first project consisted only of narration and static shots, we did not need to use a microphone. However this time round, using a boom mic was crucial, and fun! I also think that working with people on set has developed my social/directing skills slightly, perhaps boosting my confidence somewhat which is never a bad thing.
How will I develop moving forward?
Going forward it's going to be interesting to see where the next unit takes me, I feel that one of the main focuses is going to be working with strangers on set, whether that be professional actors or real people, it means strengthening my ability to foster and grow relationships within the industry, for the benefit of the current project and other future tasks.
I also want to be able to develop my vision for a scene, I feel that too often do I find something that works and run with it, rather than plotting out extensive designs and working from a transcript. I want to be able to tell stories with my work, but I don't know if I'm going about the right way of doing that.
In conclusion, overall I would say I'm happy with what I have accomplished, and while I have spent many hours over the past month stressing over this, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of making this.
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