Context

This project portfolio is a report of my extended project for my first-year UAL Diploma in Creative Media Film and TV pathway. The project is a short film about two detectives exploring a crime scene until one detective finds something shocking about his detective partner. The context page of the project portfolio presents the background of my project starting with writing about myself, what I learned on my course and who or what inspired me for my project. The is followed by explaining what my project is about why it is important. The context page concludes with my project proposal.

Who am I?

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Describe your image

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What did I learn on the course?

3 Skills I Have Gained:

Camera Work Skills – such as filming, using techniques and multiple shot types to create variation. This helped me creatively as I can bring originality to my films and photos as well as the power to lead the viewer’s eye to where I want it within the frame.

Evidence: 1-Minute Short Film

Directing Skills – I have learnt how to direct actors so I will be able to do it effectively in the future if I am the Director of a project. This helps me as now I can direct my actors critically to produce my vision effectively.

Evidence: Working with Actors

Social Skills – I have learnt to present myself in a better light as well as socialise with others better and more often, including strangers. As this is something I have struggled with for a long time, I’m very happy I have started to break down them barriers and this will be useful in the future when working with strangers for other projects.

3 Things I Have Improved On:

Editing Skills – I have improved my editing skills as I already had basic knowledge of Premiere Pro and After Effects – editing software created by Adobe. I now know how to use Avid to a basic level which includes cutting, overwriting, exporting and using key frames.

Photography Skills – Due to my GCSE choice of IMedia, I already knew how to take photos as well as some basic shot types however, I now know how to take photos quickly at a high quality and what to do if a photo isn’t perfect, for example, too exposed or too grainy.

Teamwork Skills – I had to do group work in Secondary School however I found it difficult to properly balance work and give my input when these times would arrive. I have now developed these skills and I am able to now voice my opinions and ideas without holding back as well as distribute work evenly, so everyone is equally involved.

The Work I’m Most Proud Of:

I am most proud of my Video Essay which was my final project for the topic, “Evolution of Cinema”. This is because I love editing and would love to choose that as a career path and I was able to explore and experiment with editing for my Video Essay. However, I am also proud of my 1-minute short film, “Doors”, however, I believe I could have done better and that’s why my choice is the Video Essay.

Evidence: Video Essay - "The Evolution of Editing in Pre-Classical Cinema."

Which Medium is My Strongest?

I believe editing is my strongest skill. I have had previous experience with other editing software’s, and I have developed it further within the past two trimesters. I believe it is the skill which I can help most with and I ask less questions when I am editing unlike something like directing where I ask for reassurance to see if I’m doing it right.

Which Medium Needs Developing:

I believe my directing skills need improving as I have started learning how to direct actors yet, I still feel inexperienced and in constant need of reassurance. I also find talking to strangers difficult, and I find it challenging to critique them and lead them despite meeting them not that long ago. I believe if I gathered more experience, I would be more comfortable with it and be able to develop the skill further.

The background of my project.

Final Project Ideas:

Idea 1:

My first idea is a music video. Due to my passionate interest in music, I would love to able to film, direct and edit a music video. I am a huge fan of music videos and watch them a lot, especially with new releases. I believe I could be able to pull this off as it will also give me the chance to expand my skills on the editing front too. There is no specific music that I can use now however, my uncle produces music and might have some music available.

I live in quite a scenic area and have a lot of resources around me to film music videos of different genres. If it’s quite a slow, maybe acoustic type song, I would use light colours and the river or field near where I live to get the peaceful, perfect world effect. If it’s quite a dark type of song, maybe with bass and synth, I could use more darker tones.

The strengths are that I have a high interest in music, I can use this to explore with editing, and it could be entertaining to watch if done right.

The weaknesses are that I need to gather music legally or create it myself, I have limited resources when it comes to music, and I might be overachieving with this idea.

The opportunities are that my uncle produces music so I might be able to promote his work through this and I will also be able to explore the production of music videos, giving myself experience for the future.

The threats are that my uncle might not have music available, and it could fail very quickly.

Idea 2:

My second idea is a video essay. The video essay is about how Detroit: Become Human may become a reality. Detroit: Become Human is a game based in the future and how robots are a main part of society now and have put people on the streets due to taking their jobs. They are discriminated against and start deviating. They start feeling their own emotions and thinking for themselves, making them start a revolution to become their own race among humans and animals.

Especially with the major news about Mark Zuckerberg’s invention called the “Metaverse”, technology is on the rise and Amazon especially are experimenting with robots, such as drones, machines, and robots to increase work efficiency. My point would be with the new technology being introduced into the world; the chance of this happening isn’t impossible.

The strengths are that I have a high interest in videogames, I already have certain theories and can-do further research. There are also a lot of research resources to do with new technology as long with evidence to back up my point.

The weaknesses are that it may seem uninteresting to people my age or people may misunderstand the point. Furthermore, it only improves my editing skill and no other skill.

The opportunities are that I can improve my editing skills and explore new techniques while also expressing one of my interests.

The threats are that without major amounts of research, this plan could fall through. Furthermore, I don’t think this shows me as much as my other ideas and I do not feel like this is a strong idea.

Idea 3:

My third idea is a short film. The short film is about two detectives exploring a crime scene. There is dialogue and I’ll make that as a script. The plot is that the two detectives are on a crime scene looking for clues. One detective goes to find more clues around the location. He searches around and finds a ring. He slowly picks up the ring and lifts it into the cameras view. As it focuses on the rings, there’s a silhouette behind him. There is a camera that slowly focuses on the silhouette behind him and it’s his detective partner, aiming a gun at his head.

I previously wrote a script with a similar storyline, so I already have some major ideas inspired from that. Furthermore, I have an interest in true crime and have some ideas from documentaries I watch on what I want the location to look like as well as the lighting to help make it a thriller.

The strengths are that it is easy to get the thriller look and lighting, I have an interest in detective and crime games/shows and I have multiple ideas ready to work on.

The weaknesses are that I will need a lot of props and space so we might need a large location and I will need actors.

The opportunities are that I can improve my directing and camera work skills as well as my editing skills.

The threats are that I need actors, props and a large space and if I can’t get all 3 in the short time span, I might need to rethink my idea or scrap it completely.

Feedback:

Peers:

Phoebe – “I like the third one the most because it has the best narrative. It can be easily produced and developed and it’s an interesting story. However, I also like idea 2 as I am aware of the game and understand the point you’re trying to make”.

Hallum – “I like the third one because you can have a lot of narrative and you can take it in a lot of directions. But idea 2 is also interesting as you can play into the effects that the player has when playing the game through both the story and the atmosphere of the game.”

Molly – “I like the concept and the storyline of idea 3. I think it’s going to challenging but rewarding at the same time. The storyline is good, and I would like to see how it plays out. I like the twist. I would like to see how you develop the character throughout the storyline.”

Noah - "the idea of 1 could be very interesting as you can say and make a lot of points through the medium of a music video. Idea 2 is good as it is becoming worryingly relevant in todays world with the advancement of AI and robotics, however it would probably start with an I, Robot kind of situation. 3 is very interesting as it could end a lot of ways and have a rich backstory."

James - "I like the third idea the most as the narrative is really interesting and has a creative concept. The story has chance to be fantastic with the right actors and camera angles. I also liked idea 2 has its an interesting story. I think idea 1 was the weakest as a music video is very limiting and not that creative."

Lecturers:

My tutors advised to pick the Short Film as it had more information on the ideas I had and wasn’t as vague as the other ideas. For example, the music video idea has too many opportunities for it to go wrong and the video essay limits the amount I can show my work and only allows me to develop in editing rather than the other skills I have gained so far in college. It would be an opening to build on every skill rather than just a couple like the others – for example, I can work on directing, camera work, editing and sound.

Lecturers I asked: Katerina, Patrick.

Final Choice:

After speaking to students in my class and my tutors, I have decided to choose the short film, idea 3, with the detectives. This is because I have the most ideas for this project as well as an idea on how the story is going to play out and what shots I need to use. It is also the idea that is less likely to go wrong and fall through. I’m hoping to improve my directing and camera work skills through this task as it may be challenging to get the look that I visualise for this film. Due to the genre, I’m hoping to have quite a dark theme to the film, due to it being a crime thriller. I am also hoping to have a focus effect on the final shot where it focuses on the ring then focuses to the person behind holding the gun to build up suspense and reveal the mystery quickly.