FILM 5: Director's Reflection

NAME: Josh Allen

DATE: November 20, 2016

FILM: Film 5

DP: Jase Van Meeteran

TMA 285 DIRECTOR’S REFLECTION

Reflect on how your film turned out. Have the courage to evaluate your work not only with a self-congratulatory eye, but also with a critical eye. Step back; pretend the film wasn't made by you. Be exacting. Be demanding. Don't let yourself off the hook. Be completely honest about your performance.

- Turn in a hard copy of this statement the next class session after your film screens

- Upload the statement to Learning Suite the day after your film screens

- Post this to your blog with your film the day after your film screens

Overall response (2-3 paragraphs):

In 2-3 paragraphs, write an overall response to your film: Were you successful at achieving what you set out to achieve? What are you proud of? What would you do differently if you could remake this piece? What did you learn? 

            I think that I was essentially successful in achieving what I set out to do.  The set design and colors were exactly what I wanted, and I think that I effectively portrayed the emotions of fear and anxiety that I wanted to portray with this scene from Gone Girl.  I am proud of the blocking of the camera and the actors; I think it all turned out very nicely, and I think it was all very motivated and purposeful. 

If I could remake this piece, I would have tried to help my actors give more convincing performances.  I would have spent more time going over the dialogue and the meaning of the conversation.  I learned that you have to be flexible when you are on set.  Not everything is going to go the way you envisioned it in your head, even if it could.  Sometimes things just do not sit right, and you need to change blocking or line delivery.  This experience was very beneficial for me because I was able to quickly adapt and change my ideas.

Briefly answer the following:

What, specifically, did you want to communicate? Were you successful? Why? Why not?  I wanted to communicate the idea that being in relationship with someone (whether it be romantic, familial, or friendly) can provide extreme fear and anxiety.  I also wanted to communicate the idea that the fear of disappointing someone is a real thing that almost everyone experiences.  I think I was very successful because I feel like you could see it in my actors’ faces.  There was fear and anxiety in this scene between a husband and wife.   

How, specifically, did you try to say this? What visual elements, techniques, etc. did you use?  I tried to use color and tone to say this.  The environment was white and impenetrable.  However, the characters were dressed in dark clothes the represent their insides and how they were feeling.  Marriage is a beautiful, pure thing, but each individual can hide dark things from the other.  I also tried to use performance to help say this, which (as stated above) I think worked.

What did you learn about storytelling: I learned that visual storytelling is so heavily affected by light and the environment.  For example, Jase had to tape up the blinds to prevent a lot of light dots from spilling in and ruining the image.

Working with actors and getting performance:  Some actors have it and some don’t.  Some are meant to play certain roles and others are not.  I think both of the actors I had for this piece are amazing actors.  However, I do not think they were both right for these roles.

Blocking — camera and actors: Blocking can change, even if the original idea is possible.  Sometimes, there are better options when it comes to blocking than what we originally planned.

Visuals — composition, framing, visual elements: This assignment was actually a great testament to what I have learned this semester.  We were blocking unattractive light, and I removed things from the room that were distracting (either in shape, size, or color).  That is something I have never paid any attention to before this class.  The whole time, I was thinking to myself: how cool is this?  I am actually paying attention to things and removing things that could be distracting!

Design & Art Direction:  Again, I was able to remove things that did not fit the color or feel of the piece.  That was really refreshing and beneficial.

The Production Process — collaboration with crew, the logistics of making this piece:  When the whole crew is prepared, the process is so much smoother.  Luckily, we were all very prepared and organized, and it was an enjoyable experience because of that.

                  

What was it like to watch your film with an audience? Did they understand it? Miss the point? Why did they respond the way they did?  

It was fun to watch this with an audience because it was something that I was actually proud of.  I think that the audience understood it, and they liked a lot of the shots and footage that I really enjoyed as well.  It was an enjoyable experience, and the feedback that I got from everyone was really helpful.  It is really cool to be constantly learning and improving in this class.

Other observations: