Intro to Making of: BIG BRIEF 2 (Conclusion)

Chris has edited together the final parts of our post production. In the meantime of this, I have sent over all of the Making of video that I had created for Chris to review:

He was really pleased with the style and in this case I am very pleased that we had managed to recognise each others strengths. It was not just my acting and his directing skills but also my documentary making skills and his film making skills, (I created most of the making of and he created most of the project video). This video is the final result of our project and Chris' editing:

It was now just a matter of waiting for Chris to send me over his part of the making of video. This is what he sent me to edit into our making of:

Overall I am very pleased with the outcome of this video. Minor changes were made when I initially watched back what Chris had edited over the weekend but I think Chris and I have a very good understanding of our own sense of visual humour. I think that we've been realistic in what we could get done within these four weeks but at the same time took risks in what we were producing. Firstly the actual subject matter we chose to base our project upon and satirise was a risky one to take on. If I had written something that could be deemed too close to the bone then we could have actually put the efforts of our project in jeopardy. But I'm glad we did it because it was a rich thing to write about and really tested what I as a writer could do to restrict myself to something which could face some amount of censorship, PLUS, they always say that you should write what you know. Not only this risk was taken in writing but in other aspects of the project as well... admittedly we did place some reliance on our fellow classmates for filming scenes and this could've gone awry if people could not fit our schedule. Perhaps one thing I would've liked to have changed in future was the amount of time myself and Chris got to see each others editing work, (i.e. if Chris was present more for the editing of the making of, and I was present more for the editing of the project video). But this really is a minor criticism that I don't think at all has damaged the quality of our work. I'm glad to have been partnered with Chris as I feel we worked well together. He as a teammate I found was reliable and good at sticking to schedules he was also good when it came to getting our initial idea rolling. I'd like to think that I was also just reliable and open to Chris' ideas. As he directed me I like to think I listened as a performer and also made suggestions where I saw fit, as he made suggestions within my writing. It was good to 'stretch our legs' in roles we both wanted to get better at or didn't realise we had a passion for. We both wanted to have a go at exercising our script writing skills. I know Chris was pleased to assume the role of director and up until recently I didn't realise I had a passion for performing, so to be able to practise that in this project was great for the both of us. Mainly I'm just pleased we found a medium we were both happy with and passionate about. This made the project a lot easier as we did find ourselves having a laugh with it. Not only that but we were excited to show in to our classmates. I look forward to hearing the feedback from our classmates as well as the review of our making of from our tutor. Here is our making of video for this project:

Making of Reflection

1. How have you found the experience of working in your pair? Overall I am very pleased with the outcome of this project. Myself and Chris really grew to understand and criticise each other’s ideas as well as find

2. What have you contributed to the project and the team? Chris and I divided up the tasks of our project evenly. I contributed to sourcing research, writing the script, performing in front of the camera and editing the ‘Making Of’ documentary. 3. How hard do you work? Discuss your work ethic and commitment? Be honest and frank with yourself.

I would like to think I am a hard worker and I prioritise the fact that the way I work will affect the final grades of my team mates. I would say I am considerate of that fact, as well as my own personal grades. I like to ensure that the project is executed to a good standard. I think the best way to put it is that I want to be proud of what we produce. When I am passionate about the idea that the team I am in has, my work ethic and commitment is high. Passion for the project is key. 4. What have you done to ensure a successful working partnership? Could you have done more for better success? I made sure that when I was first partnered up with Chris that I had his contact information, so that communication between us outside of university was possible. We outlined a schedule for our project in our initial ideation and made sure we stuck to it. I think that one thing we could have improved was more time in each other’s presence when we were both editing our various videos, that way we could’ve had relayed feedback with each other more quickly. 5. Where is your project successful & how could your project be improved? Perhaps one thing I would've liked to have changed in future was the amount of time myself and Chris got to see each other’s editing work, (i.e. if Chris was present more for the editing of the making of, and I was present more for the editing of the project video). But this really is a minor criticism that I don't think at all has damaged the quality of our work. I'm glad to have been partnered with Chris as I feel we worked well together. He as a teammate, I found was reliable and good at sticking to schedules he was also good when it came to getting our initial idea rolling. I'd like to think that I was also just reliable and open to Chris' ideas. As he directed me I like to think I listened as a performer and also made suggestions where I saw fit, as he made suggestions within my writing. It was good to 'stretch our legs' in roles we both wanted to get better at or didn't realise we had a passion for. 6. How successful is the ‘Making Of’ film? Do you think it fully communicates the processes involved in producing your chosen project? I do think the making of video is extensively detailed in how our ideas came to be and how we executed them. We recorded plenty of footage that shows how we made our project and included all of our documentation on how we planned out our processes, as well as engineer solutions to the problems we faced. The video has been made with the foresight to use a narrator’s voice that is friendly to an audience that perhaps has had no prior knowledge to any of our processes. 7. Where could this ‘Making Of’ be improved? With the inclusion of a rich amount of detail, I do fear that our Making Of is too long, however I couldn’t see myself parting with any of the video, I wanted it to look professional and in a lot of Making Of documentaries I researched at the start of this module were of the same length. I think I need to hear the feedback to find out whether my concern is worth noting. Perhaps there was too much of my voice and not enough of Chris’, this is not to say that Chris was not putting in just as much effort as I was, it’s just I think I may have gotten too controlling over the documentary without even realising it. 8. Where would you say you have improved on your last experience? I think this time there was more of a clear structure to my Making Of, I went into the editing of the video knowing exactly how the frame work was planned out, because of this I managed to create a much longer making of in a shorter amount of time, this really benefitted me and Chris, as we were working to a shorter time schedule, compared to our last Making Ofs. I was also far more aware of how a successful Making Of worked, as my last project had received lots of positive feedback, taking on board the criticisms some of my peers and tutors had made me aware of. 9. Specifically, how has the design aspect of your ‘Making Of’ developed? The script in itself was largely based on the observations I had made in my blog work. Not only this but I had chronologically mapped out every key landmark in our creative journey. This made the design of our making of very easy to map out. Not only that but ensuring that the tone of the Making Of video was appropriate to the project video it was about, was essential. 10. If your ‘Making Of’ films are intended for potential future employers i.e. Industry, is the tone of voice appropriate for your intended audience? I would be happy to show this making of to a potential employer as I feel it shows off a lot of my creative skillset (excluding my illustrative skills). One thing that I may have to change would probably the swear words that made it into the final cut. These words were not used gratuitously and were only left uncensored to add humour to the video. As our project was intended for a mature audience, I think that the Making Of also was intended for the same target audience.

Future

11. Do you see any future possibilities for this project? Could it be extended into this next opportunity, for instance? I think the nature of this project has meant that me and Chris had to produce a finished product. In this case it was the satirical advert for the course at the university. In our writing we included every aspect we possibly could satirise and now I feel there is not much material left for a continuation or sequel to this project. However I feel that my first making of video has the possibilities for a continuation as I left that on a cliffhanger of sorts, expressing that I wanted to develop the project further, as I never got to finish the animation and was only left with concept art, animatic and character designs. I think with a group of people that idea could perhaps come into some really interesting outcomes, however I’m aware that a group of people might not want to take on a project that was only my idea. 12. What do you want/ need from a team experience? Discuss. I would love to have a team of people who were passionate about ideas and who could contribute their own interesting inputs with good humour. I think it’s essential to be humble and accept other people’s ideas and not have a stubborn or immature nature when taking criticism. I also think people who can have a laugh are essential for the ideation phase of a project. Also people who are easy to communicate with and get hold of are the key to making a project easier. 13. What is your ambition for the next project? What do you want to engage with next? What would be most rewarding for you? Do you think you would respond well if given a specific brief rather than given free reign to dictate your own project? Discuss. I would love to perhaps produce a final animation and work with a group of people who were passionate about producing a final 2D animation. Or maybe an illustrative piece, something which involves drawing. Or maybe another original avenue. For that a non-assigned brief would be the best way.