Final Major Project
What was the purpose of this project ?
The purpose of this project was to create a piece of media, video or photography based. It could be whatever you wanted it to be however, you had to base your idea around the theme time.
What skills did you want to develop?
For my final major project, the skills I wanted to improve and develop on were communication as well as problem solving. I think I put these two skills to use and developed on them very well. I communicated with people in my group, not only before my shoot to make sure they could work round my time plan but also when filming. As I had to tell people when to be in shot and what to do in the shot. I used my problem-solving skills a lot during this assignment probably more than any other assignment , as in the beginning there were some locations I couldn't use e.g. university block so I had to adapt and luckily there was a classroom free . I also used my problem solving skills when it came to people too. I had a great cast to begin with people whose personality with each character. When starting on the project, Emily and Rhys needed to get their test shots done and had their own deadlines to complete. I had to use my problem solving skills, with me being the main girl character (Claire) and ask Connor to be the other boy character (Brian). However, the casting was still great and I still had five people and was happy. Then when it came to my final shoot, Vali decided not to turn up despite been in college throughout the day ,this put my problem solving skills to the test made me quite stressed! I still had three other people (Connor, Brandon and Ruby) plus myself so I had to adapt from the original film of The Breakfast Club and have four characters instead of the five they had.
Investigation and Research :
What did I learn regarding how time has been used in the media?
At the beginning of this assignment I made a research page which you can find on my portfolio talking about the meaning of time. I put a lot of research on this page about how time is used in the media. I researched how time was used in films and found out about films such as About Time which is a rom com, but has the aspect of time travel as well. Back to the Future which is a well known 80s movie and used time throughout. I chose to do The Breakfast Club for my final major project as it one of my favourite movies and it also showed time throughout as the characters were in a nine hour detention. I did a lot of research on this film to develop my ideas. I also did research on music related to the theme time and found music videos relating to this and added them to my research page too. Before my idea of doing The Breakfast Club recreation I was going to do a music video to the song Hung up by Madonna. I did a lot of research on her and her music, but I wasn't sure how I could recreate the music video and the locations like the iconic video.
How did what I learnt help me with my project?
With all the primary research I did as well as secondary research I created Microsoft forms to share with my Level 2 media class and my tutor James. This was to help me with my final major project to gather ideas and this helped me to develop my ideas further.
What could I have done differently in terms of investigations?
In terms of investigation I wish that I had found more primary research examples of games and adverts to do with time but there was not many related to this. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to think of my second idea as I changed it from a music video to recreation. Although I did lots of research on my new idea, I felt I did not have as much time as I would have liked.
Communication
How did I work with others?
I personally I feel that I have used my communication skills a lot during this assignment. I needed people for my final project which was a recreation of The Breakfast Club to come to life. I helped Ruby with her behind-the-scenes photos and suggested where to put some things. I made a presentation which was full of my ideas and research for my project to show to people who watched it and then gave me feedback. I also gave feedback to them on their presentations.
How did I commutate with others?
I communicated a lot during this project not just with people in my group asking them what to do at different points in both test shots and final shots but also in early stages of planning when I made my presentation. I communicated my ideas to my tutor James and people who were part of my team. I also used my communication skills by booking out equipment and talking to the Tech team.
Practical skills
What practical skills did I use?
The practical skills I used for this assignment were mainly camera skills. I tried my best to incorporate the same camera angles from the video into my recreation.
What went well during the practical ?
The test shoot I wasn't very organised for but the final shoot I was more prepared. I got the clips I needed as well as photos for the beginning and I think it turned out well.
What could have been improved?
The main improvement could have been the if people had more availability as there should have been five characters but we ended up with four due to a no show so we had to adapt it at the last minute, but I think it still works. In the corridor and dance scenes we had to use Rhys instead of using Brandon and Connor like in the original idea because they were in the process of editing and filming their own projects so there is only 3 of us in those scenes. I do not think it makes a huge difference to the recreation. Again adapting and problem solving.
Development :
How did I use the feedback from my peers in this project?
I got feedback from my test shoot from a couple of students in Level 2 and my test shoot was not the best as I hadn't planned it out. Also I wasn't sure what locations to use either. The test shoot was only 24 seconds long, so it was good to get some constructive criticism as to what to work on for the final shoot.
How did the project develop?
In the beginning my main idea was do a music video with the song Hung up by Madonna which I thought would be a good idea as it referenced time throughout and has a clock ticking. However I just couldn't think of a different story or figure out where to film the iconic locations from the video. I did a lot of research on Madonna, her music and the songs meaning. I also made a Microsoft form on which I sent to everyone in my class.
I changed my idea to The Breakfast Club recreation video as it referenced time and it is about teenagers in the 80s stuck in a 9-hour detention. I did a lot of research on this film, the cast, the meaning of time in The Breakfast Club and even the song Don't you Forget about Me all, of this information you will find on my Porfilio. I watched the video which I got inspiration from a lot to make sure that I got the right camera angles at the right times. I did the same process by making a Microsoft form which again would help me with research and help develop my ideas.
I planned for my test shoot, but I felt I didn't have a lot of time even though I planned for it. I didn't have a lot of footage as I wasn't allowed to use the university block which would have been perfect place to film, so I did the locations I could.
My final shoot went much better as I had planned a lot more. I had a classroom to use and the ladies in the library very kindly let me film in there. The people in my group who I needed were available and we managed to get most of the scenes completed. It was a bit time consuming at the end so on the Monday after half term, I booked out some equipment and got the last few scenes done and began to edit on premier pro which is now complete.
Approach :
How did I work individually during this project?
I worked individually during this project by doing research and the planning for this project. I did lots of the filming but when I had to step up and be one of the main characters, someone else filmed. I went and took photos for the beginning of the video and edited them on Adobe photoshop.
How did I work with others ?
I feel that I worked really well with Ruby, Connor and Brandon on this project. We communicated easily and they understood what their roles were. I was disappointed that Emily and Rhys after saying they would be a part of it at the start then dropped out, this did cause a bit of panic but I adapted by asking Connor to help. Vali was an original part of the team and although he took part in the test shoot, he did not turn up for the final shoot which did annoy me as I had it all planned out and only had a certain amount of time on the Thursday to complete the shoot. Again, I had to adapt and change the plan so that we only had four characters. When Connor and Brandon were working on their projects and I still had a few more scenes to film, Rhys stepped in and filming was completed. It was really good that my tutor, James, was happy to take on the role of the teacher.
What planning did I Do?
I did a lot planning for this project from making storyboards which would help me follow what scenes I had do next. I made three mood boards one for locations, one for props and one for The Breakfast Club movie. The locations mood board helped me to decide what locations I wanted to use and how I needed them to look. The props mood board reminded me what props I needed and The Breakfast Club movie mood board showed me what sort of things were in the film and how I could put them in my recreation. I also made a time plan which told me the date when I was doing my filming. I also made an initial plan and a shoot plan. These helped me with the planning and preparation. I also made lists with bullet points of what I needed to do and when and crossed things off as I had completed the tasks. Location photos were also done as part of the planning.
How was my time management?
I feel like time management is something I will always struggle with, I start off with plenty of time but then seem to run out! I was able to edit at home which helped as it was quieter, and I could focus more.
I think in my final major project I managed to get most of videos done on the day of my final shoot however, I released I forgot to add a couple of scenes so on Monday when back in College, I used my communication skills and booked the equipment. As I already had clips from before I used recent ones and edited all together using Premier Pro. Towards the end of my shoot day I didn’t have a lot of time so I would say my time management wasn’t so good there.
Summary :
Do you think you have met the brief ?
Yes I do think I have meant the brief as I have shown aspects of time throughout my video. Such as showing clocks throughout and not just a close ups. I showed time not just by using clocks but by the characters first meeting like in the film where they are not talking or really acknowledging each other, by the end they are talking and laughing with each other. This shows how time spent with different people from different backgrounds can change you and your opinions of people.
Is there anything you were to do differently if you were to do this project again?
I have enjoyed doing this as my final major project. However, some aspects were stressful as already mentioned. I know that lots of planning and time management is needed. If I had to do this subject again, I may be do something like music through time in photos.
Conclusion
I did enjoy this project as I felt it challenged me, but it was worth it to get the following feedback from my group who have watched it. Brandon said ‘the video was amazing and gave me a good laugh and the actors were amazing especially the guy in the Eminem jacket (that was him). Ruby ‘I really loved the different shots and it gives off the vibes of the original video’. Connor said ‘I think your final video was really good and the cut to each scene was perfect. Was absolute perfection to do with the topic of time’.