Fiction Adaptation - Project Evaluation

Having finished the Digital News unit for which everyone worked in a group, it was time to start looking into a more individual unit that is fiction adaptation. We were assigned the task of creating a visual adaptation lasting 3-5 minutes on a poem of our choice (of a set selection). I chose to adapt the poem 100% by Michael James Parker and set myself the aim of creating something new and out of the ordinary, something that the audience wouldn't expect from a poem that promotes the idea of unity and togetherness.

The character themselves was an old man simply going about his day. He'd visit the pub for a pint and maybe some food before walking down to the beach to admire the view. However something's not right, the man is alone and he knows it. Stuck in a state of loneliness both mentally and physically, the character never quite feels as though they fit in anywhere, even if they dress the type. There isn't a given reason why the old man is alone, this is something that the audience conjures up in their imagination. The idea is the audience makes their own assumptions as to who this man is, what he's doing and why he's alone.

I felt that in the pre-production stage I was more organised that usual, I had the actor, location, shot list, script and call sheet all ready for filming. Finding the right actor for the job was pretty difficult, I had plenty of options to choose from, it was a matter of deciding who suits the role best. In the end I went with Andrew Hill, a 72 year old man who lived locally. His bio and application message were well detailed and showed everything I needed, an experienced actor with experience in amateur productions and in voice recording.

Filming went well but not without flaws, I was limited to a cannon camera and shotgun mic, and though the limited equipment did well getting what I needed, I did feel limited in my options. Some shots I couldn't get because of lack of equipment and some shots I skipped, unaware that I had skipped them in the first place. All the shots were in good focus however and well white balanced, even some of the unwanted solar flare seemed to work when looking over the footage in post production.

My biggest issue, as brought up in the rough cut and the fine cut, was the sound. At points the sound seemed unnecessary, and at other points, small, unwanted noises were picked up, sounds we never noticed in production. For example towards the end of the film a faint knocking noise can be heard in the background for just a split second.

Overall I am happy with how this unit has gone. I've been able to bring forward new skills as well as reflect on my mistakes, mistakes that I hope to never arise in the future.