Final Cut

 

Whiplash (swede): Final Cut

CCR 3 - Interview

 

CCR Question 3

Comparison of film to swede (reflection)

        Drumroll please.... Post-production is officially wrapped, and it's time to check it out! 

        In this blog post were going to peek into some shots from the original scene and compare them with my teams "sweeded" version. We'll also discuss what's lacking from them and what I would do differently in the future.

Shot one: 

Original shot

Sweeded shot

Issue: A common theme you'll see throughout these shots is the lack of focus. In fact, our entire film is shot completely in deep focus. So, specific shots like the one above are missing that key element. The original emotion conveyed in this shot was intense and almost suffocating. We know this because all other elements are out of focus except for Fletcher himself, emphasizing his judgmental presence. So once again, we captured the general energy of the original, but the focus feels much flatter. 

Why we struggled: Because my group and I didn't have access to high-end lenses, we worked with what we had. An iPhone camera and a dream. Thus, the app we were using didn't have certain tools for us to properly execute elements such as the focus. 

Takeaway: If we were to redo this shot now, I would place the camera closer and manually force a separation between Andrew and Fletcher. By doing this, I could replicate Fletcher's dominance from the original without the use of shallow focus. 

Shot two:

Original shot

Sweeded shot

Issue: Once again, the main issue in the shot is the lack of shallow focus. In the original shot, Andrew is isolated, making him look alone and scared. Also, the original framing is very claustrophic which emphasis his anxiety for fletcher. In our sweeded version, the framing is wider and less claustrophobic. There is also a busier background which catches viewers' eyes in a negative way.  

Takeaway: Next time, I'd bring Andrew closer to the camera and reduce the cluttered background. Even without expensive equipment, a cleaner setting and a tighter framing would restore the genuine emotions being delivered by the actors. 

Post-production (reflection)

        With post-production coming to an end, there was a last-minute lesson I discovered that broadened my knowledge of directing. 

        It all started when my editor (Tiana) finished editing and was ready to send it off to sound (Liam). In my crews group chat, I started to see texts come in with concerning statements. These statements included things like "some of the shots aren’t loading in DaVinci" and "I'm trying to see if I can get it to work on adobe" (These messages concern changing the editing software midway through post-production). However, I told myself that it's out of control, and that it's not my expertise. This was my mistake. Soon after, I got a call from Liam saying that he created a new version of the film that he made himself, not by Tiana. He expressed that he had editing concerns that were not being resolved through text message conversations.  

This brings us here, two versions of the same swede but edited differently. 

Clip from Version 1

Clip from Version 2

What I did wrong: By not intervening and mediating when things started to go downhill, despite being the director, I allowed confusion to build and communication to break down. My hesitation created an environment for conflicting decisions, ultimately leading to two competing edits. 

What I learned: I now know that as a film director, thinking "it's not my expertise" is not an excuse to stay silent while my crew is crumbling. Directing isn't just about creativity; it's about communication and problem solving. Even if I'm not the editor or sound designer, it is still my responsibility to keep a steady workflow throughout my crew. 

CCR (Planning)

         Now that I have done extensive research on how to address question 3, "How did your production skills develop throughout this project?", I am ready to begin planning my Interview. 

1. Actor: Step one is to determine who will be the interviewer. In the example I studied, the student appeared to use their parent in the video but I intend to take a slightly different approach by casting my sister. She is familiar with media studies because I constantly discuss the class with her at home. This gives her both prior knowledge and interest in the topic. For these reasons, I believe she will be an appropriate and very natural interviewer.

2. Questions: Now for the basis of my Interview, the questions. Once again going based off the example video, I've compared the questions/answers she was asked with the aice rubric. Doing so helped me learn effective approaches when discussing question 3. With this being said, I have prepared questions that align with the rubric, they are as follows:

1. How would you say your directing skills were before this project?

2. Was there anything specific that you learned throughout the production? 

3. Can you give me an example?

4. Looking back, what's the one thing your most proud of? 

5. Why do you think that?

6. If you could give one piece of advice to your past self before production, what would it be?

7.  If you could rate your final production skills from 1-10, what would it be.

Above is a rough draft of the script I wrote for my interview.

Directing on Set (reflection)

        With production coming to an end, I can now reflect on my entire experience of being a first-time director. And let's just say, there are many lessons to be learned. 

Directing on set

1. Time: As I went over in my Implementation post, my group and I really struggled with timing. Ultimately, we were just too slow which caused a rushed environment. We mainly took too long perfecting shots which really set us back. As a reminder, we were shooting a swede. Swedes are never supposed to be spot on. In the future, I can fix this issue by having a schedule and more practice time with my group. As I stated above, we spent ample time perfecting angles when in the future, we can practice this beforehand. Also, I believe having a schedule with a timeline of when we should finish with each angle could be very useful. 

2. Cooperation: Another issue among my crew was working together. Though it may seem fairly simple, we ran into many crossroads in production. These issues derived from us not properly communicating. An example of this is when we were deciding when to shoot retakes. Only some of my team knew the correct date. This then resulted in our cinematographer bringing the equipment on the wrong day. These events may seem minor but can eventually pile up and cause major issues. There isn't an exact science for fixing miscommunication but when it comes to working together better in the future, we will need more group discussions so we one the same page. 

Overall, my experience with directing this swede was nowhere near perfect. However, I do believe this was a vital part of me becoming a more advanced film director. 

CCR (reseach) #2

        My next stop in researching the CCR post is reviewing past blogs that have answered question 3, "How did your production skills develop throughout this project?" Below is a breakdown of Teddyplay1's CCR post and if it met the requirements from my previous research, 1 post. By doing this breakdown, I can analyze how other students are answering questions and learn from them. Now it's time to break down her video. 

Simran Seuraj's CCR 3 interview

1. Analyze skills: Throughout her interview Simran described how directing was a bumpy road for her when it came to taking initiative in her group. She then goes on to explain how she overcame this and how it affected her group. 

2. Concrete Examples: In Simran's video she used direct examples of experiences she had with her editor and the hardships she faced. These examples allowed her to demonstrate the growth she and her group had. 

3. Reflection: Lastly, Simran reflected on her skills by stating what she thought vs what she now knows. She states that directing is so much more than she initially believed and her new skills have helped in every aspect of film making 

        Now knowing how Simrin approached question 3, I can further my knowledge when preparing for my own interview. 

CCR (research) #1

In media studies we need to produce 4 creative critical reflection posts, or more commonly known as a "CCR" post. 

        This reflection is an important part of my portfolio, but I've reached a block regarding my "creative approach" when answering the questions. Thus, I've decided to do some vital research so I can go into my CCR post ready and prepared. 
 

CCR required questions

        My first stop is researching the basics of this reflection, so I know what to build from. For this, I turned to wordpress.com. This website not only broke down what a creative critical reflection is; it also broke down each of the four required questions. The question I will be focusing on my first future CCR post is question 3, "How did your production skills develop throughout this project?" I landed on this question because I knew that I had a lot of growth regarding my capabilities throughout my entire production. According  to wordpress.com and cambridgeinternational.org, answering this question through any method, requires me to do multiple things: 

1. Analyze skills I've improved on such as camera work, design, or directing. 

2. Provide concrete examples from your project that demonstrate growth. 

3. Reflect on why these skills developed and consider the learning process. 

        Next task is to compare past blogs and see how they approached these requirements.