Fiction Adaptation | Project Evaluation

What worked?

I feel my interpretation of the poem allowed me to take a different, topical and thought-provoking approach to my film.  I feel that the subject matter fits in well with the theme of isolation present in the poem with contemporary political overtones.

I am very pleased with the final outcome of the project - the scripting works well to build up Abdullah's character and his situation - I feel my cinematography has advanced immensely in this project - and the edit has come together very well and I am proud of what I have created.

I feel I took most of my feedback on board which allowed me to make positive changes to my film.  For example, my lead actor was involved throughout the whole process, leading me to change several key aspects, such as the character's name and how to edit the prayer scenes so I can represent a Muslim character respectfully and accurately.  I also listened to what Mike suggested for the edit, such as incorporating the montage earlier to allow for the structure to fit better together.

Sound design is always something I try to spend a lot of time on, and I feel it has really paid off this time to build the atmosphere of each scene.

I feel I have balanced my workload well for this project, allowing time to write my blog, plan my shoots and edit my footage in ample time so that I do not panic too much to meet the deadline.

Creating a script and shot list really helped to keep me on my feet so I knew exactly what shots I wanted to capture on the shoot days which also saved me a lot of time.  Although I would have liked to have been able to experiment with more unfamiliar camera movements, I feel that the movement I have used - particularly with handheld shots - has worked to create the right tone that I wanted within the film.

I am also very pleased with the performances of my two actors, Imran and Nikki.  Imran captured the fear and uncertainty of being a refugee who is persecuted both in his homeland and his new home.  Nikki was also very good at portraying a patronising and careless officer who did not sympathise with Abdullah's situation at all.

What didn't work?

Whilst I was able to shoot nearly everything I need, the shoots felt rushed and it would have been better if I could have had more time on each shoot day.  This was down to limited time available, but I could have prepared more so I could shoot more with the time I had to potentially save time.

I feel I could have worked better with recording sound on the first shoot so that I did not have to rely so much on ADR audio.  This was because the location was very windy and I did not have a proper windbreak on the microphone, meaning that a lot of unwanted background noise was captured.

I am happy with the structure of my film, but I feel I could have arranged it in such a way that the film followed a more succinct structure so that the audience is able to feel more sympathy for Abdullah - perhaps this would have allowed me to draw more attention to the racial discrimination against him.

Again, I am happy that I was able to shoot in a town centre, but I feel I could have done more with this opportunity, perhaps by filming members of the public (with permission of course) to gauge more authentic reactions of the general public.

What did I learn?

I learned some very useful new skills in Adobe After Effects - in particular, motion tracking, as I have always wanted to have a proper crack at it and I was able to teach myself how to decorate the background of a shot in post-production which will be very useful in the future.

I also learned how different camera movements and editing techniques, such as montage, can be used to convey tone and emotion, which I was able to apply to my work.  I have used montage previously, but now I feel I have a greater understanding of why to use montage for thematic meaning rather than just for aesthetics.

What could I develop?

I could have been more experimental with the types of shot I used and how I moved the camera.  Most shots stick fairly safe with handheld or tripod shots, where I would have liked to use the track and dolly.  I am also desperate to try using a drone to film, which may have worked for some of the shots in this film.

This was the first time I had properly used one of the new Panasonic DVX200 cameras, so I would like to develop my understanding of how the camera works to get even more out of it.

I feel that I could work on my use of lighting in my work.  Most of the lighting in this film was natural, which allowed for consistency, but I feel I would have been able to shoot more interesting and emotive shots if I could utilise lighting in future projects.