Practical Project Evaluation

PRACTICAL PROJECT EVALUATION 

Our teachers gave use the script for the film 'Pleasentville" without telling us where it was from as they wanted to see how we would interpret the script and what shots we aphld use. Below is my groups script and storyboard for the project as we planned out our sequence.

Aim of assignment:

The aim of this assignment was for us to gain a better understanding of film and how different elements can represent, signify, and convey the particular perspective which we are trying to achieve in our provided media text. We had to learn how to use elements such as sound, mise en scene, editing to convey meaning. For example we played me just off centre to convey an awkward situation where I am not quite central nor to either side of the frame to give a disoriented look for the audience.

Script:

Colour code:

We used this colour code in order to have practise for when doing a final project we could use colour co-ordination to ensure each department gets the right lines in response for what they would need to prepare for and work on so that the director can call upon them if need be.

Storyboard:

This is a photo of the final story board we used; we tried to use shots which would accurately represent the moment, when filming however we did try multiple shots which differed from the story board just to test them out and see how they would come out with the film and we opted to put an over the shoulder shot around the lines surrounding frame 9, as we realised how affacetive it was during editing. My role within the production was acting but I also helped to take control of editing and providing reasonable music to pursue symbolism within our media text.
Evaluation:

Our group effectively used cinematography in many ways to convey meaning, our establishing shot was a pan which allows the audience to familiarise themselves with the surroundings. We used this so that we could put a title sequence over it, as something of little significance it was effective as the audience didn't miss any relative action. In the first scene that we are introduced to the character  David and The Girl we have a nervous David standing in frame whilst the girl walks into the frame. Having your action walk into the frame is effective when done well because it gives the audience a sense of involvement and a grasp of a full understanding of the situation.
Our group effectively used the mise-en-scène to convey meaning, for example we placed David's character in front of a vertical fence to show symbolism of a prison, this represents how David is enclosed within his emotions and how he feels stuck in this situation which are connotations we relate with prison. We also paid close attention to the background behind "The Girl" because within the script she is portrayed as the focal point of David's attention, we wanted the audience to feel the same way by making her prominent using shallow focus and removing any things which could distract the audience from being focused on The Girl. We also effectively used sound in order to convey meaning, after David's lines we tried to use silence to convey a meaning of awkwardness and to show how he is anxious. Also we placed the scenes besides a music department so that the background music would give further indications as to how the scene took place in a school. The music which the scene opens with was a love/hip-hop beat which conveyed to the audience that it was a romantic scene whilst also indicating it was a young and fresh love as stereo-typically many young people are tuned in to the "hip-hop" genre.
I would say that my group worked together reasonably well, not knowing each other all too well was of course to begin with a barrier which we had to overcome however in terms of playing our roles effectively and using each other's strengths I think as a group each and every one of us gave our all.