Transition Task Evaluation

What did I find the most challenging and why?

I think the most challenging aspect of the transition task was the actually reconstruction, trying to replicate the camera angles and shot types was difficult during filming we had to use a public road. This was very difficult as when we was filming the tracking shot down the road we got interrupted multiple times, this increased the amount of shots we had to take. With the shot being a single shot we couldn't edit edit good section of one clip and fit it into another as it would jump, so when things went wrong we had to start from fresh and re film which was difficult and frustrating. Another aspect of the reconstruction that was challenging was the mise-en-scene, gathering the correct costume and props along with lighting was challenging. The original video is well lit and filmed during sunny weather, however during filming we couldn't get ideal weather so we had to impressive and use slightly duller weather. In the room scene of the video light is shining through the windows, unfortunately we could not achieve this as the weather was again dull and we couldn't get any studio lights outside as we filmed on the second floor of the building. Editing was also difficult at point, it was the first time I had used Final Cut Pro so timing the lips with the song was difficult.

What will I do differently when I make my A2 product?   
For my A2 product I will ensure that my filming process is planned heavily. I will make sure that I have the correct Mise-En-Scene and will not have any shots that need the sun and ensure that I can control my lighting in my shots. With the A2 product not been a reconstruction and being a remake of a video I can plan my costume and settings a lot more because I will already have a visual plan of what I am doing. In my A2 product I will ensure that I become better at camera work and take multiple test shots and many takes of the same shot to ensure that I have what I need and I know what I need the mise-en-scene to look like. When making my product I will have a check list so I know what I have done and what I need to still do, I plan on leaving a large amount of time for editing, this is so if I am somehow missing a shot or need to re-do a shot I have time for that.  

How has the task helped me? What can I take away from this task?

The task has helped me as it has shown me what I am weak at, because of this I can ensure that I don't do it again. During the task I used an editing program that I was not familiar with, this extended my editing time as I had to learn a lot about it. This is good as I learned the basics of a new software however I can take away from this that I will not be using this software again and use one I am more comfortable with when editing my A2 project. I have learnt doing this project that planning is key to ensuring you do well, I did not have a check list and was not very well organised during filming which meant I wasted a lot of time and missed out some aspects of filming that I needed. In my A2 project I will be more organised when filming to make sure I have everything I need before going into editing.           

How successful was your product?

I think in ways the product was successful, aspects of it were okay and others not so much. It was successful as we managed to produce a product that looked like the original in parts, for example the street scene was good as the mise-en-scene was correct in terms of location and the cinematography was done well and was taken in all one shot just like the original. However the second scene was dramatically different to the original, as the mise-en-scene was different and so was the cinematography. Along with this it was poorly planned meaning we didn't have correct costume or lighting in our location. Another unsuccessful aspect was the lip sync, at times the sync works well and flows nicely however at parts it jumps out of sync and look poor.   

How do I feel now moving to A2 level?

Despite the transition task being very poor in terms of planning and final product I feel a lot more confident in moving to A2. This is because I now know how difficult it is making a music video and how much time and effort I need to put into the making of my A2 product. It has shown me that I need to use a comfortable editing software and plan the project heavily, along with taking into account any problems that may occur along the way. I believe this task will ensure that I do not make the same mistakes again which will allow me to make a really solid A2 product.

The things I like the most about the product/The things I do not like about the product?

The thing I like the most about the final product is the tracking shot in the opening scene, I feel like this is the strongest thing about the product as it is tracked well and keeps the correct framing throughout the shot. This shot is very similar to the original making the reconstruction accurate. However they’re many things I do not like about the video, the main thing is the mise-en-scene. Location, costume and lighting are poor in the product and make it look very unprofessional. The costume and location in the second shot look very different to the original. Also the lighting could be massively improved on as it was not close to how the original was, lighting in videos is huge so I dislike this aspect the most.