Drama Evaluation

Pre Production

The brief for this project was to create a short dystopian drama for an online platform such as BBC Iplayer or 4OD with a target audience of young adults (18-25). We started the project by mind mapping potential themes and ideas for the project and whilst doing this we felt that we wanted to do something different and base the story on the past rather than the future. We felt that too many dystopian films are set in the future and that the market was over saturated with these products. We then realised that many stories from the Old Testament in the Bible could be considered dystopian and so we researched bible stories that we could potentially use. From our research we agreed on creating a film set in modern times but using the Plagues of Egypt as the reason for downturn of the world.

During pre production, I helped with the initial research and planning as well as doing some pre production paperwork. I was responsible for the research into the bible and religious cults which were important for creating a realistic and believable story. I also helped with location recces which helped how the audience perceived the film and were considered one of the best aspects when we questioned the audience after initial screening.

The storyboards that were done for this project, whilst not extensive, were very useful when it came to production and they reflected the directors vision well. The scene list was also helpful as it made sure that we did not forget any parts of the film.

There was, however, one major issue in pre production. There was never a formal script written and whilst there wasn't going to be any dialogue, the crew felt that the lack of script made it extremely difficult to film. As the actor, I was often confused as to what I was meant to be doing in any particular scene and I did not know the emotion I was meant to convey a lot of the time. I feel that if a script had been created then production would have been a lot quicker and easier.

In my next project I would like to make sure that a script is written even if it is not my responsibility as this would eradicate a lot of confusion.

Health & Safety

A risk assessment is extremely important to everyone involved in the production process and this risk assessment was especially important as it involved a moving vehicle. We had to make sure that the crew knew when the vehicle was in use and make sure that those inside the vehicle adhered to the road traffic laws when we were filming. We also had to film inside a very small room that had water sources so once again we had to make the crew aware of the potential issues and minimise the dangers involved.

Production

The production of this film was quite extensive and lasted a few days. For this project I was the actor and so I was quite involved in the production process. Acting is something I have never done before therefore this film was a steep learning curve for me. Although my role didn't include anything technical, it did allow me to work closely with the director and cameraman. This gave me a greater insight into what makes a director good or bad and also gave me a different perspective of how a film should be directed. This will help me in future projects when I come to direct again.

Production of this project, I felt, was more challenging than it needed to be and with a few changes could have been a lot simpler. The biggest problem we had was the lack of script and direction. Most of the crew throughout this production were confused and we often didn't know how we were meant to film each scene as there was no script, just a scene list. This was alright on the first day of filming as the director was present and could point us in the right direction when we were stuck. However, for the rest of the shoot the director was unfortunately unable to attend. This then compounded the issues we had interpreting the story without a script and made filming difficult. One of the biggest problems the audience felt was the confusing storyline which was made worse by an issue with the audio that we had recorded in the studio. This lead to us leaving it out of the finished film which meant the film had very little context.

For the next film I would like to organise the project better and allow for time in case of unforeseen incidents such as the audio file corrupting. I would also like for the cast and crew to have a copy of the script and be briefed before production starts. I feel like these two things would make production go a lot smoother and allow the crew to feel happier and more comfortable.

Post Production

Post production for this project was fairly challenging due to the lost audio file. It meant that the editor needed to come up with a way of making the story make sense without. For the most part, the audience enjoyed the editing of the film, especially some of the effects that were used. The colour grading was also extremely well received with 89% of the audience saying they felt that it added to the dystopian feel of our drama. There was, however, a stand out issue with the audience. They felt that the volume of the sound effects and music was too high and that this detracted from the overall quality of our finished project.

In the next project I would like to take a slightly more involved role in the post production process as in this project I didn't play a big part. I feel that even being an assistant editor could help improve my skills in this area.

Media Processes & Skills

At the start of this project I felt that I had good amount of experience in most areas of the production process. However, I previously had no experience in acting and what was required to do the job. From acting in this film I gained a new insight into the film world which can help my directing skills in the future as I now know the level, and style, of directing that actors require to make a film good.