1.1       Describe areas for development in your current knowledge, understanding and skills 

I have a massive passion for film and am massively interested in the industry. I try to watch as many films as possible and am a regular visitor of the cinema. I read Empire every month which is a film magazine and I frequently read articles on variety and Hollywood reporter. However, I have no experience at all of making any sort of film or how to operate a camera. I also as well have never undertaken any media or film course. I hope to gain from the academy a much more in depth understanding of the art of filmmaking and of the industry. I also would like to know the skills needed to make it in the industry as well as where to go to further my experience after the course. I am hoping to gain as well the know how of how a production team collaborate to make a film. I am only properly aware of what the big roles actually entail in production such as the director and screenwriter, I am excited and intrigued to find out what all of the jobs in production actually entail. By the end of the course, I would like to be in a position where I could make my own short films and be confident in my convictions of doing so.

The areas that interest me most are directing and screenwriting. I believe that I would be an asset in providing inspiration to a story or an idea. These are the roles I envisage me taking on the academy film.  I would like to find out in the course what it actually requires to be a successful director and screenwriter. I also want to have an attempt at every area of production to know the work needed to make a successful production and to find out whether my strengths and skills would be better suited elsewhere. After this course, I would like to know where I can follow this up to further my skills and knowledge. I would be incredibly interested in a course of a similar nature. I also hope that after the course I am in a position with contacts and my own knowledge to start making my own films. I feel that actually making your own films is the best way to develop as a filmmaker. My knowledge meanwhile is constantly developing as I watch more films. My passion of film is a relatively new one and the majority of my films, I watch because of who is in them or who made them, therefore the more greats of the industry I watch the more I will understand what is required to make a great movie and my knowledge will develop. I do have plans to further study and work in film, however what is more realistic for me due to me having an apprenticeship that I believe has great potential is I would initially be looking to further my study on evenings or weekends as I wouldn’t want to quit my apprenticeship without a realistic chance of breaking into the industry. If a good opportunity came around though, I would jump at the chance to follow my dreams and work in the industry full time.

1.2       Take a role in the production of a short film

My production role is director. As a group we will collaboratively bounce ideas off each other until we settle on what we believe is the best direction for the film. I will also watch lots of short films in preparation to see what is required to make a successful short film and will try and find some articles on the internet about what is required too. In pre-production  we will as a group sort out who will be acting and whether we need to source external actors. We will decide who will play what roles in the film and as well we will have to decide what locations we will choose to film at. As a group costumes and props for the piece will need to be decided on and arranged for in this stage too. I personally would like a draft idea of how the camera is going to move during the piece, however I am open to a bit of experimentation in the piece. The piece will follow the script as planned, however if on the day someone has a great suggestion that could add something to the piece then I would want to give it a go. In post production as a group we will be editing the piece to make it become the best finished article it can become.

As the director of the piece I believe at times I will need to show leadership skills to try and lead the piece in a certain direction. I will have to show confidence in myself to do this. As a group we will have to show great team work to make the best piece possible because as the director, I want to be challenged and I want us to challenge each other because this will allow the piece to be the best it can be. Also, if something is going wrong, a good team will help each other and find solutions, this is essential. This will require good communication skills from us all. Me and my group need to show imagination and creativity too because we don’t want to be making a film that is bland, boring and lacks originality. We want our film to stick in people’s minds. Organisation is required as a team as well to ensure everything runs smoothly and there are no last minute panics. he equipment needed will be the camera, props and costumes. On the day of the shoot we will need our risk assessment with us that we will have created and we will need contact details for everyone on the set in the case of an emergency or if after a break if someone is late for example.

1.3       Gain feedback on how you performed your role

The feedback I received was from one of my group who I made the short film with. It was Dillon who gave me my feedback and Dillon was an actor in the film and was our screenwriter. Dillon said that I was a major contributor to the plot and that I was the person who came up with the idea which we brought to life in the end. Also Dillon said I was a major asset in the planning stages always making thought out contributions according to him and coming up with ideas that improved the film, he said that quite a bit of the comedic moments that were in the film were my ideas. Dillon said as well that my skills shone through as director on shoot day because he said I communicated well and everyone always knew what I was trying to achieve. Dillon said one improvement that I could make as a director is make it clear what mood and tone it is that I would like for the film and for certain scenes. Even though we were clear we were making a comedy, Dillon thinks I could have overlooked other stylistic aspects perhaps. Dillon acknowledged how difficult it must have been directing and acting as well, he says that is one challenge I overcome because I had to balance the two roles on shoot day. Dillon says my personality and work ethic made me a pleasure to work with. He says I always shared my opinion and was was always present to help when needed. He said I worked really well with everyone in the team and that I am a good communicator.

1.4     Review own technical skills and use of equipment

In my role as director, I tried to provide the actors with inspiration and I had to collaborate with my group members who were doing camera and sound in order to get the best shots possible. I completely agree with my feedback, I felt one of my major strengths of the whole course was in the planning stage coming up with and developing ideas. I wasn’t able to do as much directing as I would have hoped due to the reason we couldn’t source any external actors and I ended up being an integral character to the film, this meant when I was in shot for example my other team members would take control and do some directing. This was a tough balancing act and was helped massively by other members of my group especially the producer Constance taking responsibility at times. I agree with Dillon though that I was a good communicator as a director and people were aware of my intentions. I believe this because when I was sharing my thoughts and my ideas on what I felt would work, people seemed to trust me and were up for the ideas I gave.

My technical filmmaking skills improved massively over the duration of the course. I had never operated a camera before and now I am able to operate one after having a go myself. I also would have had no idea how to edit any kind of footage, I now have experience of that too and am aware of how to do it now. I now understand as well what a directors responsibilities now entail when filming and editing. I was unaware of how influential the director is on the shot types and the angle of the camera. On the shoot day me and my group put into practice everything we learned throughout the course such as using the correct terminology for different shot types. Also my understanding of film productions is now a lot more knowledgeable than what I was at the start of the course. Before the course I had no idea as to what producers actually do and now I have a clear understanding over their roles. Additionally, before the course I never knew that so much has to be completed in pre-production and about how you apply for funding, I now am aware of what needs to be done in pre-production and how films apply for budgets. I know now as well the importance of having a risk assessment which the producer will have created and which needs to be adhered by to ensure the safety of everyone on set.