|
One of the practical elements which I was responsible for creating was the promotional flyers. This was decided after discovering my expertise in visual elements. I also felt this would be good practice for using Photoshop and developing skills in editing images. I decided to create a theatrical flyer which followed similar conventions to film posters in the hope that this would create connotations within the audiences mind. I believe the flyer worked well, however possibly had too many visuals which resembled a poster rather than a flyer.
Whilst producing a feature length film such as this, good planning and management is essential. In order to ensure tasks were completed on time, the group set defined deadlines which were structured to develop areas of research as each week progressed. For example, the first few weeks of the module focused on photojournalists and using stills cameras. For this reason, the group met up to practice using the Canon 450D, and set a deadline to have their photo-essay on the website by Wednesday 3rd November (Week 6). Regular deadlines such as this would benefit the group due to the fact all members would be up to date with past work, meaning they could progress onto researching other areas. It also personally aided in my role as producer because it enabled me to see which group members were not up to date. This meant I could remind them of what was required and observe their progress.
When working as a group it is important that all members work well together, regardless of whether or not they personally like each other. Often conflicts arise, meaning an agreement must be reached in order for the project to advance. Within our production team, regular group meetings were used to discuss ideas. This allowed all group members to voice their opinion and put forward suggestions on how to improve ideas. Although as producer final decisions often fell with me, I feel that using the group meeting to do so was beneficial to the group as a rational choice could be made. It also meant that if anyone within the group disagreed with the final decision they could argue why making a different choice would be more appropriate, thus improving the overall production.
When pitching our idea the group decided the best way to do so was to convey a professional image whilst having a uniquely interactive element to capture the audience’s attention. To do this we made fortune cookies which contained theories of 2012 as well as our company name and logo. As producer I personally put forward the idea of using fortune cookies as well as taking on the responsibility of making them. The group felt that this concept would work well and link in with the pitch as well as predictions of the future. Although in theory this seemed like a perfect notion, when it came to practically applying the idea we found that the audience became distracted by the fortune cookies, making it difficult to present our documentary. This is just one constructive lesson learnt within the module which goes to show that ideas do not always work the way they were intended to. In the future we can apply this to the ways in which we involve the audience, and better analyse the possible consequences.
As a group, we decided the best approach for the pitch was to each research one section, then meet up as a group to put a presentation together and discuss the information each of us found. For this, my area of research was distribution and marketing strategy. The information found proved to be useful as it gave insight into ways to further expand our documentary, in addition to providing information on what can be expected when distributing films in the media industry.
In addition to this, the pitch provided information which proved critical, giving our group valuable insight into the weak areas of our documentary alongside ways to improve the project. Perhaps the most important issue raised was the fact our documentary may not have anything new to bring to the audience. The way to overcome this would be to find just one individual who strongly believes in the events of 2012 and follow them on their journey, covering how their life has changed due to the possibility of the end of the world. This would allow the audience to develop a personal connection between themselves and the individual featured, making them reflect on the importance of their own life, should 2012 be real. This is another example of the way in which the group made decisions.
This emphasises the importance of researching various topics and finding potential contacts to feature in our documentary. A primary contact with strong beliefs in the events of 2012 would be the basis of our film, and without this our project would surely fail. The main way in which we found possible contacts was through forums and support groups. Before communicating with any of these contacts it was essential that all members within the group understood a variety of theories relating to 2012, as to convey a professional image.
After reflecting on the how the module has progressed, ways in which improvements could have been made become apparent. One element I would seek to improve in the future would be to have more promotional material ready to use in our pitch. This would be particularly useful when pitching to external companies and institutions as it would portray a professional and positive image. It would also be beneficial as it would help the audience envision our ideas.
In addition to this, the module helped me learn where my personal strengths and weaknesses lie. I believe that one of my major talents lay within creating aesthetically appealing pieces of work due to an attention to detail. For this reason I intend to develop this skill further next semester through analysing more images and practicing the use of Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, and other technical programmes. This will aid in the various production stages of the documentary.
The aforementioned method of a democratic management style as a way of reaching decisions may have contributed to one of my personal weaknesses as producer. I feel I may have been too lenient on group members who were not contributing enough, and could have been stricter with them. From this I have learnt that sometimes providing stern instructions can be beneficial to the group as whole, and will consider the possibility of introducing such techniques next semester. This will hopefully improve group dynamics and help in creating a better production.
Word count: 1408
Bibliography:
Dictionary of statistics and methodology. Sage, 1993.
