LO3: Be able to carry out a specific production role for a chosen media production

Roles and Responsibilities

 For my Creative Media diploma, I joined a group of four (later three) people to create a film trailer for a would-be film called 'Counting Cards'. For the film trailer it was important that the basic plot of the film could be understood and that it enticed the target audience of horror fans aged 19-25. For this production I assumed the role of the Chief Editor, as well as helping with some Directorial decisions during the trailer's production. As this was also a small group, this meant taking charge of the group when it came to the post-production stages of our film trailer and ensuring that it fit the typical conventions of a film trailer. For this project our lead actor Lewis Wright also happened to be our Director, and so I was also tasked with supporting or challenging his directorial approach whilst he was on set with some help from Assistant Director Jai van der Kraan.

Contribution to Production

As my main role was being the Chief Editor of this production, it was my task to edit the majority of the film trailer by myself. This could be challenging at times and so I did have actor and director Lewis Wright to assist me in making certain decisions in regards to how the narrative flows within the film trailer. Having furthered my skills in editing since then I can see, looking back, that some poor editing decisions were made and the film trailer's narrative isn't as clear as it coul have been. All the same, this was a great way for me to initially develop skills in editing and general film production.

Below are some pre-production items created for this project, one of the trailer's drafts experimenting with different editing techniques. 

 

Undertaking Additional Tasks

In planning the production for the 'Counting Cards' I tasked myself with scouting lots of different locations to try and find the best place to shoot our film that would reenforce the genre and appeal to to the target audience. Similarly, I was very dedicated to furthering my skills in Adobe Premiere and so spent a lot of time creating the film's logo and animating it in photoshop, I then transferred my skills and knowledge from Photoshop to help myself learn to use Adobe Premiere. On top of this, I recorded short videos on my phone and then used Premiere to practise different editing techniques. I think this massively helped me develop my skills with the software.
 

LO2: Understand the skills they will need to carry out a chosen media production role

Written Communication

Editors primarily work in post-production. As this is the final stage of creating a film, they require a variety of resources from all previous stages of the film's production. It's very important that an Editor looks closely at the script and storyboards for the film so that it edited in the way the Director wants. 

Whilst studying Digital Media I have had a lot of experience in editing, for the short film my group created 'False Awakening'  I found it was very important to communicate among my team and pay attention to all the documents created in pre-production including the script,storyboards, treatment, shot list etc. These documents are used through all stages of film making. As a Director is important to ensure that everyone working on a film's production adheres to the requirements of the scripts and storyboards. These documents are also useful for the Editor as they directly state what editing techniques should be used for the film.

Verbal Communication

Working in a small group on the production of 'False Awakening' meant that communication was key. It was important that we made sure that everyone in the group was working to our schedule. As we were only a group of three people we shared the workload evenly when it came to the editing. Therefore, there was no direct communication between the Editor and the Director, instead we would consult each other when making certain editing decisions. Before any stage of the film's production, we would discuss the brief and what each individual was responsible for. 

Practical Productio

As mentioned, I worked in a small group when creating our short film. This meant that everyone had to help create all the materials needed for pre-production such as the script,storyboards,shot list etc. This helped me to understand the importance of pre-production which will become useful when making other short films in the future.

Creativity

It is important that an editor has a clear understanding of what the final draft of the film should look like. They are able to form this idea by all of their pre-production documents, but it is the Director's creative input that guides the Editor to give a film a certain look. For example, David Fincher's film 'Fight Club' is often recognised for it's blue and yellow colour scheme added in post production.

Areas for further improvement - skill gaps and action plan

After gaining experience as a both a director and an editor for my short film 'False Awakening', I see where I could improve and develop my skills in both production and post-production. As my main role in the production of False Awakening was creating and editing titles, because of this it seems to me that this is the most obvious area I would try to improve. Whilst I feel I have a fairly good grasp of using the Adobe Photoshop and Premiere programs, I feel as though I have a serious lack of knowledge about Adobe After Effects. In order to improve my skills for video graphics I need to practise using the software more. I will also begin watching more After Effects tutorials on YouTube (examples linked below) to help teach me more skills whilst at home. I have also chosen to continue on my current college course to also help further advanc my skills using After Effects as well as other Adobe programs. 

I feel as though the best way to become a better Director is simply by studying the work of other Directors as well as getting involved in more group projects in my free time and taking a role as a Director. I think my main skills gap in directing simply comes from having worked in only a small group. I think by working a bigger group and working with each member will help me to be a part of better productions. Another good way I think of developing my directorial skills is by researching cinematography and developing a style, as this is how a specific Director's work is often noticed such as Stanley Kubrick's use of the one-point perspective in 2001: A Space Odyssey and his use of the steadicam in other features.





Sources:
Examples of After Effects tutorials -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C913enLWYxE
                                                       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPEXk_WeO6w
Director research -   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWiIEiyWFTY 
    

LO1: Job Roles

Job Roles in Film

In this report I will be focusing on the job roles required in a film production company, and what the people in those roles are responsible for. I will specifically be looking at the roles of the Director and Editor in a film's production. 

I will be looking at their input in to the production of a film, their responsibilities and the equipment they use and how this is all required to make a film successful.

Film Director

The Director is arguably the most important role in film production. They are involved in almost every part of the production process including casting, script editing, shot composition, shot selection and editing and are the key driving creating force. The decisions made by the Director help to visualise and define the style and structure of the film and many films can be identified by their Director's styles such as Wes Anderson's use of symmetry or Michael Bay's use of explosions. The Director's responsibilities involve making a creative idea reality. They overlook every aspect of film to ensure that the final result somewhat resembles their creative vision .

Film Editor

The Editor's main role comes in towards the end of the film's production, as it is their role to look through all of the shot footage and to piece it together and edit it. They work very closely with the Director and share some of the same roles such as the shot selection and choosing the final look of the film. Whilst the Director may choose the overall look of the film, it is the editor's job to craft that. Many films can be identified by their distinctive colour palettes, such as the Yellow/Blue tint used throughout Fight Club. The initial decision is often made by the Director because they want to the present their films in a particular way, the film's editor however spends time editing video sequences to match that colour grade. 

It is also the Editor's job to construct the narrative of the film. The way they cut the film finalises the film's narrative structure. This is very important because it ensures that, foremost, the film makes sense to the audience and flows in the right way.

Comparison of Roles

The jobs of the Director and Editor are similar in many ways, mainly due to the fact that it is the director's job to oversee all parts of the production process. However, once the completed film is handed over to the Editor and the Editor's team they will prepare an Editor's Assembly and the Director can only view the Assembly once it is completed. Once the Director sees this he is able to approve or disapprove it, if it is approved then it will be prepared for its cinematic release. After this it is the Director's job to prepare a Director's cut or extended version of the film, again the Editor and his team will prepare and finalise this version of this film before the Director sees it again.







Sources:
Creative Skillset © (2017) Director. Available at:
http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/758_director (Accessed: 5th March 2017)
Creative Skillset © (2017) Editor. Available at:
http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/2940_editor (Accessed: 5th March 2017)

LO1 - Understanding Media Roles in a Media Sector

Sources:
Creative Skillset © (2017) Film Industry. Available at:
http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/film/job_roles (Accessed: 27 February 2017).

Creative Skillset © (2017) Publishing. Available at:
https://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/publishing/job_roles (Accessed: 27 February 2017).

Creative Skillset © (2017) Games. Available at
https://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/games/job_roles (Accessed: 27 February 2017).