Overall I think my film turned out pretty well and looked similar to how I had expected. Even though my ideas changed many times throughout the creative process, the final product was very strong. The audio track took a long time to record as I wanted lots of intricate and specific sounds to build up and layer to create a chaotic feel which was to build up during the course of the film. For the filming process I tended to video everything and anything that happened during my day, in order for me to build up a large amount of varied footage to enable me to create an interesting film.
I didn’t strictly stick to my film manifesto, as I kind of went with the flow during the whole creative process. I think I mostly deviated from my film manifesto when I started to edit the film. I found it difficult to get some of my footage due to time and resource constraints, such as reenacting my childhood memories. The intentions that were set for me, I didnt feel I followed.
In the Effects column, I selected the black & white filter within Image control to quickly apply a monochrome effect to all the footage within the film. This allowed me to keep the main focus on the subject within the film rather than the surroundings. To amplify this, I chose bright lighting and darker clothing during the shooting to increase the contrast.
Using the crop tool to transform the film, I readjusted the size ratio of the film into a square. The square format is renowned for being an effective ratio when creating artistic images.
Cropped effect of film.
For a few clips within the film, we placed them into reverse. This allowed us to show the inner turmoil of our subject. Scenes where the subject is taking off make up and jewelry were reversed to make it appear as though they are reapplying.
This enhances the idea of conformity that runs throughout our film. Despite wanting to diverge from social norms, the subject unwillingly reverts back to the standards of society.
Within Effect controls, I wanted to create a slow zoom into and out of chosen scenes, so as to increase the tension. These slow zooms paired well with the sound of our film to help create a narrative for our audience. The zooming in on stagnant clips allowed for focus on the audio and the sound effects within it, which created a sinister and disquieting mood.
To ensure the aesthetic of our film was maintained, I increased the temperature of certain shots and decreased the exposure as some scenes were filmed in more harsh lighting and didn’t blend well with the other clips. Additionally, some scenes of the film were left with these cooler, harsher tones so as to show the importance as we reached the peak intensity of the film. These scenes showed the conformity of our subject and juxtaposed the discovery of the subject’s identity.
Comparison of ‘warm’ and ‘cool’ shots. Left showing lack of conformity: warmer tones implying comfort. Right showing the application of jewelry: cooler tones to show harshness and imply discomfort.
Editing the sound
I wanted the first scene to catch the viewers’ attention. To do this, I placed the sound so as to start before the first shot can be seen. The first part of the poem starts with two words ‘Twas brillig’, then a pause occurs. I placed it so that the shot appears on the end of the second word, which is pronounced with a plosive G. This breaks the tension that was built up during the exposition of the film.
I didn’t start the film at 0 seconds in order to build up tension before the first scene. The sound starts with a silence, and some static from our sound to catch the viewers attention. Additionally, the end of the film ends similarly to the exposition. The film cuts off before the sound does and the viewer is left with a black screen and a short couple of seconds of audio to build the tension, show the inner turmoil of the subject and leave the audience asking questions.
Naming the Film: The Pursuit of Social acceptance
In deciding the name of this film, we thought thought about conformity and confinement that people experience regardless of whether they present themselves to be accepted or rejected by society.
In accepting and following social norms and beauty standards, many feel confined to one appearance and one identity that conforms to societal ideals. This ‘pursuit’ results in acceptance but can also make individuals feel confined to one singular appearance that doesn’t fully represent who they are and what their identity is.
On the other hand, in rejecting and abolishing social norms, individuals are secluding themselves and removing themselves from the gender binaries of society. Though it sounds liberating that they can freely express their identity, it results in a different sense of confinement: that they are confined to their own identity, rejected by society and looked down upon for expressing themselves. This results in a need to gain validation and can often lead to people re-conforming to the standards they attempted to escape in the first place.
The pandemic starts – Film loads of news sources from different peoples perspectives (off of phone, tv, laptop etc) – Stitching loads of news articles together (overlaying sound)
End segment with quote from Prime Minister: “The Nation is going into lockdown” – quick into to black (thud)
Part 2
Record empty and messy streets/ roads (dystopian theme)
Record peoples heads watching TV (no faces)
Person doing push ups in corner of room (bored idea, dark lighting)
Amazon package arrives … unboxing
Making coffee and biscuits
News quote: “restrictions being eased” – again from TV or phone
(SLOW DOWN PACE HERE) opening front door, zoom into person seeing chest relax (one shot – follow them getting into the car, zoom into dash then drive off as zooming out.
Part 3
Film people socialising – People hugging
Pubs, people drinking again
Busy streets in town (timelapse)
Cars + bikes driving on the roads
Ending
Film someone looking at their phone watching cases go up on the rise again…. fade to black.
import selected footageSize up and cut clip to 4 secondsmove into alternating section and add split screen by layering a black image and dragging to one sideResize to fit appropriately in split screenUnlink sound and increase volume, move to overlap pre-black screen so audio begins before video, and render
In the Effects column, I selected the black & white filter within Image control to quickly apply a monochrome effect to all the footage within the film. This allowed me to keep the main focus on the subject within the film rather than the surroundings. To amplify this, I chose bright lighting and darker clothing during the shooting to increase the contrast.
Using the crop tool to transform the film, I readjusted the size ratio of the film into a square. The square format is renowned for being an effective ratio when creating artistic images.
Cropped effect of film.
For a few clips within the film, we placed them into reverse. This allowed us to show the inner turmoil of our subject. Scenes where the subject is taking off make up and jewelry were reversed to make it appear as though they are reapplying.
This enhances the idea of conformity that runs throughout our film. Despite wanting to diverge from social norms, the subject unwillingly reverts back to the standards of society.
Within Effect controls, I wanted to create a slow zoom into and out of chosen scenes, so as to increase the tension. These slow zooms paired well with the sound of our film to help create a narrative for our audience. The zooming in on stagnant clips allowed for focus on the audio and the sound effects within it, which created a sinister and disquieting mood.
To ensure the aesthetic of our film was maintained, I increased the temperature of certain shots and decreased the exposure as some scenes were filmed in more harsh lighting and didn’t blend well with the other clips. Additionally, some scenes of the film were left with these cooler, harsher tones so as to show the importance as we reached the peak intensity of the film. These scenes showed the conformity of our subject and juxtaposed the discovery of the subject’s identity.
Comparison of ‘warm’ and ‘cool’ shots. Left showing lack of conformity: warmer tones implying comfort. Right showing the application of jewelry: cooler tones to show harshness and imply discomfort.
Editing the sound
I wanted the first scene to catch the viewers’ attention. To do this, I placed the sound so as to start before the first shot can be seen. The first part of the poem starts with two words ‘Twas brillig’, then a pause occurs. I placed it so that the shot appears on the end of the second word, which is pronounced with a plosive G. This breaks the tension that was built up during the exposition of the film.
I didn’t start the film at 0 seconds in order to build up tension before the first scene. The sound starts with a silence, and some static from our sound to catch the viewers attention. Additionally, the end of the film ends similarly to the exposition. The film cuts off before the sound does and the viewer is left with a black screen and a short couple of seconds of audio to build the tension, show the inner turmoil of the subject and leave the audience asking questions.
Naming the Film: The Pursuit of Social acceptance
In deciding the name of this film, we thought thought about conformity and confinement that people experience regardless of whether they present themselves to be accepted or rejected by society.
In accepting and following social norms and beauty standards, many feel confined to one appearance and one identity that conforms to societal ideals. This ‘pursuit’ results in acceptance but can also make individuals feel confined to one singular appearance that doesn’t fully represent who they are and what their identity is.
On the other hand, in rejecting and abolishing social norms, individuals are secluding themselves and removing themselves from the gender binaries of society. Though it sounds liberating that they can freely express their identity, it results in a different sense of confinement: that they are confined to their own identity, rejected by society and looked down upon for expressing themselves. This results in a need to gain validation and can often lead to people re-conforming to the standards they attempted to escape in the first place.
Overall I am happy with the finished film. With more time I would have liked to have taken more of our own footage and rely less on archival footage but I am happy with what we have achieved. I think the topic we chose is relevant to the current social climate and I am happy with the way we portrayed it.
