Looking back on my first completed piece. I really enjoyed the planning and the structure of how we were going to film everything and being organised, but i also enjoyed trying out the equipment and getting used to the different angle and shot types practically rather than theoretically.
I also liked trying out the software we used to edit it (Final Cut X Pro) and knowing that i could click press and try anything and if it looked good keep it and if not i could undo it.
I loved the experimental side to it which was interesting and an easy way to learn first hand instead of being instructed step by step.
I liked the filming and for a first time i was quite proud but i felt also there was still a lot to be improved on as we got our filming times and accuracy wrong which was a minor mistake which i will remember for next time i film something.
I also think we tried too hard to use all the different shot types which i think in some of the scenes looks weird, staged and out of place.
However i understand why we did it because we had to try use all of them but some of them just didn't fit so next time i think i would try to use the different shot and angle types in the correct places if possible.
If I had more time I would have re-shot some of the scenes for example when I had the reflection of a person and also when I had shakiness from the camera. And now I have experimented with the editing software I now understand how I could improve and edit my work further by adding new effects and sounds. Some of the scenes could be shortened so there is not a jolty start or ending. I would have also reshot the Ipad scene as all you can see is a reflection of my face which we were not aware of at the time until we came to edit it. I however did point this out that this could be a problem when shooing but we went ahead with it anyway.
Overall I am happy with my performance and I enjoyed using the software and experimenting with all the effects and trying out things even if they didn't work or didn't look right. I liked also working with people I wouldn't normally work with and using the camera to film. In our microdrama we used narrative theories such as: Propps Theory of Recurring Character Types: From this we used his ideas of a villian/antagonist who struggles against the hero (villian - poppy potts) We also had the hero/protagonist who reacts to the donor and wins the prize back (hero - conal walsh) (prize amber pianforini) The donor was also played by myself. The donor prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object in our case the Ipad App. We also had a false hero who was played by (sarah de baisio) who tries to take credit for the heros actions or tries to marry off the princess. In our case we used the false hero to take credit as she pointed him to the direction of where the victim of the kidnap took place. Todorovs Theory of Equlibrium:
balance in the beginning - happy couple everythings happy
disruption of balance - kidnap
recognition of disruption - realisation of victim missing
attempt to repair the disruption - searching for the victim
reinstatement of balance - victim is found
Levi-Strauss Theory of Binary Opposites and Dramatic Conflict:
We tried to create binary opposites by doing stereotypical evil villain with black cloak and hat to hide the face we also did a stereotypical couple with a male and female. We also did this in other ways like the villain being more dominant than the victim or being more submissive and the obvious good hero and evil villain. Roland Barthes Theory of Narrative Enigma:
We tried to use this by creating tension whilst watching as to who kidnapped the victim and to also provide tension as to where the victim was being kept hostage too.
Synopsis: For our microdrama we decided to take the theme as a thriller as it was easy to create.We decided to have a kidnapping between a couple, where the vulnerable girl was taken by a mysterious person. The only clue that is left behind is her shoe along with a kind person who is willing to lend the panicked man an app to find her. Characters/Proppian Achetypes: Donor: Sarah De Biasio Hero: Conal Walsh Villain: Poppy Potts Prize: Amber Pianforini The False Hero: Sarah De Biaso Narrative Enigma: 1. Equilibrium at the outset - couple are happily together 2. Disruption of the equilibrium by some action - the prize is kidnapped 3. Recognition that there has been disruption - Partner realises shes gone 4. Attempt to repair disruption - he looks for her 5. Reinstatement of the equilibrium - she is found and the couple are back together Binary Opposites: Man - Woman Good - Bad Dominant - Submissive
