Evaluation
The project
When I started this project, I was given a pretty open task. This was good but also gave me no guidance in what media form to choose of theme to go with. In the end I decided to go with creating a short film around the theme of society becoming antisocial due to technology.
From the start I felt a ranging set of emotions, from confidence, joy and positivity to fear, negativity and stress. It is fair to say that when I look back over the project I can see it has not been an easy ride.
​
​
The Survey
It is hard for me to solely review the short film by myself without any input from others. I believe that this is the reason because I am so picky on my own work I will be harsh on myself. The other reason is the opposite and is that I could end up being bias to myself. In order to overcome this problem I created an anonymous form which I sent out to people to review. This form contained a range of questions which will help me understand what went well and what did not go well in the project.
Does the short film do what it set out to do?
At the start of the project, In my initial ideas and proposal I discussed about my intentions to make a short film which 'pokes' society. It was going to do this by targeting a fundamental flaw in society which is that we find ourselves using technology that is meant to improve social interaction so much that we actually become anti-social. In my opinion I do believe I was successful at getting this message across. I believe I did this successfully because in every stage of the process it was at the forefront of my mind, and I was constantly thinking about how I can get the message across. For example, when I was writing the script I was envisioning the irony of a cafe full of people on their phones, not talking to each other yet talking to other people. This slyly interpreted the theme into the narrative. When I was editing I made sure there was focus on the difference between a conversation with and without phones involved. I felt passionate about blending this theme into the story and that is what I believe I did.
​
I believe the film also hits the conventions of the genre of drama very well and has the conventions it needs to attract my target audience.
​
At the start of the project, I felt a tremendous amount of pressure to ensure the theme was displayed well, but as I went through the project and integrated it more and more the pressure dissipated and I became at ease. This suddenly changed when I watched back the edit for the first time and felt anxious it was not displayed enough. However, after a few changes I became back at ease.
​
Looking at the responses to the survey, it is clear to me that people do understand the short film. They understand the films meaning and message. They enjoy the short film. This is a very positive response and one that I am happy to hear, it makes me feel good and makes me feel like the short was even more of a success.
​
It feels rewarding for me to see people getting the message, and rating the understanding high. This is positive for the short.
​
What did I enjoy and not enjoy?
When making a short film, there is a lot of work that has to be completed. That is a lot of work you can have many different opinions on. One part of this project which I really enjoyed working on, was the edit. I enjoyed this process as it gives me a feeling of satisfaction watching a bunch of clips come together to tell one story. This very much fits with the saying 'the editor is the third storyteller'.
​
Editing this short film was an enjoyable task to me. I believe I enjoy it because I feel It is my strongest skill in the production of a short film. A part of the short film which I particularly enjoyed editing was the montage of the protagonist setting up the coffee shop.
​
One part of creating this short film which I did not enjoy was the pre-production. This part of the project was the least enjoyable to me because of the amount of paperwork that was required. I understand the paperwork is essential but I found it very boring. I would find myself procrastinating and putting off the work. This meant I was not enjoying it even more because I was leaving myself even more to do.
What is good about the short film?
When I watch back 'Phubbed' the first thing that pops to mind when I think about what's good about the short is that it is entertaining. Whether you understand it or don't, it is easy to understand the comedy elements that are slipped in.
​
When I look into the actual cinema side of the short film, I believe something that went very well was the edit. Like I mentioned earlier on the page, I enjoy editing and this probably contributes to why I think it went well (if you enjoy something, you are likely to do better at it). When I was doing the edit, I followed the six rules of editing created by one of my influences - Walter Murch. I covered these rules back on my research page but in short Murch came up with a ranking of six elements you should consider, and there importance when creating a cut. Throughout my entire edit I was thinking about this and I genuinely believe following these rules now only allowed for the story to be understandable but the emotion to be strong and booming.
​
Referring over to the survey for this question is extremely interesting. This is because there is a wide split of answers. Some people say that the visual effects were the highlight, some people talk about the editing and others mention the message. This once gain is a confidence boost for me and makes me feel good, the fact that people enjoy lots of different elements rather than just one.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
What could be improved if I did it again?
Watching the short film back, it is clear to me that there is more work that could have been done to improve it. Immediately in my opinion I believe my cinematography could have been improved. For example, some short are a bit shaky and some shots the focus is off. I believe the reason this occured is because I felt so pressured on shoot day to not keep cast on the set longer than they needed to be so I was forgetting to double check shots. This has resulted in some shots coming out poor, and some unuseable. In order for me to ensure this does not happen again, next time I am creating a short film I will ensure all footage is reviewed on an external device before the shoot finishes. This will allow me to understand if any shots need to be reshot.
​
I also believe because of the pressure, some shots drifted away from the Wes Anderson Style which I was going for. This could all have been improved if I has calmed down and focused more. Next time I create a short film I will gather a larger production team to offload some of the work and stress onto.
​
Once again I can take a look at the survey to understand what the audience feels like the weaker elements were. Looking at the pie chart, it is clear to see people generally dislike the story. This does not come as a big surprise to me, the story itself does feel strange in areas. I honestly feel like I needed to spend more time perfecting the story make it the best It could.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
What went well in the project?
Looking at the entire project as a whole I can see that the research was an area that went extremely well. The point of me doing all the research was to help me understand what makes a short film, influences of mine, script formatting and more. Essentially the job of the research part of the project was for me to learn how to make my short film the best it could possible be. I believe I came out of the research more knowledgeable than when I started it.
​
When I was doing the research I was constantly asking myself if I had done enough work. Because of this I kept adding more, and I believe this was a good thing. I spent more time on research, not rushing it. This means it is one of the most detailed segments of the project.
How did I deal with problems?
Problems are inevitable when working on a project. They come in many different forms and you have to deal with them accordingly. One major problem which I had to deal with was the lockdown restrictions in the UK. In order to ensure I could still make my short film be the best it possibly could, I planned my entire script round ensuring that there was little cast and locations to make it easier in the pandemic.
​
There was also what I call short term problems which are problems that occur suddenly that you have no time to plan around, for example on shoot day the drone which I was using to film some of the shots was accidentally flown into the roof. This meant that several shots that were meant to be aerial were now not possible. I had to remain calm and improvise using the remaining equipment I had. They key takeaway is to remain calm and don't panic when there is an issue.
​
​
​
​
​
As my project is a short film - the easiest way for me to show it was to upload it to youtube. This is because youtube is a free platform for video content that most people are familiar with. Once I uploaded it to the platform I began to share it around to friends, family and colleagues at work. I believe that if these people enjoy the short film they will share it and so on. This will allow it to be viewed by the most amount of people possible.
​
I think it is good that people are seeing this short film, this is because of the message it shares and the positive outcomes that can come from it.
​
​
​
​
In my eyes success was completed when I entertained people, as well as spread the message effectively about people using their phones in situations where it might be better to just not. I think I have achieved this, therefore I believe I am successful and have achieved the goals which I set for myself at the start.
How do people view it?
Successful?
In Conclusion
Overall I had a good time creating this short film. It is a short film I am happy with, yet I also recognise it could do with improvements if I were to do the project again. The project has allowed me to develop my skills in all areas of creating a short film and has showed I can create something that carries a message and that I am proud of.