Fiction Adaptation: Project Evaluation

I was very much looking forward to this unit after two factual programming units previously. I find dramatic pieces more interesting to write for and film and so was excited about this one. The brief itself was to adapt a piece of literary material - in this case a poem and transform it into film. From the list of poems we were given, I chose 'Building a Second Home as it Sinks into the Sea' by Antosh Wojcik. This poem stood out to me because the imagery was so graphic and unusual. I was also drawn to his choice of location - the beach. I had a few brainstorms about how to approach it and  realised I was thinking about it in a very 2D sense. In order to make sense of the poem, I decided to write a narrative for it, interpreting it in my own way. This allowed me to make it my own and give me the room to be as creative as possible.
I based the poem around two sisters - one of which is struggling to come to terms with an ended relationship. However, the ex boyfriend, described as a mannequin in the poem is still lingering around and haunting her and her thoughts. I had intended to show this through him ignoring her as a method of rejection to show that he wasn't loving towards her in the relationship. Once the process of filming had begun, ways of showing this took many forms. I had written into the script that the main character - Millie wakes up from a dream to find him sleeping next to her, however, he is unresponsive to her cries. Later in a flashback, she goes to grab his hand and he pulls it away. Filming these scenes were tricky but I wanted them to look quite abstract and symbolic.
In terms of the pre-production, finding actors proved difficult. In the end I had the option to have an actress for Imogen's part and Ida and Troy along side them. However, I decided as I was having two members from UCA - Ida and Troy to be in the film, it would make sense to ask someone else from the class to be the third actor as I thought they would feel more confident with people they know. This was a good decision I feel as they were all very willing and conveyed the actions very well. I decided to steer away from a beach location even though the poem is set there. I decided that I could create the same imagery using the Riverside in Maidstone - which turned out to be very quiet and remote, perfect for filming.
In the end, I filmed on two occasions after my rough cut viewing. I decided that it was necessary in order to get enough coverage for the scene and am very pleased I decided to do so. The shoots themselves were very easy and straightforward, as the material wasn't too challenging to achieve.
I would say that the editing was the most challenging aspect of this unit. I changed the arrangement of the scenes quite a few times to try and achieve a good balance between ensuring the narrative of the piece came across whilst trying to not be too literal with the imagery and keep a montage element to it. In reflection, I am happy with the result and think it reflects my vision for the film, even with a few tweaks to the layout and my original interpretation.

Fiction Adaptation: Fine Cut Viewing (Changes + Reflections)

Today I had a fine cut viewing with Helen for the fiction adaptation film. The feedback was mixed with Helen saying that the narrative of the story was coming across much better but that it could lend itself to some more montage as I working with such an abstract poem. I had originally started off with quite a montage approach, cutting between flashbacks and locations, in order to give it a more creative feel. However, from the rough cut viewing it was evident that the narrative was being lost. I reflected on this and decided to base the narrative around one location - the riverside and use a few flashbacks and visual imagery to pull it together. In reflection, I think that the narrative does come across throughout the scene and with a few sound adjustments, the elements of flashback should fit the edit. I have made a few adjustments to the cuts towards the start as Helen flagged up that there were a few sequencing issues. I have also played around with the sound design a little more and cut out the bedroom scene completely.
There are lots of corrections I would give myself for this scene, and although it does reflect what I visioned for it, I think that a few of the scenes could have been more well thought out. The first half of the edit was carefully mapped out so that the imagery fitted the words of the poem and there was a general sense of wariness of the character Troy is playing. However, having to think on my feet a little for the second shoot day meant that I had to piece together some of the footage I had for the second half and hope it worked with the poem when it came to editing.

Fiction Adaptation: Editing (Progress + Development)

I have been making progress with the edit since I filmed on Monday as I had lots more footage to work with. I decided to keep what I had edited for the rough cut on premiere but start a new edit and plan to slot in sequences from it. I have been finding the imagery quite easy to work with and it has been sequencing nicely. However, with the change in arrangements, I have had to think on my feet a little about how to compose some of the imagery around the words of the poem. For example when the poet says 'We are throwing stones into Brighton's ocean lips while we try to solve each problem'. Originally I had decided to show Ida comforting an upset Imogen when she wakes up from her dream. As I am now framing most of it around the bench scene, I have decided to keep this section very simple with them just looking out into the river in thought and reflection. There are also a few lines towards the end of the poem which I have had to edit as I go along.

In terms of colour correction, I decided to work with the cooler tone of the footage from the second day of filming which was a lot greyer due to rainy weather. I think this works nicely with the scene at the beginning where Troy is watching them from afar. It was difficult to edit the colouring on the original footage as it was a lot brighter and had more contrast. However, with a few tweaks to the tone, it doesn't differ too much. For the sound design, I have kept the atmospheric sound throughout as I think it works well with the scene. I have also incorporated a few sound effects to bring more life to it. For example when we see Troy in the distance, I found some copyrighted music which instantly tells the audience that they should be wary of him. 

Fiction Adaptation: Recording V.O

Yesterday I recorded the voice over audio for the fiction adaptation unit with Imogen. I had deliberated over who to choose for the voice over, whether I would do it as the storyteller or I would choose one of the actors. I liked the idea of using my own voice to narrate it from an outsiders perspective, however, I didn't really want to listen to it played back. I decided to choose Imogen who plays the main character in the film. It made sense to have her voice as the poem centres around her and there were a few occasions that said 'my sister', which I think works well with Imogen's voice. We recorded the voice over at the studios as the rooms are relatively sound proofed and we have access to good quality recording equipment. I decided to have the poem read out line by line with gaps in between to allow me to edit them as close together as i'd like when editing. I said the line first and Imogen repeated it to get the tone and tempo I was after. It was successful and the audio came out very clear.

Critical Analysis - Hand In

Fiction Adaptation: Shoot Day 2 - 12th Dec

Today, I filmed again for the fiction adaptation film. After a rough cut viewing, I chose to change the arrangement of the scenes and base the majority of the film around the scene at the bench with the other scenes as flashbacks throughout. To do this I needed more coverage of the scene at the bench including more cutaway shots of the environment and lots of reaction shots with the Imogen and Ida. I have also changed some of the imagery with Troy so that he will feature more throughout. We all met at the Riverside again to shoot, with Imogen, Ida and Troy doubling as crew to help me set up. Unfortunately the weather was very different to the first day filming which means I will have to do some colour correcting in the editing stage.
I filmed plenty of cutaways and establishing shots to start with, and got plenty of coverage of Troy. I filmed him far away on the bridge and above looking over the rails so it would look as if he were over seeing from afar. I also paid close attention to keep his face out of shot to create a little more suspense and keep his identity unknown. I also made sure I got plenty of close ups of Imogen, as this will allow me to cut to her reactions. After looking at the footage, I am happy with how it looks and I now have plenty to work with for the edit.

Fiction Adaptation: Shot List 2

I have written another shot list for filming on Monday. I have changed the arrangements of the scenes somewhat which requires me to film some more footage. I decided to base it around the Riverside scene which means I needed a few more shots. I have also decided to cut out some of the bedroom scenes which meant thinking about ways to demonstrate the meaning of the poem in a new location.

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