Directions - Evaluation

 Evaluation

After conducting research on three directors, I chose to take forward Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird as I enjoyed the film, felt as though it was relatable, and I believed that I could change aspects of it to make it my own. 

In order to ensure that I made Lady Bird my own, I decided not to re-watch the film and instead,  focused on reading the screenplay multiple times. This meant that I stayed away, as much as possible, from mirroring exactly what Gerwig had done when making the film. 

In this unit, I learnt what a director's treatment is (a pitch that outlines of each aspect of the film/product you wish to create), how to use websites such as Mandy.com to conduct casting, the different types of camera shots (e.g. close-up, mid-shot) and angles (e.g. eye-level shot, hip angle shot), and the use of colour to convey things such as emotions. Going into the directions unit, I didn't have a good understanding of what role the director plays in the film. I believed they just told the actors and others what to do and not too much more. However, I now have a greater knowledge of what the role of the director actually involves, from creating storyboards and shot lists to thinking about the use of colour and different camera shots. 

Throughout the directions unit, I particularly enjoyed learning about different directors' directing styles, gathering the visual research, creating casting breakdowns, and casting. I enjoyed using the characters' costumes to express who they are and looking at films, such as Little Miss Sunshine (2006), for colour reference. 

In the future, I would have a go at looking further at the sound design and attempting to incorporate it into my 'vision'. Sound design is key in helping bring the film together and increase the emotions and meaning of the film. In addition to this, I would also like to explore shot designer and Da Vinci Resolve further in order to get a greater understanding of them and be more comfortable when using them in the future.