METAMORPHOSIS
How to achieve a Distinction grade:
Context- Comprehensive understanding and knowledge of subject context used to communicate complex concepts, articulate ambitions and clarify purpose.
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Research- Independently identified, thorough and sustained research and investigation of a range of relevant sources, insightful interpretation and synthesis of information used to inform, support and develop ideas.
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Problem Solving- Decisive demonstration of initiative in effectively solving problems, autonomously implementing creative solutions and adapting to unforeseen practical and theoretical challenges to achieve identified goals.
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Planning and Production- Detailed and coherent self directed planning and negotiation, subject engagement and commitment. Continuous evaluation against aims and efficient production against timescales.
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Practical Skills- In depth understanding and aesthetic awareness, imaginative and flexible processes, skills and knowledge applied in extensive enquiry to develop creative solutions.
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Evaluation and Reflection - Accomplished and professional communication of perceptive analysis and interpretation, demonstrating clarity and sophistication in thinking and maturity in decision making to progress ideas.
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Presentation: Confident selection, organisation and communication of ideas. Demonstrating autonomy, personal style and an ambitious use of available resources to communicate ideas effectively to an intended audience
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Rationale
Project Concept:
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Initial Proposal ideas including SWOT analysis:
1. Timeline presentation and video showcasing myself from when i was born/early life to the present day ( 18 years old ).
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2. Explain the life cycle of several insects and show a clear example of how each insects transitions into another from the life cycle.
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3. A changing of the guard, an underdog story, somebody that defies all the odds and becomes famous from nothing.
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Proposal:
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My final idea and topic that I have chosen to base my final topic on is an Underdog Story as well as showcasing how bullying effects people’s lives in many ways, this is an intriguing topic as it showcases different ways of showing metamorphosis, that being change of someone being down and upset changing to stand up to the bullies and take them down. I have viewed some existing products that have potentially influenced the film I plan to make, this is a simple link for a video that explains how to stop a bully and to not let it affect lives.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oKjW1OIjuw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-hozTI6PvA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw2HEOkS8pI
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I decided to base my production on this topic as I believe it can help others who have struggled with bullying in their past. My project will include brief explanations of what to do in each situation that occurs during my filming. I will firstly show the two actors taking part in the roles of the bully and the victim, which is the usual concept when bullying happens in real life, the first actions I will include are the bully approaching the soon-to-be victim and begin to make claims to embarrass his close friends, the victims closest friends are angry and disappointed by hearing these claims that the bully has made against the victim, his friends leave him and he is now alone and has no support from anyone he also doesn’t want to tell his parents because he doesn’t want them to worry and get involved. He slowly, staggers his way home and all that is on his mind are the claims made against him which he knows are false. In the coming days, it gets worse for the victim as social media begins to get involved with the claims that were made along with more claims that other people have made and letting the whole world know by spreading across social media websites.
It began to change after a few months, the victim gradually beginning to find the will to stand up to his nemesis, the bully who had been effecting his life day in and day out for the past few months, the victim knew what he had to do. On a cold winter day, the victim of all the cyber bullying vigorously approached the bully, the tension in the air was everything that was expected, the victim yelled “I’LL PROVE YOU WRONG! I WILL PROVE ALL OF YOU WRONG! “The claims made against him, for example him being in a previous relationship with a homeless girl and also him being told that he would fail whilst trying to achieve the grading he needed to progress further in life, he now had the confidence to prove the majority wrong, 1 month later he had accomplished everything he was told he wouldn’t, he had proved not just to himself but most importantly all the cyber bullies that he can achieve anything that he put his mind too, even the main 2 cyber bullies hadn’t achieve the grades they wanted, it was a bitter-sweet taste and his life was back-on-track.
Moral of this production is that you shouldn’t make claims about anyone that you know aren’t true in the first place and also the fact that you can stand up and prove anyone wrong.
There are many existing concepts that showcase bullying and some celebrities have even come out and admitted that they were bullies whilst growing up and that they are ashamed on what they did looking back upon it.
This FMP works to my strengths as I can show how to deal with being bullied and how showing that if you are upset over bullying you aren’t alone and you can stand up to them, I want this short film to be looked at as potentially role models for others who are struggling through bullying and are depressed because of it.
The research that can be used to support this FMP I can use celebrities’ articles on how they were bullies or whether they were bullied whilst growing up, I also plan to use articles on what you can do if your struggling through being bullied e.g. including helplines and suggestions on what to do if bullying is having a vast effect on your life.
I am very glad and anticipate making this short film as I feel that I can showcase many ways of conquering bullies, it is a subject/topic that is up for debate, and some will say or think that it’s a subject too close to some people’s hearts and may not want a short film shown on the topic, I plan to change those opinions and help others currently going through those problems and to show them that you can stand up to them! And accomplish anything!
For this project, I will require perhaps some boxing gloves or a potential fighter wearing a cast, this only to be used to show an effective punch from the person who has been bullied to show that the big guy isn’t all tough and can be hit down to show that anyone can achieve anything. I will need 2 other students to help me make my short film, one student to be picked on and bullied but then fights back and another student to be the bully but then be taken down by the other student that’s being bullied.
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Just to show how much motivation it can give you after conquering cyber bullying, these celebrities have admitted to being bullied in school and were still able to get where they are today;
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Links for videos explaining how celebrities were bullied and what they did to get through the cyber bullying and false claims that were against them throughout school and early career:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rkIsHM4x6Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ot-eFgutRA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nVeHJjvMr8
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Celebrities that have admitted to being bullied :
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Primary Research:
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Primary research feedback reviews and analysis reviews:
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After receiving 10 responses on my questionnaire, it was surprising to see how many people had different opinions towards bullying and what feelings they had when being bullied and what they did to overcome it and proving the bully/bullies wrong and making the victim/victims feel happier and more capable of achieving anything. The main question that I expected mixed responses for was whether the person responding to the questionnaire had suffered from bullying in their pasts or even to the present day, A surprising outcome none the less as just over 62% of the people responding to this questionnaire had in some way suffered from bullying in their past and just under 38% hadn't which did surprise me a little as I thought that their would be more than 62% that had suffered from bullying, maybe this shows that bullying is decreasing day-by-day but nobody can prove that this is the case. The answers that really caught my attention was how people would explain what bullying is in their own opinion , this accumulated to a range of answers to say the least, most notably one of the responses suggesting that Cyber Bullying is more effective than violence upon bullying people become, this response can be used in my FMP as Cyber Bullying can be compared with Violent Bullying, I can film someone suffering from both and see which is more effective, a bigger impact on their life and health and which is harder to rise above. My responses also had mixed opinions on what people being bullied would feel like, each feeling having 25% each, that being Depression, Loneliness, Anger/violence and having Suicidal thoughts. Despite the responses being mixed I believe that this is positive for my production as the responses I received shows that the feelings depend on the person and how they are being bullied also whether its a low representation of bullying or a high representation e.g. low example would be someone just complaining about someone else and they then apologise and that would be the end, However the opposite would be if someone is being cyber bullied by multiple people every day as well as being threatened and having to put up with violence, the differences between the two are unthinkable unless you have experienced either in some way.
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Other responses I received that surprised me in some way was peoples responses and opinions on how badly people are effected by being bullied; that being cyber bullied or any other, a surprising 75% of my responses agreed that bullying only effects people occasionally, that then leaving 25% of peoples opinions being that bullying can effect people badly and that they will need people around them for support during the tough times. My opinion was that their would be more people who thought that bullying effected people lives badly and needed others support, the fact that this only 25% surprised me a lot, however I was pleased to see that nobody from my responses thought that bullying doesn't effect them in any way. This can also be compared with the responses I received from the question that was if your friend was being bullied then you would help them and stand up to the people who were bullying a close friend, once again I was surprised as just over 57% of people thought that they would maybe help their close friends but it would be dependant on whether it would get them in trouble, I originally thought that more people would respond and say that they would 100% help their closest friend no matter what the consequences would be, however only 28.6% agreed with my opinion that they should help a close friend no matter what.
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Overall I feel that my responses that I was given for each of my questions in some way have helped me understand more about bullying as well as the possibilities that can effect others, what may happen if it continues day by day and also the surprising result of more people agreed that they would only help a close friend if their weren't any issues after the bullying had been resolved, it all comes down to how people see bullying and if multiple people were asked for a simple definition of bullying the results being different is 100% enivedable, I will include the feelings that some people agreed upon and be sure to include this in my film, the feelings may effect some people but I want my short film to be aimed at people who have suffered from bullying before and show them that anything can be achieved in life and not to let other people effect what you want to do in life which im sure everyone can agree on.
Secondary Research:
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Film Stars, actors and producers that have been involved in films that are based around bullying and amateur dramas:
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Gus Van Sank - ( Elephant 2003 ) The high school drama that was originally made to be seen on TV rather than trying to be a box office smash, it was very accurate based on the Columbine High School massacre.
But the fictionalised version could be even more revealing of the crime's nature. Using long, tracking shots and minimal explanation, Van Sant shows a high school ecosystem that is at once familiar and foreboding. The popular kids and their girlfriends, alternately ignore or bully the outsiders and both interactions are humiliating. Alex and Eric are particular targets and their teachers' silence comes across as complicit.
Alex and Eric look sullen, play first person shooter computer games, and otherwise act like fairly typical disaffected teens, until they reveal themselves to be deeply disturbed. The actual gun attack follows the events at Columbine in many ways: the pair order their weapons online; they plant homemade bombs on school grounds that don't go off and then begin shooting, at first together and then separately, in the hallways, library and cafeteria. In this version, Alex shoots and kills Eric. We are meant to believe that the bullying led them to these acts of extreme violence, But yet the film is an indictment of school intervention as well: in one scene Eric stands over the school's principal with his gun cocked as the principal says, weakly, however now, It's obviously too late for that.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=htlsOf3PnGY
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363589/
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Lee Hirsch- ( Bully 2011 ) A documentary that can be touching for some audiences, this depending on whether bullying has had an effect on them in a previous life ( e.g. a 25 year old may have been bullied at school through the ages of 14-16, judge on their looks have now managed to forget all of that as they now have a great job and a career path that others will look to if they are going through the same problem.) Its basic outline is for 5 youth members who are struggling on day to day abuse from others along with claims and violence that they endure across America, Its not just violence that can take over peoples lives but also cyber bullying usually across social media and voice communication. The tagline that this film goes by summarises what the films intended purpose is from the beginning ' Its time to take a stand ' and ' Everything changes when it's your child ' these messages are a clear view of parents that have their children being bullied in school, parents in this case won't want it to continue or escalate so in some cases depending on the level of bullying that it may reach police or social services may be called but thats a very minor minority. The documentary released in 2011 and just supassing the 1hr 30minute mark its in depth view on bullying had some critics debating amongst others, reviewer and critic Adam R. Holz Steven Isaac comments saying that the film has generated plenty of publicity with the battles that are rated, however theres a lot more in-depth views to this sad story and whether or not this should be suitable for kids or rather by rated PG-13 or R. Movie Reviewer Betsy Bozdech comments saying that the documentary is heartbreaking, moving, infuriating, and a must watch for primary and secondary school students and their parents. Tyler Long's parents review what decisons made their 17-year-old firstborn to end his own life. The administrator who insists that Tyler's parents come in to talk about how to keep their son safe on his way walking from home to school and from school to home. The particularly chilling part of the story is the 14-year-old Ja'Meya, who has ended it by aiming a gun at her bullies when she felt that the edge of her endurance was over . Nobody was in pain, however the fact that it was even considered as a response to the situation shows you just how much pain some kids go through daily. It's also extremely relevant and relatable. It's what gives the power to hook teens in and open their eyes to what's probably going on around them daily that can help convince kids that they really do have the power to make a difference.
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Lee Hirsch himself made comments upon his movie dedicated to kids and young adults and then claims that nobody should watch this without an adult until the ages 11-12, he was baffled by the given ratings and reviews for his film achieving 7.4/10 from the critics on IMDB as well as 74% on MetaCritic, a lot better than originally planned from the producer Lee Hirsch, as it was also awarded the Producers of Guild of America reward and the Stanley Kramer award as well as gaining 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, the worlds most critical film website, with figures added up this film clearly shows that it reached the goal of it benefitting the target audience that has experienced/experience bullying at some point of their life. For more information on the films target on bullies, trailers and summary of the extremely surprising film that critics loved, follow the links below:
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https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1682181/
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bully_2012/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUy2ZWoStr0
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8 MILE ( 2002 ), Starring EMINEM, written by Scott Silver, Directed by Curtis Hansom:
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Plot Summary-
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This film is based around the limits that are located in Detroit, the borders within the city, Eminems character within this film is a young rapper, struggling with every aspect of his life, he wants to make it big but his friends and enemies make the odyssey of rap harder than it may seem. Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. (Eminem) is a young and frustrated blue-collar factory worker, moving back north of 8 Mile to the run down trailer home in Warren, this belonging to his alcoholic mother. This film does feature around the topic of bullying as Eminems character is wanting to reach his dream of being a rap artist, however a group of friends and enemies constantly tell him that he's never going to have that chance to achieve what he's always wanted to do in life, he sets out to prove all of his friends and enemies wrong, his main goal in life to become a rapper and " Jimmy Smiths" character plays the main role of being bullied by others and then proving them all wrong and making them look like the idiots, others who might be suffering from this type of bullying, having people constantly abuse their capabilities will instantly have an effect on their achievements in life, however this film can be looked at by people who are currently going through a similar type of bullying and look to this film to follow in " Jimmy Smiths" footsteps to then prove everyone wrong. Jimmy makes a reference to the beat the DJ is playing (Shook Ones Part II), calling Papa Doc a 'halfway crook' which sends the crowd crazy. Papa Doc is left speechless, drops the mic and backs down. As Jimmy leaves the venue, Future suggests that he stay and celebrate his victory; offering him the position that would allow him to host battles at the Shelter. Jimmy refuses, stating that he needs to get back to work and do things his own way. Future accepts this and respects it. The final shot of the film sees Jimmy walking away from the shelter, looking more confident about his future.
Key Scenes: The Lunch Truck scene ( Movieclips.com ) -
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How this film proved to have a major effect on other peoples lives who may have been bullied-
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Budget:
$41,000,000 (estimated)
Opening Weekend (USA):
$51,240,555, 10 November 2002, World Wide Release
Accumulative Worldwide Gross:
$242,875,078, 13 August 2012
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298203/
https://www.uphe.com/movies/8-mile
https://www.ranker.com/list/8-mile-movie-vs-eminems-life/brandon-michaels
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Feedback Forms from the questionnaires i sent out to people whilst I was presenting my ideas from my wix website:
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Videos that are based around bullying and that I can potentially take ideas from to add to my video production:
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Contextual Research:
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Beth Fulton's Television is a drug:
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This can relate to metamorphosis as Beth's film shows that she wants to be noticed as the video continuously says to audience " LOOK AT ME " " LOOK AT ME " now this might be presumed as her wanting attention from everyone around her however it may also be her describing herself on her looks and saying that she's not good looking, she keeps on saying look at me which may be what she thinks people think of her, she feels that she is ugly and not wanted by anyone, this film is clever as it can give more than one point across to the audience that being whether she is an attention seeker or a depressed and lonely girl who doesn't want anyone to see or talk to her. This can be aimed/targeted at young teenagers/students who don't like their looks or are scared by what other people think about them, however the other point gives an impression to others that being an attention seeker and thinking that everyone can get along with you is wrong, their is always a line that gets crossed by someone and the trust between more than one student is very very high. This can be used in my project as this short film shows the differences between people that are popular and attention seeking and people that are scared , lonely and lost and don't want to be seen by others, this can be used in my project as the topic is based around bullying.
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All the way ( Charles Bukowski ) : “If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery or isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.” The quotes that are used here signify the major differences from bullying and forgiveness, " If you going to try, then go all the way", is a quote that can be looked at by many as a life goal, it gives the audience the inspiration that no matter what happens you aim for your targets and to just try and whatever happens happens, there will always be a positive way of looking at whatever you achieve, don't let other peoples achievements frighten you , your targets are for you and nobody else as this poem shows with great empathy and passion. This can be used within my metamorphosis project with great potential, whilst having two students who were formally friends fall out and argue i can then use this poem to justify why you shouldn't let anyones opinions of you put you down, you should go and achieve what you are capable of, nobody else's just what accomplishments that you are capable of and positivity either way you look at it.
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All Pre-production Paperwork for my F.M.P:
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Call List :
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Permission to film on location:
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Location Report:
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Personal Release Form:
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Risk Assessment:
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Budget for the F.M.P:
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Shot List:
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Script:
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Storyboards:
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Daily Log/Weekly Planner:
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Filmmaking Sources Lists:
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Audience Feedback Questionnaire:
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What I planned to use and how well has this effected my FMP:
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Fading in and out using audio:
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Shadow, Highlighting, fade, vibrance, saturation, exposure and contrast also including special audio effects:
Whilst I was Planning my FMP their were several audio and visual effects that I knew would perhaps change peoples opinions on my FMP based on the topic of bullying. I thought of the main visual effect, that being fading in and then out of specific shots that would make my FMP more appealing to others rather than to just keep it boring and just keep the shots as they are when i've finished filming, I knew that fading in and out would also have an audio effect on the soundtrack playing in the background, Loud and intense music for the scary parts and very low sounds when the victim is upset, this can show just how upset the victim is from the audio effects used. Other effects that I planned to use were contrasting and vibrance. I knew that vibrance would have a major effect on any of the shots that I filmed as it would give a more brighter and happier emotion towards what can be a very dark and upsetting topic to work on, I was aware that the contrast would have an effect on the shots i would use as it could dissolve or absorb an image and also change the juxtaposition of my chosen shots.
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After Filming and editing:
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As I began to edit the shots it came to my attention that the visual effects weren't as noticeable as I thought it would be. The audio effects didn't seem to be as appealing as I thought they would be, changing the volume and fade of each soundtrack depending on the shot wasn't as good as I thought it would be and I know that I can improve on these audio effects and will in the pursuable future . I also didn't use transparency in my FMP editing and I should have as it makes my short film look more impressive as the shots I have used, this also includes the effects of exposure and highlighting, My finalised FMP film isn't overseen by bright colours and a more positive emotion, I used basic colours that weren't vibrant and were just dull, I know that in future productions i must include a positive message to the audience, not keep everything dark and dull and use all the bright vibrant colours i can to give the viewers a happier feeling throughout the film.
Peer/critique feedback from my questionnaire:
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After gathering the results from my other classmates it was clear that my video had certain parts to it that the overall majority agreed to liking whilst their are improvements that can be made to my FMP video which were suggested by many as well. An example of one of my questions asked that other students agreed on was that my FMP made most of its audience feel upset but also a few had agreed that they felt emotionally happy because of the victim proving the bully wrong, I found this interesting as some of the students that gave me feedback thought simply of the sad and lonely emotions whilst others had the more happier mindset to see the victim prevail against the odds. Other opinions I received were quite interesting, some people thought that I could have made the film a little longer rather than the victim only having to put up with the bully for a number of weeks rather than months. Some improvements that I received from my responses was that I should have used a tripod when filming certain shots in my short film and that this would have then improved the quality and would showcase my FMP better, with more clearer cut camera angles used whilst filming. I appreciate all the positive and negative feedback that I received from showcasing my FMP film and will take all the improvements given under great consideration.
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FINAL FMP VIDEO:
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LINK- https://youtu.be/P87JYz3m6Sc
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Evaluation:
Looking back upon my FMP and my created video production, I am happy with what I have produced and am able to showcase to other students whether that be to help them with improving theres or to give me feedback on my FMP for me to then know what I missed out on and will be able to use and change when it comes to the next unit that involves filming or production. From the beginning off this project I was happy with the ideas that I came upon and thought that Creating my FMP around my final chosen topic was a good choice as it would actually mean something to others and from watching it other students may have been able to relate upon bullying in their lives. It was a touching subject to make my FMP on but I wanted my topic to mean something to others and for it to not be boring and for others to not think my short film was made from a pointless topic that nobody cares about, one of the main targets from my production was to make it look interesting and not boring to others when watching it which my proposal gives clear evidence of. The primary research I chose to make for my FMP gave me some great ideas for what I could include in my FMP production along with what some people suggested would grab the viewers attention and start making a debate amongst others on this topic, the overall majority of the responses I received had suffered from bullying in their past and would be happy to help a close friend if they were in danger of being in the same situation.
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I also found my secondary research, very helpful and interesting as it gave me scenes/scenarios that I could compare with each other and then compare with what I had planned to film for my FMP, the differences between them were very surprising but also very interesting. Guus Van Sank's example of ( Elephant 2003 ) along with the 8 mile from 2002, both had unique ways of showcasing how bullying can have an effect on one person and that whatever happens the victim in these circumstances will always prevail, 8 mile is a simple way of having one character being told that he won't succeed at trying to achieve his dream he proves everyone wrong and prevails. This gave me the idea to create my FMP based around this short storyline to showcase the lows that a victim can suffer when being told that they just aren't good enough and then the elation that is shown when they achieve what everyone else said that they wouldn't. I am happy with all the research I was able to find based around bullying and that I could take inspiration from it to then create my FMP. There are a number of little problems I had when filming, the main one being that I should have used a tripod in a number of my camera shots rather than just holding the camera on the shoulder whilst filming , the quality also shows from this as it isn't amazing and would have been better if I had filmed my shots on a tripod , Whilst filming I also had a little problem with background effects, e.g when filming outdoors other members of public can be slightly heard over the actors in my FMP, however after editing the sounds can barely be heard and my FMP runs a lot more smoothly.
