Evaluation

Overall our video was a success.  We managed to recreate the camera angles, effects and editing timings of the original to a mostly accurate extent. 

However, the outcome of the video could have been improved by practicing the shots first.  For example, at 0:24 of the video, the track and pan shot proved very difficult to film, and it shows in the video that we had trouble filming this part smoothly.  From this, we learned that it would be beneficial to practice the shots that are more challenging which would improve the quality of filming in the final piece. However, considering our lack of experience in filming, the quality of the final piece is of a good standard. 

Another problem we faced was continuity; due to logistics half of our filming crew couldn’t make it to the main location of filming.  This meant that some of us had to improvise by filming some shots in a similar, but different location.  This caused an error in continuity with location and timings, as the lighting is quite noticeably different between the two shots.  This interrupts the plot of the video as it’s supposed to appear that Vlad is watching the couple walking through the field.  However, this is a fairly minor error considering the small time scale of three weeks in which we had to plan, film and edit the whole thing. 

Another error we made when filming was, in the first shot of ‘Vlad’ walking, the shadow of the cameraman can be seen in the bottom right hand of the screen.  This was a problem we didn’t anticipate during filming, so when filming our own videos for the main task, this will be considered to ensure quality filming. 

A further error we made was that we missed a few of the shots that are in the original video.  However, this won’t be a problem when filming our own videos because there will be more time to film meaning that any missed shots can be filmed on a different occasion.  Furthermore, it may not matter as much if some shots are missed because there will be nothing to compare our original video to as it is an original.  Therefore, improvisation by using shots, which weren’t primarily meant to be used, is a more available option. 

During the first part of the editing, we didn’t have the audio which made it hard to get the timings right. This in turn delayed the whole editing process, as this had to be amended when we finally did get the audio.  When making our original videos it will be much easier just to have the audio available right from the start of editing. 

In summary, it’s fair to say that our video is flawed.  However, for most of us this was the first video we’d made and edited so it’s also fair to say that this is a pretty good attempt also considering the short time frame we had to complete the whole project.