LO4 Improvements

 Improvements 

Before getting feedback from the screen test that we performed, we discussed as a team where we thought improvements could be made. This concluded that our biggest issue was that we were unable to vary the camera movements due to the location we filmed in. Overall, this meant that within the final cut, there were only a limited amount of angles and shots that were used, which neglected to add rangeability to our clips within the final edit. To improve this we needed to do more detailed location analysis, in terms of how suitable the environment is for filming equipment, which well make certain that when filming different motions can be moved so that the documentary’s shot types are not as restrained. Lastly, This would also mean that our short film would appeal more to the audience as a difference in short types would make the documentary more interesting.

The element that most of our viewers responded to most in a positive manner, would be that our short film correspond with the conventions of other documentaries. More specifically, they enjoyed that the location that we filmed in related to the topic of our documentary, being the hospital where Beverley is currently being held at for her crimes. This positive response from multiple members of our audience, indicates that this element made our documentary more informative as it gave the audience visual evidence of what we discussed within each clip and made the documentary slightly more engaging. By filming at this specific location, conventions of similar documentaries can be met and when we (as the production team) were comparing our documentary to other true crime documentaries, they also visited the locations where their crimes were committed, which we found made the documentaries More interesting. However, as said previously our location choice limited our filming abilities, for instance camera movement, so we have to sacrifice a variation of shot types in order to film at this location, which possibly made our documentary Less appealing to our target audience. Furthermore, we had to make certain that when filming outside or the factors, such as weather, did not restrict the audio, which was very time consuming and That more time was spent on audio than necessary.

Upon discussing editing that was used in a documentary, for example transitions between clips, we found that the documentary who is more fluid between clips creating a smoother short film. Despite this, we believe that to improve, we could have utilised using more camera shots, like panning and zooming in to alternate between transitions and also improve on our lack of camera movement. Additionally, a comment was brought forward that when filming we should have used different lighting attachments, instead of relying exclusively on natural light, in order to maintain the uniformed appearance within our clips and Using natural lights can be an unreliable source. On another hand, the use of textual information date mean that we were able to present the facts surrounding the event in different formats, which didn't rely on lighting and gave us the opportunity to use different transitions.

Another positive that can be taken from our short film, is the mood that is created by the ‘actors’ themselves. The topic of our documentary was very serious and needed to be discussed in a respectful manner as people related to the crimes or our target audience could take offence To how the information is presented. Therefore, we needed to ensure that the positioning off the actors and how they gave the information remained serious so that the short film was an offensive in any contacts and that the information is deemed credible. This particular positive feedback was discussed after the screen test was done. Nevertheless, an improvement that should Be considered is the copyright surrounding the images that we included on the documentary. When bettering our documentary we should use creative commons images to avoid any legal action being taken or directly ask the creator of the image if we can use the picture in an educational circumstance. Finally, another issue that was raised within the feedback was the lack of sound when the image and title screen was displayed. We well need to add background audio, specially chosen in order to maintain the serious tone half hour documentary show that the short film is more interesting and is more enjoyable to watch.

Despite all the negative feedback, the overall response (seen in the pie chart) was positive and no one within the screen test choose the negative review. This emphasised too or was that even though there is still improvements to be made, the short film follows the conventions of a documentary and engages with the audience.