Mostly, I think that this unit, Script to Screen, has gone quite well as I started having no idea how to make a film, and have finished able to take a script I have written, shoot it, and cut it together into a film.
What I think went well was that from the camera, editing, and screenwriting workshops, I was able to get a lot of practice both in and out of class, and then use the skills I had learnt, such as how to shoot to achieve continuity and coverage, as well as fully edit both narrative and non-fiction texts on Adobe Premiere Pro, when creating my own film. I also learnt a lot about using other Adobe programmes such as Photoshop and After Effects when creating graphics for my film, which were useful as it meant I could create aspects specific to trailers, such as my own production company logo, a coming soon sign and poster, which I could then animate, making the trailer look more realistic. From books I have read and looking at the work of other directors and screenwriters which inspire me I was not only able to look closer at their work and analyse it, but also figure out how I write and what I enjoy writing about, making me more conscious of my own writing process. By also being able to go to the RTS screenwriting panel, I was able to learn more about screenwriting as an industry from professionals, such as that to work as a screenwriter you need an agent, which I didn't previously know. This also helped me find out about organisations such as The BBC Writer's Room, exhibiting writing in a theatre or putting short films on Vimeo to get an audience's reaction, as well as becoming a hyphenate in TV or film (writer-director or writer-producer). This also helped me discover other ways to get into screenwriting such as information about the film festival circuit from the book Making It Big In Shorts, as well as writing for commercials or video games from Developing Story Ideas. Although, the most valuable thing I have learnt is how to go through the process of production from storyboarding, creating shot lists and overhead diagrams, to editing a final cut.
However, I think that I could improve on my script by planning more before starting to write as I have found once the screenplay is written it is much harder to change elements and move them around. I could plan by creating an outline first then transferring each of these scenes onto separate cards so that they can be physically moved or got rid of if they are not a significant moment in their own right each time I write a new draft. I think that these moments didn't happen in every scene of my screenplay because I tried to be too much of a perfectionist about the details instead of reflecting on them when rewriting, so I kept getting stuck and losing sight of how the story was going to progress as a whole, which I think planning could help with. Also, creating a journal could help me with this, as when I am stuck for ideas I would always have my own source to go to, rather than looking at other people's work. I could also focus more on having less dialogue, making sure every line always either drives the narrative along, or shows something about the characters, making the primary focus to show things to the audience through action with minimal dialogue. When shooting, I need to not overestimate the time quite as much as my original plan for a two day shoot turned into a one day shoot, as we managed to cover all the scenes I wanted to take, and some extra ones, with plenty of coverage and time for packing up at the end of the day.
Overall, I am pleased with my finished trailer, as it turned out how I wanted it to, although directing was the part of the unit I enjoyed most as I got to be out on location and see my idea come to life, before sharing the film with others. I think my screenplay could be improved but I enjoyed working on the idea and developing the characters, more planning was just needed to refine it.
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