Evaluation

What specialism did you choose and why? How are you hoping it will help to
improve your future productions?

The specialism I chose was cinematography. The main reason I chose this was
because I fell like it covers a lot of different aspects in the media industry. I Had a lot
of famous directors I wanted to talk about as well such as Alfred Hitchcock and
Christopher Nolan which I ended up using in my production. I decide I would talk
mainly about how directors changed cinematography through time. I feel that
cinematography is not understood or appreciated enough when it comes to visual
productions. Cinematography covers music, camera angles and the setting the
scene is shot in. Cinematography combines all of these to create style. I feel like I
know a lot more about cinematography than I ever did before. Im thinking of doing
a documentary for my final major project and I now know how to incorporate the
right genre of music with a specific camera angle.

How effective do you feel your research is? Are there any gaps or did you have to
complete further research when putting your script together?

I feel that my research went well. I was given some different aspects of
cinematography to research such as the history and significant pieces of work by
famous directors. I started off with analysing the history of cinematography. I found
out who the early pioneers were and what the earliest cameras were called. The
early pioneers were Eadweard Muybridge and Etienne Jules Marey. Marey
Developed the Kodak camera which is one of the earliest cameras known to be
created. I do feel that I could have researched a bit more into modern history and
maybe included another pioneer to analyse. I decide that I wanted my research to
be shorter but more informative instead of writing loads of meaningless paragraphs
with boring information. Quality not Quantity.
Do you think all your sources were reliable? Which were good and
which were less so?

I would say my sources are very reliable as I used most of the same sources which
was YouTube. First of all, I think using Wikipedia would have been a huge mistake as
people are able to edit that with their own information. I decided to use a source
that I knew would present interesting and factual information which was YouTube. I
would rather listen to a video explaining how cinematography developed through
time rather than read pages about it. I felt like I was taking information on well from
this source. I made sure to Harvard reference every video I used for my research as
well. The YouTube video that I found very helpful was called “cinematography 101”.
This video gave an extremely helpful introduction to the concept of
cinematography and what media aspects were involved within it. I believe that for
someone does not know what it means, this video explains really well and definitely
helped me with my research.

Did you complete any primary research and how did it help you in understanding
techniques in greater detail?

I completed my primary research. If im being honest I could have maybe put a bit
more effort into it but at the time I really didn’t understand cinematography well, so I
was quite confused on what to film. I decided I would use a match shot of a door
opening and closing. The match cut was to show the transition between two
different shots in a stylish way. I decided to use a match cut because
cinematography is about how the scene is shot and the effect of it being shot that
way. For my primary research I wanted to represent how a different camera angle
would change the perception of a shot.

What do you feel the strengths of your script are and how could you further improve
it?

I feel like my script is very strong. I followed the structure of my research into my script
starting off with the Introduction. I started with a rhetorical question saying, “Ever
wondered how the development of films changed so stylishly over the years?” I
explained the concept of cinematography and what a cinematographer does
when part of a film crew. I feel like starting with a rhetorical question would
immediately grabs the audience’s attention as it makes them actually think how
films have developed. I moved onto my history explain 19th century cinematography
and the pioneers who helped develop this. I also talked about the earliest cameras
developed as any production cannot be created without a camera. After my
history analysis I moved on to analysing Alfred Hitchcock and Christopher Nolan. I
talked about both of their earlier lives and how they became directors. For
Hitchcock I analysed Psycho and for Nolan I analysed Insomnia and Inception. I
explained how effective their camera angles were and how they also used music to
build anticipation in a scene. I explained how Hitchcock created cinematography
(Metaphorically) and How Nolan developed it throughout the 21st
century. I conclude my script saying how cinematography has an
immersive effect on an audience and how in films such as Dunkirk and
1917 cinematography makes you feel like you are there with the
characters not just watching it behind a screen.

What have you learnt from this process and how can you utilise it in your remaining
projects?

I have learnt more about cinematography than I ever did before. Originally, I did not
understand the concept but after fascinating research I have discovered that there
are many elements involved in cinematography such as camera angles music and
the way certain scenes are shot the way they are. I have learnt about how
cinematography has developed throughout the late 20th and early 21st Century. In
the 21st century technology has developed massively which means the quality of
camerawork and editing has improved but it was interesting to know how they
transitioned from the early camera work. When doing my other projects, I will
definitely use cinematography to help create the production as its more imperative
than I imagined. I will use camera angles that transition well and help elevate the
genre. For example, I will use low angel and extreme close up shots to denote
suspense in a thriller genre. Im glad I picked cinematography as it has improved my
knowledge of all media aspects.