UAL Level 3 Diploma

Unit 8: Developing a creative media production project 

The Final Major Project (Year One)

STATEMENT OF AIMS

Unit 8 is the summative unit in the first year of the two-year qualification. It will
provide students with a measure of self-directed learning through the comple-
tion of a substantial creative media production and technology project. 
 
The unit requires students to apply the skills, knowledge and understanding devel-
oped in Units 1–7, to complete a creative media production project. It will provide
students with a measure of self-directed learning, and an opportunity to begin to clar-
ify their longer-term goals through their choice of an activity to explore in greater
depth

Name Ben Tettmar

Disciplines Video, sound.

(primary/secondary)
(e.g. video, anima-
tion, sound, photogra-
phy
Project (e.g. short short narrative film
narrative film, experi-
mental short film, ex-
perimental animation,
cinemograph, time-
lapse etc. )
Section 1: Rationale (minimum of 100 words)

Reflecting on the knowledge, skills and understanding acquired through the first 7 units of the
course, it is clear that there has been significant growth in various areas. Specifically, the ability to
use a video camera and understanding its settings, manual control and shutter speed, as well as
knowledge of different advertising techniques and 2D animation in Adobe Animate. These skills
have provided a solid foundation for the final major project idea of creating a cinematic video by cut-
ting up quotes from different movies and filming them with the words overlaid. While the animation
and reflector skills may not be utilised in this project, the skills gained in photography and video
classes will be used to create a compelling and visually stunning final product. Overall, this reflects
the growth and development of skills, knowledge and understanding throughout the course, which
has directly influenced the choice of pathway and project proposal.

Section 2: Project Concept (minimum of 200 words)

The aim of my final major project is to create a video montage using quotes from different movies
that form new sentences with emotional and motivational impact. I believe that combining different
quotes and creating something new will bring a fresh perspective on the messages they convey,
and enable me to explore different interpretations and meanings. To achieve this, I will conduct ex-
tensive research on different movies to find the most effective and powerful quotes. I will also exam-
ine cinematic techniques and experiment with different shots to create a visually engaging and im-
pactful video.

Furthermore, I plan to film myself and add text overlays displaying the quotes from the selected
movies. The text will help the viewers focus on the words and appreciate their impact, while the im-
ages will create a deeper emotional connection with the message. I have been practicing this type
of video in short form by creating Instagram reels and TikToks where I have been experimenting
with cinematic shots and text overlays. This will help me understand the medium better and refine
my style to create a more cohesive and visually pleasing product.

To complete and present my project within the allocated timescale, I will need to access various re-
sources such as cameras, lenses, lighting equipment, and a suitable location for filming. I plan to
keep the project flexible to incorporate any changes that may arise during the process. I believe that
a mix of creativity, research, and technical expertise will be essential to complete this project suc-
cessfully.
Section 3: Evaluation – How you plan to record your progress (minimum of 100
words)

I plan to document all of my decision making and any changes to my ideas as I go along. During
filming, I will take photos of my camera settings, the scene, my clothing, and my camera setup, and
then write about what I did in a note. By doing so, I can better understand the factors that influenced
my decisions and track my progress throughout the project. Additionally, I plan to write up my be-
hind-the-scenes process and filming process on Weebly after completing my work. This will allow
me to reflect more deeply on my work and evaluate it in relation to my stated aims. I intend for this
evaluation to be reflective and analytical, rather than simply a description of actions completed.
Through consistent evaluation and reflection, I aim to produce a final product that is both meaningful
and fulfilling.

Proposed Research Sources

I plan to explore a range of audio-visual texts, such as movies and YouTube videos, to gather
valuable insights and learn new techniques. Watching different movies will not only be a source of
entertainment but will also help me find motivation and emotional quotes that I can incorporate into
my project. Additionally, I am eager to watch different YouTube videos to gain a deeper under-
standing of how to record cinematic videos. These resources and influences will undoubtedly play
a crucial role in shaping the direction and quality of my project.

I will also be researching different fonts to be used to emphasise different words and quotes during
my editing. I plan to find a few serious looking fonts and a few playful looking fonts. I will scroll
through Adobe Fonts and pick out what i think looks serious or playful and then create a survey to
ask others what they think. The use of different fonts will help to emphasise different important
words in quotes. For important words in serious quotes i will be using bolder fonts that look serif
and not too playful. For important words in less serious quotes i will be using bolder, rounder and
sans-serif fonts.

I will also be researching different movie quotes. I am going to do this by looking up different
movies names and try find quote compilations on YouTube because this will give me the sound
clips from the movies. I will look for playful/funny quotes and life inspiring and more serious quotes.
I plan to look at After Life for the serious quotes because the series is based around a character
who’s wife died of cancer and its his grieving faze and he meets an elderly women who gives life
advice and how to deal with the grief better. For more playful and funny quotes ill look into comedy
films and animated films.

Further comments from Trevor:

“Emotionally impacting film quotes (typographic and audio) think about typographic relevance to
the sound and feel of each quote. Explore grading, VFX, grain, texture, motion effects for typogra-
phy, vignette, lighting, etc. Look at connotation for each typeface used (history, examples, who
used it, why, etc)... Think about STYLE and MEANING of choices. Audience needs to be more de-
tailed with provable theories.  Look for examples of other Tiktoks etc and what other things people
looked at, to build a pattern for your demographic. Uploaded revised version can be put straight on
website.”

Equipment Required
The equipment i require will be a camera, fast prime lenses, video editing software, tripod and pos-
sibly a microphone. Software i will be working in will be Premiere Pro for video editing and some
light colour grading and Lightroom for creating Premiere Pro LUTs.

Resources Required

The only resources i may require will be access to different clothing that could link with the quotes i
am going to be using and different locations that i will be filming in which will probably just be public
forest and areas.

Skills to develop/learn

I am planning to improve my skills in colour grading for film making. My main goal is to understand
how to achieve the cinematic warm tones that are present in most movies. To do this, I plan on
analysing various films to try and identify the changes made to achieve those tones. Additionally, I
will read articles about how to manipulate colour in software such as Premiere Pro and Lightroom,
which I will be using as my primary editing tools.

Another area I am going to focus on is camera settings that create cinematic shots. I have noticed
that movies often have slower frame rates and motion blur, which give the scenes a more cinematic
feel. To learn how to achieve this effect, I will seek guidance from my teacher Ben and consult vari-
ous articles that explain the techniques. I will also explore the concept of the exposure triangle and
learn how to adjust shutter speeds for different frame rates.

Personnel and responsibilities

I am going to get my friend (William Stokes) to help me film some shots and i am going to be re-
sponsible for his safety whilst filming as we may be filming in different locations. I may also film a lot
by myself by using tripods and self timers. However, for handheld shots and follow cams i will be us-
ing my friend Will to help me.

Intended audience and context

My aim is to target a wide audience ranging from 16 to 40 or older for my project, as I plan to use
quotes from a variety of movies. One of my major inspirations for this idea was the Ricky Gervais
series, After Life, which features some incredible quotes. Since the show is suitable for viewers
aged 16 and above, I intend to follow the same age restriction for my project.

However, I am also aware of the younger audience that may be interested in my project, and to
cater to them, I plan to use quotes from animated films such as Kung Fu Panda, Up, and similar
movies. I will be mindful not to use any quotes that contain rude or inappropriate language that may
not be suitable for younger viewers.

Overall, my project aims to entertain and inspire audiences across different age groups, and I look
forward to sharing my love for movies and their captivating quotes with them.
 How my project will ‘loop’

I will make my video loop by cutting some of the beginning video off and adding it at the end so it
looks like there was a single clip continuing the video.

How to successfully complete a final major project

1. Do something you enjoy – look back on projects this year and think about
what skills you’ve learnt and which you have really enjoyed. What job would
you like to do in the future? How can you apply it to your project? Pick an area
which you can connect with.
LOVE YOUR PROJECT

2. Do lots and lots of research – primary and secondary are both essential.
Use a wide range of methods and resources, such as questionnaires, sur-
veys, interviews (Primary), and researching the work of professional practi-
tioners and techniques (Secondary).

3. Manage your time – 9 weeks of practical work is not long. Just think how
fast this year has gone so far. Plan ahead and don’t fall behind. MAKE USE
OF INDEPENDENT STUDY TIME.

4. You must document everything what happens as you go along. Your entire
journey from start to finish should be fully recorded. Describe and analyse as
you go along. Every aspect of your project should be fully considered. Your
Planning and Schedule will be vital to the success of your FMP

5. Research, design, experiment, build, evaluate. Your project should evolve

over the allotted time. Be flexible and adaptable if your FMP decides to go in
a different direction than first intended. Ensure you record all developments as
the project develops.

6. Critically analyse and evaluate – this will refer to the research you undertake,
the pre-production, production and post-production. Don’t just describe but
analyse, interpret, research and evaluate.

7. Listen to advice from your lecturers in formative assessment sessions

throughout the project. You might just find that as we are used to marking
work we know what the requirements are to make good/exceptional projects.
Remember, your work will be graded at Pass, Merit or Distinction, so aim
for the best grade you can and take advice on board when given.
8. You are being graded against FOUR Learning Outcomes, so you need to
ensure that you do the very best in each of them to achieve the grade you
may require, so pay close attention to all parts of the FMP. Remember that
the lowest awarded grade for any Learning Outcome will be the final grade
for the FMP unit.