Month: June 2016
UNIT 8- EVALUATION
I have finally finished my final major project and not only am I feeling extremely relieved, but however I’m so very pleased with the overall outcome of the mockumentary. I think the script and character are played out really well and i’m really proud of my work.
I knew throughout the year that I wanted to either create an educational documentary for a children’s tv show or a mockumentary aiming at the ages of 18 years old and above. I decided upon the Mockumentary because I am more comfortable with using humour in my projects. I knew that I wanted to base my film on slapstick comedy and that finding the perfect actor, and filming 90% of my scenes freehand would mean my film would take a long time to perfect. Also due to having six different locations to film in, and also a 10 pages script to write and for my actor to learn that this was going to be a big project to take on, however I was excited for the challenge I had set myself and I knew I was going to put in everything I had in order to make this a project I would be really proud of.
My chosen practitioners were Chris Lilley and Shane Meadows, both of which have made mockumentaries with similarities to mine. I took inspiration and aspects of the character ‘Mr Gregson’ in Chris Lilley’s Summer Heights High. I also used a lot of voiceover scenes which summer heights high also does, however in ways our films are very different due to Summer Heights High being mainly fly on the wall scenes, whereas about 80% of my scenes are Jerry Funk talking to the camera, or camera aware. My project is also very similar to Shane Meadows Mockumentary ‘Le Donk & Scor- zay- zee. I took inspiration from some of the locations for example, I went out in public and used real public reactions to film my scenes, and also used the same angle for the welcoming into the home scene as you can see below. However I believe Le Donk & Scor- zay-zee is a lot more based on the music and dry humour which makes the mockumentary a lot more realistic whereas mine uses more of over dramatic comedy and is more based on the delusions and stupidity of the character Jerry Funk.
Jerry Funk
Mr G
Jerry Funk
Mr G
I believe my final project would appeal to my target audience which is 18 years and above. This is because I believe my mockumentary would appeal to an adolescent audience due to the sexual humour included and some of the gags and jokes will be easier to understand to an adult. I asked a variety of nearly 18/ 18 year olds for feedback, This is what they said:
Grace Fortune- I absolutely love ‘Jerry funk’! It’s such a realistic remake of the X Factor but is absolutely hilarious! The actor that plays ‘Jerry’ places it so well, and Shauna has done so well as a director of this film because it has turned out brilliantly.
Gemma Day- You took the typical stereotypes of talent shows and adapted them really well to make a hilarious mockumentary.
William Moses- The Script is brilliant, a really clever idea from a talented writer. Really funny and the actor performed the character perfectly.
Scarlet Croombes- Brilliantly put together and well thought out, had me in stitches of laughter.
Beth Clarke- So good! When’s the next one out? I think you have done the narrating really well. The transitions from each scene were excellent. Other than that I loved it can’t wait for the next one.
Jade Bridge- it’s so funny! I love the dramatic voice overs
Dan Millward- ‘it was good the conventions were there however it came across quite amateur down to simplistic camera work. However I feel like it achieved the aim and it was very humorous.
Magdalena Gaik- The editing skills were great and I’m really impressed with the great idea for a documentary.
Joe Rees- Really fun idea, a great take on classic mockumentary. Laughed the whole way through. 10/10
Sophie Gollop- It’s an amazing idea and turned out really well! The music chosen really suited it and I love it
Jimmy Boots- Very good.. the editing and shots are really good and it’s very well edited together.. not really any bad points to be honest.. it was funny and worked well.
Charley Winter- I like your use of different shots and effects. The voiceover is very clear and a good speed. Appropriate music choices to suit the mood and situation. Lots of locations and quick shots keep viewers interested
Jessica Church- Very good camera cuts which go well with the music, and its easily recognisable as stereotypical Itv cut Documentary ( Mock). Interview camera shots could have been stronger by giving more head room but overall a really strong film.
I think in ways that my film really reflects my skills. I think it shows of my creativity which I have always had since I was young. I also think that it shows off my editing skills and shows I can put together and well produced comedic documentary and nailed all of the conventions that not only a ‘Mockumentary’ has however an ITV production has. Im proud of the work I put in to make this project exactly how I wanted it to be, and I’m very pleased with the outcome.
I think next time I would maybe try and write and produce two different episodes, or maybe I would have made the mockumentary a bit longer. I would have bought more props for the introduction scene in order to make it more exciting and eye catching. I would have booked my green screen and radio station time a lot earlier because it would have meant I was less stressed when trying to make sure that I find an actor in time and get all filming done in perfect timing.
During this project I have learnt that you need to film as much as you can because it’s better to have too much footage than not enough, and I also learnt that I should film my scenes in as many takes as I want to make sure they are perfect. When using the green screen, next time I will make sure there are no shadows or discolouration at all on the mise en scene and make sure the prop I am using isn’t the same colour as the background which this time, went completely over my head and I didn’t realise until It came to editing that i’d made this mistake, however this was my first time using the green screen therefore i’ve used this as a learning curve for next year and I won’t be making this mistake again. Forununtly this played to my fortune, due to the film actually looking better with the green background than if I were to make it all white like I had originally planned.
If I were to have a larger or unlimited budget to make this mockumentary, to start I would hire professional actors because I think this would be more appealing to a public audience and probably make a lot more money than this would If I were to air it on television Although, I don’t think I would change my main character due to being fantastic at the role. I would hire a location scout to find better locations and really adventure out of Exeter. Instead of using the college cameras, I would buy myself camera equipment, ideally I would use a Canon 5D Mark 3 and a Canon xf100 because not only are they amazing quality, but also I would be moving around alot and the filming must look freehand therefore these would be perfect. I think I would also find a voiceover artist to do the voiceovers which I did in this project so that it looks more professional. I would keep the storyline the same, maybe making small adjustments to the script, maybe even adding in more scenes and making the busking scene, which we see at the near end of the film a bigger part of the film.
Overall I am very pleased with the outcome of my final product. I put in a lot of hard work and it feels really good to have to achieved everything that I intended too. The feedback which I have gathered from my tutors, family , friends and acquaintances has all been really great therefore i’m really proud of my project.
Shauna Church 