Hi
How's it goin?
So school is over, eventually I'll do a more detailed post reflecting upon my past two years returning to education. But in the meantime I thought you might like to see a few select paragraphs from my final essay. It's the evaluation essay where you evaluate your skills as a director, and how you felt you achieved the goals you were set at the beginning of the year. I got an A for all my school work, including this essay. Even though I occasionally went slightly off topic. After giving myself a very honest evaluation, (I am my own worst critic, I tore everything I did to shreds.) I also decided to evaluate the course itself, as well as a couple of my class mates.
Here are a few of the highlights from my final essay:
When it came to an assessment that the whole class had to do, I believe I am one of only THREE people to actually make the film. I am referring to “Induction Day.” This was a camera class assessment which a script was already written, the assignment was to make a 3 minute video promoting the college. The script was already written but you could interpret it in anyway you wished. Giving the class a real chance to do something unique and creative. I was very happy with this assignment and curious to see how my classmates would interpret the script.
I chose to do "Robins Induction Day.” Using the characters from Batman & Robin. I adapted the script slightly, but made sure to keep all the relevant information in it. I spent a great deal of time and effort on this short film and was looking forward to seeing what my classmates had come up with. After I had finished my film, I was incredibly disappointed and slightly angry to learn that apparently you didn’t actually have to MAKE the film. All that was needed was the filmed shots on a disc for assessment. I think this is ridiculous! What is the point in being in this course if you are not going to actually MAKE SOMETHING!
I was very disappointed in the majority of students on this course who did not make the most of this opportunity to try and turn something slightly dull, into something interesting and entertaining. However given the attitude of some of the students on this course, I am hardly surprised.
I am led to believe that the three minute wonder and pet hate projects that both classes were tasked with, don’t actually matter. I understand that some students have simply not made them.
And I find this a disgrace!
Why are these people allowed to be in the course? They did not do the work, they do not deserve to be here! In my role as a director if a crew member was not performing to an acceptable level then they would no longer be on my crew. It is for this reason that I refuse to work with one of my classmates. (It is also down to the fact that this particular person, is a MORON!) I believe the same rules should be applied to this course. If people do not meet deadlines then they should fail.
Simple as.
Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, sometimes people do have genuine reasons for not being able to hand in work, but I highly doubt that is the case with several people who have been on this course.
The production crew we were assigned at the beginning of the second year quickly became useless. I was put in a team with Scott, Robert, and Ian. Scott and I got on very well and were always willing to help each other out where necessary. Robert was frequently absent from class and sadly Ian refused to work with Scott. After I was unable to help Ian out on a couple of dates, he then did not want to work with me and ignored my offers of assistance.
My crew quickly became, myself, Scott and anyone else who was available, in particular Stephen and Struan. The three of them have been invaluable to me this year, without their help my final projects would have looked very, very different.
Overall I feel I have a project that I can be proud of, it’s not the film I originally wanted to make, but it is a film, and it’s a film that most people seem to enjoy so far.
I have watched every scene approximately 300 times so I hate it. I can see every continuity error, every scene that was meant to lead to something which ultimately got deleted.
Sadly I spent too much time on my other projects this year, I was unaware that the other projects were not being assessed, had I known this then I would have started work on this film the very day we returned as opposed to much later in the academic year. Several students on this course have not put in the effort that I have this year, with a couple of them only having made ONE film this year. In some cases I'm sure it will be a good film, but it hardly seems fair that I have made FIVE films this year, and they have only made one, and we will walk away with the same qualification. If I was a director on a television or film set, and a crew member was not doing the same amount of work as everyone else, and not meeting deadlines, then that crew member would no longer be on my crew. Sadly the same cannot be said for a large amount of students at THE FURTHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE I ATTENDED.
So as this essay, and the course draws to a close, I am overall happy with the projects I have been a part of. I am grateful to THE FURTHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE I ATTENDED to have let me play with camera's for a couple of years. And I am also very grateful for several of my classmates who have made some fantastic films and I am very proud that I have helped in some small way in some of them. Every project I have helped with has been vastly superior to mine, but as I said, I am my own worst critic.
I only wish I knew at the beginning of the year what I knew now, and my final project I believe would have been of a much higher caliber. But you live and learn.
That's All For Now
Until Next Time
Have A Nice
Andy G
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