Sonia's Television Blog

It's finally that time to review how I found this unit. Throughout this module I found it very challenging to be working by myself, but I made it work and found myself people that will help me out with the production. I am very excited to work on this in the new year, especially since thi s entire pre-production package has been leading up to the major project. I've ticked off everything on the list that I needed to include inside the printed pre-production package. Originally I had two different ideas that I wanted to go ahead with, both were documentaries about 2 different topics - one was about the life of Eastern Europeans and one about the history of Auschwitz but both of these were done before, many of times. I would have to really make something different for the audience to even be interested. Thinking about the two original ideas I had they weren't good enough to explore for my final year project, it really needed to be thought about. When starting this unit I th...

I have completed my final draft for my script, a lot more shots were added and a lot of V/O sections were changed with PTC. After reading the feedback I received from Helen I made sure to make the script as personal as possible, I agreed on that there was too much narration and not enough visuals. Where I have added video or photo archives I added narration, but most of the documentary will be PTC, not so much as presenting but a simple chat that I will be having to the audience explaining the story one step at a time. When completing my research on documentaries I've noticed when making a personal documentary you need to speak your story directly to the viewer. I also included interview Syncs and explained why these interviews are important. I also made sure I introduced the next section of the script properly. My first and second draft lacked continuity, it skipped a lot of important information throughout. I also made the introduction much longer, I need to give the audience tim...

After developing my Directors Statement for some time now I have finally concluded it. I made sure to read over it a few times, even printed and read it through on paper to be sure, to me it sounds great. I have tried to include as much detail as possible and strong explanations as to why I choose certain shots and filming styles. In my last draft I still needed to add my cinematic inspiration and why I feel that she is my inspiration, it wasn't as long as my other points but I still felt like it needed to be included. I tried to explain the visual and technical approaches I've taken to make my documentary unique and successful, as well as mu hopes for what the audience response will be. I still feel like I should have gone into deeper explaining in the Directors statement but all the necessary points were made. I still feel like I could have sectioned the directors statement where I talk about the colour choices and the way I want the style/tone to look but I really focused on...

Kinoteka Film Festival takes place in London each spring. It is organized by Polish Cultural Institute in London; the whole festival celebrates the best of Polish cinema and culture. Every single year audiences from around the world can enjoy a selection of film and documentary screenings, either classic, drama and contemporary. Kinoteka film festival also offers master classes with different Directors and Producers. I feel that Kinoteka Film Festival is a perfect platform for my short documentary, not only does it fit the cultural criteria, but a lot of the self-taught filmmakers that appear at the Kinoteka Film Festival create films and documentaries about their personal issues and their own stories. Audience Range from 18 to 35.

When filming my test shoots I had a strong idea as a Director that I want to bring a pleasant atmosphere on screen, Colour Correction. Every scene I tried to enhance in some way, either it was saturation or vibrancy. I tested the lighting, keeping in mind that I am going to be filming outside most of the time. Where as being filmed inside I have been supplied with a LED Aperture kit, which will create a natural sense of lighting inside a home. I also made sure to work out how to blur the background in some scenes/shots to keep the PTC focus on myself. As I am not a great camera tech myself I needed to work out the cameras setting and framing since I didn't have my crew on hand during the tests shoot. I used quiet bright lighting and colour correction to make sure I am visible in the shot and in an observational documentary style but keeping it relaxed and audience friendly. As you can see in the picture above there isn't a big different in colour, but the saturation is enhan...

Production Budget Production Expenses Production Crew                                                                                                      £85.00 Contributors                                                                                             ...

As part of the pre-production preparation I needed to create a Call Sheet/Schedule for the production. This kind of structure really suited me and fit my documentary criteria. This is a very important part to a production it is to ensure that everything goes as planned. It really helps me and the crew know what is happening on the day and where they will be located. The Call Sheet also gives everyone information on how to contact each other, addresses and time logs. It also gives the crew an idea of what is being shot on the day, if there are any re-shoots etc. Since I am multi-skilling on this project I had to prepare all these elements for my crew where as in a group of people you can split the roles.