Major Project Pre-Production | Project Evaluation

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 this 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 thought it would be very beneficial to pick a few roles, not just one. The art of directing was something I had practices before as well as editing, I felt like multi-skilling would be a way to go for myself in this unit. I'm the type of filmmaker that needs and wants to tell a story, I want to show the audience something meaningful either it's a subject completely unrelated to me or something that is very personal.

I then started thinking of what could be an interesting story to make for the audience and myself to be keen on. After my tutorial with Simon I mentioned to him the story of Benchen Karma Kamtsang and how I wanted to film a documentary about the community itself. Simon then started asking me how I know about this community or what relevance doing it have to me, I started to explain the story about my father - this now became a story I could work with. After a few more tutorials with Simon and Beth herself it became clear I wanted to explore the story of Benchen Karma Kamtsang and my own personal story. After I received the go ahead from Simon and Beth I started working on my Directors Statement that really helped me through the entire pre-production package. Since I am Multi-skilling on this project I don't have anyone's help when it comes to writing the script/editing/filming etc. Although I did manage to create a skeleton crew to help me on my production days, however being in a group would make the Script writing process much easier. I am very pleased with how the script overall turned out since I had never written a documentary script, I needed some feedback from Helen who is a experienced script writer - She gave me great feedback which led me onto a better path for developing the script. I also started making branding and marketing but Simon had told me that I do not need to focus on those as much as I do on the Directors statement, so I stopped making those illustrations and focused on the writing side of things.

I feel that I could definitely manage my time much better, I spent too long worrying about the Directors Statement and research. I should have really spread my time evenly through all of this pre-production prep. I also spent sometime planning my test shoots and thinking about the editing process a lot. I really do like directing and editing, these two are my strong points. In my opinion this idea and pre-production package I have should turn out into a great documentary. While working on this I also noticed I had too much V/O included in my script, I had completely cut down most of the voice overs. I did this especially to make the story more personal and I needed to make sure to connect with the audience. To replace the V/O I added personal PTC shots, Helen also gave me the idea to add these into the project since it really connects with the audience on screen. My platform and audience originally were Amazon prime and younger audiences between 15-25, this did not fit my criteria. There is no documentaries on Amazon Prime that are 20-minute short, I really needed to dig deep to find a platform that suited me. I finally came across Kinoteka, a polish film festival held every year in London. It was a fantastic platform for Life in Kamtsang, it shows aspiring film makers work and the audiences range from 18-35.

I taught myself throughout this pre-production unit that time management is very important and I lacked it a little. Even though I tried to stick to my pre-production schedule I still struggled and faced bumps during the process. It was an easy process to confirm my contributors/locations and crew members since they are all known and easy to get hold off so I did not have to spend a long time in that department but when it came to really sitting down and write my script and directors statement it became difficult. I never know where to begin or how to make it sound good, I usually repeat myself a lot but I am trying to get better. In previous projects I always tried to stay away from any kind of written work since I know that is my weak spot but throughout this project I really proved myself that I can write a good enough script and a good enough statement to show my ideas and the way I want to capture my creativity. I should have really included a lot more in my directors statement when it came to the style/tone/sound side of things but I really placed my focus on the cinematography and the way I want the documentary to be filmed. 

I'm really happy with the production management that I created, originally I wanted to add a lot more to the production management side as in Storyboards, Branding, Trailer etc but Simon had advised me for my kind of project it's not necessary and too much to handle, which I agreed with. I then moved on and started creating a pre-production and a final production schedule, I was very happy with the outcome because I stuck to it and met all deadlines that I set myself. I completed a contact sheet for my contributors and crew members so it's easier to understand during production. This also goes for the Equipment list and call sheet, I didn't just create this for myself but for everyone involved in this production - it helps people know what time we are starting where we are located etc. Travel information is also included in the package, since I am travelling abroad I had to keep in mind the cost's of this production, I will have to purchase plane tickets, car rentals etc - I needed this confirmed before I could start planning. I also made a production budget to give myself a rough idea of how much I will need to raise for the entire production. The main reason for this pre-production package is to set myself for the main production, I need to know what I'm going to be faced with. Another great piece I have that is available to me is the amount of archived images and videos I have, this will really show the audience the difference between the community and how I grew up there.

Overall I'm very happy with how I came about this project especially since I did it myself, there was a lot to plan and a lot to write and research for the pre-production booklet project. I am doing a very information heavy documentary that needs to appeal to the audience. I have really stepped out of my comfortable zone and put my efforts out to make the plan for my future documentary, I will have to shoot the documentary very professionally and follow the story through very carefully. I struggled a little when it came to time management since I had to plan these things myself and fully research the background of Benchen Karma Kamtsang, I want to tell a story through this documentary of how Benchen Karma Kamtsang influenced my life and why my father decided to live there for so many years. If the story is developed correctly and the contributors really tell me information that no one has heard of before it will turn out to be a great piece of film work. After watching a few of other short documentaries I instantly feel that I can do this on my own (with a filming crew) the idea, the script writing the planning - all of this I can do. Even though it might not be as detailed due to the time limit and only having two pair of hand, I still think the entire pre-production package turned out fantastic. I initially wanted the book to be printed professionally on a hard copy but it was simply too expensive, I went for a cheaper option which wasn't my first choice but I still managed to get a pre-production booklet printed out. I really wanted to have something physical to hand in since it's just a lot more meaningful to me.

Final Pre-production Package (printed):