Reflection

In reflection, I feel my understanding and appreciation for experimental film has come a long way through this module. When initially watching experimental film prior to the module although enjoying it I thought the idea behind it was to make the least sense as possible and to just confuse audiences, this opinion has now changed through the process of editing this film. The level of detail I have put into every aspect of the film, more concentrated in the last push of the project has changed the previous mindset I had. Every single element of the film I have made is well thought through and can be explained. For example the choice of audio selected in the History channel sections relaying our group's thoughts towards frustration.

In addition, to address the elephant in the room which is the current pandemic. I feel choosing to continue to work in a group aided the creative process more than hindered it as I initially thought it would of. My group and I have made the most of every meeting and used the information and recommendations Matt gave us to expand on the film and work effectively at a distant. I’ve also found the emphasis on using technology to communicate surprisingly more effective than I initially thought. A large role in this being the shared Google drive folder. I believe this folder was perhaps the most essential component to the project and the final result of the film. The creation of the folder allowed for every single team member to keep informed with current versions of the film and a tool to share resources to add to the film. As the editor of the film, this was incredibly useful as it allowed for backups of footage in one organised location making the process very efficient. My contribution of regularly uploading sequences for my group to give me notes on allowed for me to make multiple edits very quickly and efficiently without leaving to conjecture what my group wanted from the result of the film.

The initial ideas of the film were to be reflective of our generation and the frustration we experience and I feel for the most part we have achieved this aim, in some areas I feel the film is too subtle in its frustration, such as in the minute details of the graphics. It's also interesting that as time went on the film became unintentionally political in some places such as the Regan/Trump parallels becoming a more prominent feature and narrative to the film. The frustration element also took on new relevance as lockdown began and we all became increasingly frustrated with our daily lives. Which I believe makes the film more effective in its aims of evoking an emotional response from the audience as frustration is an emotion everyone is currently feeling. However, I am glad as the film progressed our group went for a more lighthearted approach to these matters than the overtly serious film we set out to make. As in learning about audience engagement through this process to create a frustrating film, it must be entertaining so the viewer doesn’t switch it off. Throughout the module, I've really developed as an editor as initially I really struggled in creating a coherent film from a mass selection of clips which don't belong together. I also learnt more about how to effectively pace an archive film from watching Adam Curtis and other filmmakers, in order to create maximum impact on the audience, which I believe is evident in the final result of the film.

The Film:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=11tF05vkKVe9psKNeHvzOLse9RXnKzJnF

The Drive:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xRiR2QrrwmKyFpToDP_rc8xjfzj-di0E