Production roles - Miss Miller

Within the production of our film the group had to be separated into different roles. These roles were allocated by Cara and I before the filming took place as Emma was absent. However, some of these roles could be changed as the filming progressed when we found out our strengths and weaknesses. Having defined roles within the group is vital to the efficiency of the filming.

Firstly, in my opinion, I felt various large responsibilities throughout the task were allocated to me.  I felt my biggest contribution to the group were my ideas and preparation of the plot, together with various micro elements used to good effect within the film; I was responsible for various important components of the production. Firstly I was given the role of director which was due to me having a good idea of what was needed to produce the micro elements in each scene. I felt this went well as we were able to complete the various micro elements such as cinematography and mes en scene, plus using them to build a lasting effect upon the audience. I was also given the role of finding and downloading the different non diegetic sounds we needed. This was tough as I found it hard to find the specific required sounds needed for the plot. However after a lot of research and searching I downloaded the sounds that met the requirements. They were swiftly added to the clip and  had good effect on the clip itself. Although we were all allocated to an equal role over the editing of the film, I felt that I was forced to take the majority of responsibility. Cara and Emma had a lack of knowledge when editing the footage, so I was forced to take over.  However, they were involved with key decisions on the editing and what effects were needed. Finally a role that was forced upon me was the organisation and handling of the equipment. This role was given to me despite this being my main weakness. I feel that organisation is not my strong point and that giving me this role on top of the various other roles was a big mistake. Under my control the camera broke and I did forget to charge the camera on one occasion, all leading to a hold up in the production. I will accept the fact that this was a big lapse in the production and that was my responsibility. Overall I felt that most of the roles I took on were a success, especially in the preparation and the ideas behind the clip; which I felt were mostly created from my contribution. The part which I felt was a downfall was the handling and organisation of our equipment. I think that another member of our team should have shouldered some responsibility and taken this role away from me. Due to this lack of responsibility from Emma and Cara I was forced into taking the organisational role which is really isn't a strong point of mine.

Emma's main role within the production was the control of the camera itself, she was allocated as the camera women. This was a successful contribution from Emma as she filmed the shots, very efficiently; not needing many retakes and with very smooth actions keeping the footage steady. She even came up with extra ideas and camera angles that complied well with the plot and had good effects in building up the conventions vital to our thriller. She also helped with the organisation of the group; she kept control of the timings and made sure that the mes en scene was completed perfectly to our requirements. I felt that Emma performed the roles that she was allocated very efficiently and effectively. However I also think that it would have been better to see her add to the ideas and planning of the sequence, especially with the micro elements created and took some more responsibility for the production.
In my opinion Cara's contribution to the production was minimal. She could of taken on more responsibility than she did, helping more with the production and filming. However the roles that she did take on were a success and had a big influence on the presentation of the clip. Her main role was being the key actress in the clip. She did this very well and easily complied to the requirements asked from the plot and storyboard. She performed this role very well listening to everything me and Emma had to say and getting it done without many mistakes at all, also adding to the dialogue within the sequence. Another key role that Cara took on was the preparation of the mes en scene. She specifically developed the ideas for the costume, makeup and setting. These were vital to the presentation of the film and she did very well in finding what was needed for the specific requirements shown in the storyboard. Especially with the bridge shown in the main scene which perfectly met the requirements of an isolated setting.

In conclusion I feel that although making mistakes on the organisation and handling of the equipment, my contribution to the production of the sequence was very high. I felt that I had a large influence on the clip itself and specifically the plot and micro elements. I also think that Emma and Cara performed their roles efficiently, having a big effect on the presentation of our sequence. However, the downside of Emma and Cara's contribution was that they did not take on enough responsibility for the production. I was left with far more obligations to take control of and I felt bombarded with tasks to take care of and complete. I think that if I was to produce the sequence again I would make sure that the three of us had even responsibilities so that we could each focus solely on our strengths and roles. This applies massively to my role in organisation of the equipment as I felt that one of the group members may have been able to share this commitment. This could have prevented some of the mishaps within the production.