LO3 - Evaluation

Weekly blog updates are required, as with every unit. Please remember to
take photos/screenshots as you film/edit. You might find it easier if you note down a record
of what you did each day in a diary form.

Please use the following guidance to help you with each week.
THESE MUST BE COMPLETED IN DETAIL. INCLUDE IMAGES AND BE
SPECIFIC!

Week 1 This week was spent on idea generation

What have you been asked to do?
Why have you chosen this target
audience?
For the BeCreative unit I have been asked to produce a short film
and music video for one of two target audiences. I had to choose
from where the age groups of 5–12-year-olds and 40–60-year-
olds. The target audience I chose was 40-60. As a result, I have
spent this week generating ideas that will suit this age group as
well as completing research, to help me narrow down the ideas
until I could choose the most appropriate ones. In the end I came
up with three short film ideas and three music video ideas that I
was confident I could develop into high quality productions.
I chose the target audience 40-60 because I know very little about
the group. Therefore, I felt it would be a challenge that would let
me develop my skills even more as I would have to learn to adapt
them to suit this audience. I also felt I would enjoy the research
stages much more if I knew very little to begin with, unlike
the audience 5-12 as I already know a great deal about that age
group. Alongside this, I have constant access to my chosen target
audience as both my parents fall within the age group, which will
help me a great deal during my research stages. 

One area in which I feel I may struggle however, is ensuring my

What two productions have you decided
to make? How do they allow you to
improve your skills?
work is appropriate for the older end of my target audience, as I
don’t know many people who are between 50 – 60 years old. To
ensure that I produce productions that they enjoy, I will make
sure to get a large range of responses on my surveys so that I am
able to understand the target audience as best as possible.
Now that I have finished my idea generation and have received
some feedback on the ideas, I have decided to continue on with
the nostalgic themed music video and the drama short film. I
have chosen these two as they received the most
positive feedback from both my focus group and the survey that
I have sent out. These productions will also push me to use new
techniques and develop my skills further. In particular I feel I
will face challenges when filming my nostalgic music video, as I
aim to have a technique which involves a flashback that is started
off by a match cut between a photograph and the flashback itself.

This will be difficult and will take multiple attempts to shoot and


How did the focus groups help you to
select your idea?
Are you on track for the week?
What work needs to be completed for
you to catch up?
Week 2
What did you find out about your target
audience through your secondary
research?
edit correctly to make the shot as smooth as
possible. These are areas I want to improve in
and feel that by doing so I will be able to
produce a high-quality piece of work. This idea
will also push me to be my most creative, as I
have to make it clear for the audience to
differentiate between what is and isn’t a
flashback.
Once I had generated three ideas for both my music video and
my short film, I decided to hold a focus group, so that I could
receive feedback on each idea and then reflect on which idea may
be best to develop further. The main goal of the group was
to find out which ideas were the strongest but also to get a better
understanding of what could be added to each of them to ensure
they appealed to my target audience as much as possible.
To do this I read the focus group members a summary of each
idea and then asked them whether they felt it would be
appropriate for my audience. There was a fairly positive
response for all of my ideas, however my nostalgic music video
and my short film drama had the most positive response overall.
I also asked my participants what they felt could be added to my
ideas, once again to ensure that it was appropriate for my target
audience. My only piece of feedback I received was about my
nostalgic music video idea, as the surveyor said that I could make
the flashbacks look like they were set in the 80s by using props
and selecting a song that matched the idea as best as possible.
Overall, I feel the focus group was successful as I received a
mixture of positive feedback as well as some suggestions that
will help me as I begin to develop my ideas further. From this
feedback I am now aware that for my short film the window idea
may be the best idea to continue with, as well as the
nostalgic movie themed music video.
Yes
No, I have completed all of the work for this week.
This week was spent researching target audiences
From the secondary research I have learnt that people aged 40-59
have the highest levels of anxiety. This age range fits perfectly
with the target audience that I am creating my production for.
This may show that people of that age range are looking to watch
more lighthearted, happy and enjoyable productions, as they are
looking for an escape from the daily life and stresses. This shows
that I should create production that are fun but also intriguing
enough to keep the occupied on the production rather than their
worries. 
I have also found that the 45 and over age bracket watch dramas
the most, I will use this information to ensure that my target
audience like my production, as I will create a drama short film
to target my audience the best. This secondary research confirms
the primary research that I found, this means that I am definitely

How will this help you in adapting your
idea to meet the chosen audience?
How useful was interviewing people
from your chosen target audience?
Was it difficult to get a large response to
your survey? How could you improve
the amount of respondents for your
FMP?
What have you found to be the key
things that you should be targeting your
audience with? What makes this
audience different to the one you never
chose?
going to make a short film drama, as I feel like
this will please my audience the most.
This research will be very useful as I continue
to develop my idea, as it will help me to adapt
it to meet my target audience as successfully as
possible. Now that I am much more aware of
my target 
audiences’ habits and lifestyle, I will use this information so
that I produce a short film that they can relate to and also find
enjoyable. As my target audience are known to be anxious, I
want my music video to be lighthearted and allow them to
reminisce on the ‘good old days’.
This will be done by avoiding anything that they may find
stressful and keeping the plot of the flashback’s fun and happy
memories. My research has helped me to identify areas that
provide less enjoyment for my audience, such as working a lot
and spending time away from their family. As a result, I will try
to avoid these areas, and try to focus on creating lighthearted
easy to watch productions.
Interviewing people from my chosen target audience was very
important as it gave me the opportunity to understand first-hand,
from people of my chosen target audience on their opinions of
my ideas from my productions.
Interviewing my target audience has also cause me to slightly
adapt my ideas to ensure that they fit the target audiences’
preferences as best as possible. I have decided to slightly change
my music video idea, so that after the man has flashbacks, he
becomes happier as his mood is lifted by his memories. Rather
than my original idea, for him to still be depressed as he is now
old and isn’t having as much fun as he used to.
My survey was an opportunity to receive feedback from the age
groups that were left out within my focus groups. However, I
found it difficult to get a large response. I received just over 5
responses to my survey, despite needing at least 30. This is
because I originally only shared the link with my peers with the
hope that their parents would fill in my survey for me.
However, at the last minute I decided to share the survey on a
local Facebook group with an explanation as to what the research
was for and how it would help me when completing this
project. Once I had shared the survey here, I had much
more interest and doubled my responses
overnight. Unfortunately, I still wasn’t able to reach the desired
amount, however as I had received a fairly wide spread of
responses from my survey, I was still able to get a clear message
that the target audience liked my ideas with very little
improvements to be made.
Next time I send out a survey, I will prioritise places such
as Facebook groups as I am confident that I there will be much
more interest, with a larger outreach to the target audience of my
choice too.
The target audience of 40 – 60 have multiple areas that I could
focus on, however the main thing I want to highlight within my
work is nostalgia. This age group have high levels of anxiety due
to work. Hopefully my production will remind them of when
they were younger and much more carefree. This will
be especially evident within my music video as I have chosen a

Are you on track for the week?
What work needs to be completed in
your own time?
Week 3
What genres have you chosen and why?
What have you learnt from your
secondary research this week?
specific era to focus on, which is the 80s. I
want my nostalgic music video to reflect the
element of escapism that my audience enjoy,
while also showcasing parts of their youth that
they can remember fondly. A lot of my target
audience has interest in dramas, so my idea
for my short film I will aim to appeal to this.
My short is going to show a man of the target age bracket
looking in on a couple fighting. However, the plot is resolved
light heartedly, as the audience will find out in the final scene
that the couple were actually reading lines.
The age group of 40 – 60 is very different to the other group of
5–12-year-olds for multiple reasons. The most obvious one is
that they are of different maturity levels and content produced for
children has to be monitored and censored so that it won’t
 upset them in anyway. Whereas, with the older target
audience there is a lot more freedom.
The 40-60 age bracket also allows me to create plots that are
more advanced, as I am able to use flashbacks and non-linear
narratives to explain stories with more detail and context.
Whereas a piece made for the younger target audience would
need to be simple for them to understand.
YES
I need to complete the analysis on my survey in more detail.
This week was spent researching codes and conventions
I have chosen to make a drama for my short film because it is
known to be popular with the age group 40 – 60, and by choosing
a genre that they are already a big fan of its much easier to
produce something that I know will appeal to them. This also
gives me an opportunity to experiment with filming more dramas
and improve my skills and filming techniques for this genre. A
drama gives me much more room to experiment and push my
skillset when developing my ideas and planning my productions,
as I have a very small amount of prior knowledge on how to
effectively film a drama.
My music video doesn’t have a specific genre to it as I created
my ideas and planning off the feedback from my target audience
and what they have enjoyed in the past.
The theme for my music video is retro, vintage and nostalgic, so
I plan to largely base the concept of my film off creating a set
and camera angle style that matches retro music videos. This is
so I can be confident they will enjoy the video, as it will look
similar to what they used to enjoy greatly and will continue to
remind my audience of when they were younger.
My research this week has helped me to understand what makes
various productions successful. I have looked into the different
components within productions such as location, audio and
narrative and what the key codes and conventions for
different products are. For example, I have looked at how sound
can be used to communicate a narrative. From the animation that

How will this influence what you include
in your productions?
What are the key conventions for your
chosen genres? What MUST you include
for it to be that genre?
Are you on track for the week?
What work needs to be completed in
your own time?
we were shown, Foley sounds of footsteps
and music from specific areas in Europe help to
set the scene clearly, and other sounds such as a
character gasping shared how the character was
feeling without the need for dialogue. 
I also looked at Todorov’s theory, which is the
idea that every narrative follows the same five steps: equilibrium,
disruption, recognition, repair, and the new equilibrium. I
analysed two different short films to see if both matched this
structure, this was particularly interesting because it gave me the
chance to watch two shorts with very different narratives, and to
understand how sometimes directors chose not to follow
Todorov’s structure to make the short film more unique and
interesting as using his theory can at times limit the creativity in
how a story is told.
All of the research I have done this week will have a big impact
on my productions. I plan to use everything I have learnt this
week to improve my work and to ensure I create two productions
that are both at the highest quality possible, to ensure that that the
target audience enjoy them.
I will focus on creating interesting camera angles, that will help
tell the story to the audience more effectively, as this will help
the viewer understand the plot of my short film, even without
dialogue.
The music will be particularly important as it will play a huge
part in setting the mood for the scene. I plan to use music that
effectively communicates how the characters are feeling as well
as the severity of each situation. 
Another area of my research that will be reflected in my
productions is my research on location. My research on which
locations best suit my genre will also have a noticeable impact on
my productions as I will work hard to ensure they are appropriate
for the drama, to give the viewers slightly more context behind
the characters and their backstories, this is the same for my music
video too, as I will try and match the location with the good vibe
of the video by using a lake as one of the chosen locations.
One key convention of a drama is the narrative. Dramas usually
have a conflict in the narrative that leaves that is full of suspense.
Not all narratives follow the same structure, and it is common for
dramas to have non-linear narratives to allow for more
explanation of sub-plots and context behind the actions of the
characters, making the piece much more interesting.
Camera angles are also extremely important for my short film, as
there is no dialogue, I need to ensure that I use camera angles
that are simple and well thought through and capture characters
emotions, to ensure that I can make my production as easy as
possible for the audience to understand. This should allow me to
be able to use more complex plots as they are quickly able to
pick up the basic plot and then can work out the full plot.
Yes
Nothing, I am up to date.
Week 4
What have you learnt from you primary
research this week?
What developments do you need to make
to your production for it to meet these
codes and conventions requirements?
How did processing the results of your
research help you to understand it
thoroughly?
Are you on track for the week?
What work needs to be completed in
your own time?
Week 5
What did you learn from your planning?
How will this be useful as your
production process continues?
What issues did you encounter whilst
planning and how did you overcome
them?
This week was spent researching codes and
conventions
When doing my primary research, I looked into
colour grading different shots on Premier Pro. I
used different white balance settings on my
camera with the same lighting on the subject and I then imported
them to Premiere and tried to bring the colour grade back to what
the tones should look like.
By doing this it helped me to understand how important it is to
use the correct settings when shooting a scene, as even when
colour grading you can’t get the colours in the scene back to
what they should normal. This will help in the future to make
my shots show different tones to show an emotion in a scene.
When developing my story further I need to make sure that I
include Todorov’s theory for my short film as I think it will help
to bring more structure to my plot line. I will make sure to
continue to use all of these codes and conventions when I am
doing my final major project, as it will definitely help improve
the overall finish to my production.
By creating an infographic it help to highlight to me all the
important and most impactful answers from all of my research.
This has helped me to clarify exactly what the target audience are
looking for me to achieve in my productions.
I will use the most useful infographic statistics to ensure that my
productions match the requirements that the target audience have
suggest throughout the pre-production process, to ensure that I
always stay aligned to what they are looking for and never loose
track.
Yes
Nothing, as I am up to date.
This week was spent planning your productions
From my planning, I have learnt I need to allow for some more
time to finalise the set design and costume for both the short film
and music video, as these are key and important aspects of my
production and without effect mise-en-scene it will make it
harder for the audience to understand the plots of the production.
This will be useful as it means that I will make sure to finish off
outstanding work, so that I can spend time making the set design
to a much higher standard.
Making sure my pre-production planning is at a high standard
will also allow me to include time for contingencies encase an
actor drops out or the weather is bad, as I will then not have to
stress about not being able to film as I have planned it into the
schedule.
I have encountered a few issues whilst planning, all due to
COVID 19. This is because the rules on what we are legally
permitted to go out and do is constantly changing. This has
meant that I have had to cut down the crew to just myself doing
the lighting and shooting the productions. I have also had to get
my family to act for me on the short film instead of the actors
that I had previously booked, as there is a ban on meeting with

How much work did you complete
outside of the lessons?
Are you ready to film next week and if
not, what do you need to complete to be
ready?
Are your storyboards up to standard?
Week 6&7
How did you find the filming process?
Did you encounter any problems during
filming? How did you overcome them?
After reviewing footage, are you happy
with what you have captured?
Have the techniques you planned on
using turned out well?
What new techniques from your previous
units have you tried to use?
Are the locations you filmed at suitable
to your production?
Are you keeping up with your production
schedule?
people that are outside your bubble.
I have completed the pre-production booklets
for both productions outside of lessons, to
ensure that everything is ready to go for my
short film that is being shot next week. I have
also made sure that all outstanding work has
been finished too, as this means that I can focus
all my energy on producing two high quality productions, that
my target audience will enjoy.
Yes, I am fairly well prepared for the shoot next week, as I have
confirmed actors, location and crew for the shoot. My pre-
production planning is also completed too.
Yes, I have clearly label aspects of my storyboards with shot
types to help me understand the shots quicker, when I am
filming.
This week was spent filming
This filming has been extremely challenging due to Coronavirus.
I managed to film my short film before the heavier restrictions
were put in place.
The only issue I had when filming was having enough battery life
on my camera to get multiple takes of the same scene, so that I
could choose in post which take I wanted to use. The battery life
on the camera is only 20 minutes a battery, and I quickly ran out
of battery life.
To overcome this, I ran a 25-meter extension cable out from the
nearest outlet, so that I could power my camera off the mains
rather than having to rely on external batteries. This meant that I
didn’t have to rush and spend more time on each shot, as I didn’t
have a time restraint from the camera batteries.
After reviewing the footage from the shoot, I am very happy with
what I captured. This is because I spent more time getting extra
takes when shooting, so I could find the best take for each shot.
The camera angles that I used and the tracking pans and tilts on
the subject that I had planned out went very well. It took me
much longer than a static shot would take to film, however, I
believe the benefits of using the shot helped make the short film
more dynamic and interesting for the viewer to watch.
Previously, I have found that using lighting makes the visuals
look much more impactful and gives an extra dynamic to a
dramatic scene.
I focused on the lighting in my short film as I wanted to ensure
that the simple set up for the scene, was made more interesting
by the practical lighting that I used.
Yes, for my short film I have selected
Yes, however as the production schedule has had to change
because of the new lockdown, it has given me more time to finish
my short film, as I am now not able to film my music video.
Week 8&9
How are you finding the editing process
this week?
Have you encountered any problems
whilst editing? How did you overcome
them? Are there any new techniques you
are trying to use during this editing
process?
What aspects of your productions could
have been better targeted to your
audience?
How effectively have you matched the
codes and conventions you researched
earlier in the unit?
This week was spent editing
I have found the editing for the short film fairly straightforward,
as I had planned the short film very well with a high-quality shot
plan and storyboard. This meant it has been very simple to edit,
as I filmed all the necessary shots to make the short film flow
smoothly throughout the narrative.
I didn’t have any issues whilst filming from a technical point of
view, as I have practiced editing and now am able to get into a
flow whilst editing.
However, after reviewing a first draft of my edit, I decided that I
needed to try and stitch the lapse in time between the different
days together more smoothly. To do this, I added a simple
calendar flicking over the days that had pasted, this made it more
obvious to the audience that the interactions occurred on multiple
different days rather than one.
I also used two more subtle editing techniques to separate the
plot into different days whilst allow the short to still flow
smoothly by using colour grading to make the day looks different
visually. I made the first day fairly gloomy and cold, whereas the
second day looks much more autumnal. I did this by increasing
the red in the highlights slightly and adding more vibrance to the
scene to bring the colours in the trees out.
I also used a cross dissolve between the establishing shots of the
different days, this helped to show the weather changing slightly,
but continues to make the transition from day to day smoother
and more fluid.
I feel like because of my pre-production that was focused on the
opinions of my target audience, I have been able to produce a
short that is fairly relatable and enjoyable for my chose target
audience of 40–60-year-olds.
However, to target my audience better I could’ve used a couple
that were older, as this would have made the scene slightly more
relatable to my target age demographic.
I believe that I have effectively produced my short film with the
codes and conventions that I researched in the early unit, as I
made sure to planning them into my production during the
planning process.
Todorov’s theory was one of the conventions that I researched
for this short film. In my production I have included his theory as
there is an Equilibrium, Disruption, Recognition Repair the
Damage and Equilibrium Again. I think that I effectively used
this technique to show the different perspectives of the
characters, as the audience understands the full plot but not all
the characters get to see/understand the new equilibrium.
The bystander who oversees the entire plot walks off before the
women in the couple stops her ‘act’ in which we find out she was

How do you feel your work compares to
existing professional productions?
Are there any areas where your
production falls short? How would you
improve it next time?
What have you learnt about yourself to
take into the Final Major Project? What
do you personally need to improve on?
Are you on track with all of your work?
What work needs to be completed
outside of lessons?
just practicing the script.
I feel like my work compares fairly well, to
existing professional productions, as the camera
quality is very good and the camera angles are
well framed which helps to show off character
emotions effectively, just like the professional
productions.
I also spent some time making the lighting in the room the couple
are in bright with halogen lights to give off a golden glow to the
room. This was to contrast the gloomy, dark and cold look of the
rest of the shot, which helps the audience to focus on the actors
in the shot.
Originally, I had different actors for the short. However, because
of Covid they weren’t able to travel for the shoot. My backup
actors didn’t have the same amount of on screen presents, they
also weren’t the age of the original actors which made them less
relatable to the target audience. In future, I will find backup
actors that are better suited to the roles of the characters, so that
the target audience can relate more to the plot.
I have learnt that I need to ensure that I complete all the work on
time with the deadline, as I found that if I don’t complete the
work, before more work is set. I will often loss track of what I
have fully completed yet and then it is left until the unit of the
unit to complete multiple pieces of unfinished work, which adds
more pressure on at the end of each project. I will ensure that
ALL work is completed, before I move on to a new piece to
ensure that I don’t get a build-up of work at the end of the
project.
Yes
Just finishing up small bit of work over the entire unit, add
photos to areas etc.