Evaluation

   After carrying out my questionnaire, I found that, all of the people I surveyed said that my production did look like a short film, though it was for various reasons. They also suggested some improvements which I found helpful.

   Several people said that the film’s length and portrayal of a topical issue (homelessness) both help to make it look authentic. Another said a valuable life lesson was part of the moral that the story tells and that the conveyance of a message was very significant. I was happy that the film successfully conveyed the intended message, which is one of the key conventions of a short film. Also, the fact that it was identifiable as a short film to every member of its audience means that it fulfilled its purpose.

   When I compared my film to other films that I had watched, as part of my research, I was happy as it mirrored different films in different ways. For example, my film focused on an important issue- homelessness – whilst telling a story. I was also happy as my film addressed other issues – such as materialism versus spiritualism and fate. This was shown through the protagonist’s realisation that material items don’t always bring happiness and was compounded by her declaration of peace at the end, despite her seemingly hopeless situation.  My film also included fate as part of its storyline – which was inspired by the film Sliding Doors. At first, my film was going to include a scene with a bus, and the different events that would occur if the protagonist caught or missed the bus. However, my film would be too long if I included this scene, so I had to allude to it instead.

   The people I surveyed also said that the film was enjoyable and was effective as it provided a message through a story. It also engaged the viewer, but still conveyed its message. I was happy, as I wanted my short film to be enjoyable, as I found some short films to be too long – some were fifteen minutes. This meant that some films felt too long and slow-paced which is what I didn’t want for my film. For example, The Undertaker – a story about an undertaker – was very jolty and uncomfortable to watch. I felt that the time limit – five minutes was perfect for my film as it allows the film to tell its story, without being slow-paced or boring.  

   Watching other short films – both professional and amateur, was really helpful as I was able to envisage how long my film would be. I developed their conventions as they helped me to decide on my plot, and helped me decide on the types of shots I would use in different scenes. It gave me an insight into the conventions of short films and illustrated how they are different to normal films – e.g. shots, storylines, and symbolism. My film used these conventions as it has a message and conveys a clear message. I did challenge some conventions – most notably the timeline – as most short films had plots that took place in a short period of time, whereas the events in mine occurred over a period of a few weeks.

   Other people who were surveyed said that my film looked authentic mostly because of the poster and review that accompanied it. These were the ancillary tasks that I was required to produce. They both took around two weeks to complete and were reasonably easy to finish. I used the same picture from the poster in my review to establish a sense of continuity and uniformity. This means that my film, poster and review all look as if they are part of the same production, which is what I was aiming for.

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