Bibliography

Bibliography

Websites

How to create a good documentary
http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Good-Documentary-Film   (14, 3,2014)

Nature Documentary

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_documentary        (16, 3,2014)

Wildlife Filmmaking

http://www.wildeye.co.uk/gettingstarted.html         (19, 3,2014)

History and Ethics of Wildlife Filmmaking

http://www.wildfilmhistory.org/education.php     (27, 3,2014)

Getting Started in Wildlife Filmmaking
http://www.iawf.org.uk/articles/index.asp?articleid=1005   (1,4,2014)

Wildlife Filmmaking

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/uk/indepth/wildlife-filming.shtml      (1, 4,2014)

The Grey Wolf

http://www.onekind.org/be_inspired/animals_a_z/wolf_grey/    (4,4,2014)

Wolf Behaviour
http://www.runningwiththewolves.org/Behavior1.htm      (8,4,2014)

Wolf Attacks on Humans

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_attacks_on_humans    (12,4,2014)

History of Wolves in Yellowstone

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wolves_in_Yellowstone    (15, 4,2014)

Levi Holt

http://idahoptv.org/productions/specials/predatorlegends/holt.cfm   (20,4,2014)

How wolves can save ecosystems

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/how-wolves-can-save-ecosystem 
(23 ,4,2014)

Wolf Hunting Methods

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_hunting#Methods    (27,4,2014)

Camera Angles
http://www.mediaknowall.com/camangles.html   (28,4,2014)

Documentaries

Martin Clunes: A Man and His Dogs (2008)
Ian Leese [Documentary] Buffalo Pictures, Independent Television (ITV)

Carl Sagan On Evolution- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl89HIJ6HDo

BlackFish, (2013)
Gabriela Cowperthwaite [Documentary Film] Magnolia Pictures

Grizzly Man (2005)
Werner Herzog [Documentary Film] Lions Gate Films (USA)/ Revolver Entertainment (UK)

Land of the Lost Wolves (2012)
[Nature Documentary] BBC

Project Nim (2011)
James Marsh [Documentary Film] Icon Film Distribution (UK)

Roadside Attractions (USA)

Wolf Battlefield [Nature Documentary] BBC

Living With the Wolfman (2008)
[Documentary] Animal Planet

Books

Bordwell D & Thompson K, (1 Jan 2010) , Film Art An Introduction, McGraw-Hill Higher Education; 9 edition

Burnie, David, (2000), The Concise Animal Encyclopaedia, London, Kingfisher Publications

Ellis, Shaun (2010), Wolf Within, UK, HarperCollinsPublishers

Green, Jen (2001), Wolves, London, Anness Publishing Ltd

Hampe, Barry (2007) Making Documentary Films and Video, Henry Holt and Company

Morris, Desmond (1967), The Naked Ape, Great Britain, Jonathan Cape Ltd

Articles

Borrell, Brendan (2009), ‘Why does Sarah Palin support shooting wolves in Alaska?’, Scientific American
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/palin-shooting-wolves/

Henig, Samantha (2008), ‘Aerial Wolf Gunning 101’, Slate

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2008/09/aerial_wolf_gunning_101.html

Visits

Dartmoor Zoo- 6/5/2014

Grant Museum of Zoology-14/4/2014

National History Museum-14/4/2014

UK Wolf Conservation Trust- 22/4/2014

Project Evaluation

REVIEW OF FINAL MAJOR PROJECT (FMP)

Student Name: Molly Diable                     Pathway: Media Production

Final Major Project Title: ‘In the Company of Wolves’

You will need to submit this evaluation with your full project hand in

1. Briefly describe the final outcome of your project and the progress you have made, and if applicable how it differs from your original Project Proposal:

My final outcome for my FMP is a documentary about wolves, particularly the relationships that humans have with them. I wanted to break the prejudice that people have against wolves by showing that they really aren’t evil creatures, as people perceive them to be. I feel that through this project my ideas, skills and confidence have grown immensely. I feel that I have gained a lot more knowledge and skill in documentary filmmaking, as before this project I knew very little about making a documentary. I have also been able to build on my skills within camera work and editing. And now feel a lot more confident in myself. I also feel that my researching skills have improved as during this project I researched a lot further into certain subjects as well as researched about my subject, which in effect gave me a lot more ideas that I wouldn’t have acquired otherwise. I do think that my final film was changed since my original idea, as at the beginning my idea on making a documentary on wolves was very broad. I didn’t know exactly have area of wolves I should focus on or what aspect could give me a good story for my film. However through experimentation and research I was able to narrow down my films content so it was very concise and focused on one topic to do with wolves. This I feel has made my project a lot stronger and has allowed me to grow within the way I work.

2. What methods have you used to show how your learning has effected your project eg FMP Blog/ FMP Plan/ sketchbooks etc, and how has this helped with development of your work:

I have found my sketchbook extremely helpful throughout the FMP. It has enabled me to keep track of my thought and ideas. I have also found it really helpful in regard to recording my research, as I find if I write things out I will remember them a lot easier. Having this physical research in my sketchbook has allowed me go back and look at my research and ideas whenever I have been unsure of something. Similarly I have found the blog really helpful as it has allowed me to post all my research and ideas in a much neater form. It has also been a good way for me to analyse and evaluate my work. The FMP plan did help me as a guideline to what I wanted to achieve, however I wasn’t able to stick to it all of the time because of filming availability etc.

3. List the targets met (from the original FMP Plan and any that were added later):

1. Research subject 2. Improve filming and editing skills 3. Be able to educate/inform people through good filming techniques

4. Reflecting on your overall final major project, please discuss any developments which have contributed to the final outcome:

I think the biggest development throughout my project was deciding on a certain area of wolves, in this case focusing on disproving the prejudice against them, by looking at the wolfs relationship with humans. I feel that through my research I was able to conclude to this idea and in doing so this made me focus my project on a serious, real issue that is present in the world today. And similarly this has made my final film a lot more successful.

5. Please state what advice you received from others during your FMP, and discuss what you found particularly useful: you should refer to group reviews, one-to-one tutorials and feedback from evaluation groups

Throughout this project I have been in crits with both my peers and tutors who have listened to my ideas and given me advice on whether they think my ideas will be successful or not. I have found the advice from tutors particularly helpful throughout this project, as they have been very encouraging and enthusiastic about my work, giving me the confidence to do stuff I was unsure of doing. Throughout my project the tutors and my peers have been very excited about my project idea. During a crit with Seb and some of my peers, Seb told me that he thought that the idea for my documentary was good and different to the normal structure of animal documentaries. From that crit I received a lot of positive feedback from my peers, which really gave me a confidence boost in what I was doing. I also received regular feedback from my family at home, as well friends who would watch my edits regularly.

6. Key points to take away – things to change about my approach (give at least 2) eg improve time management, what skills you have developed and how this will affect your future course/career and things to continue doing and to build on (give at least 2). What are you going to do next year? (NOTE – you may find it useful to refer to this document at the beginning of your next self managed project.)

I think if I were to do this project again I would focus on time management a bit more, therefore this would avoid any panicking. I think I would also concentrate more on production planning more as I feel I could’ve done more during this project. Throughout this project I feel that my editing skills have improved and I have taken more aspects of filmmaking into consideration such as camera work and sound. The main aspect that I have learnt the most to consider is story structure and this is something I will continue to work on. I have also learnt to research around my subject instead of just focusing on the obvious research, in doing so I feel my ideas have been able to develop much further. Next year I am staying on at Ravensbourne to do a degree in Television Production. I feel that all the skills I have developed and gained will benefit me a lot throughout my studies at Ravensbourne.

                                                                                   

Feedback

I wanted to find out peoples opinions on my work and get feedback on improvements that I could work on next time. I sent the questions to various friends both in and out of Ravensbourne to find out their views on my work.

Below are the questions I asked:

1. Before watching my documentary can you write down your opinion on wolves?

2. After watching my documentary can you explain whether your opinions on wolves have changed, if yes or no please explain why?

3. Can you give me some feedback on the documentary and what could be improved next time?

Here are some of the questionnaires that I received back form people:

Overall the feedback that I received was very positive. From peoples comments they felt that I should've extended the film and gone into more depth. It was also mentioned that my film and the people interviewed in it were very pro wolf. It was suggested that I had interviewed people against wolves. 

Final Film

Here is the link to my final film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flQt67m5Teg

I uploaded my final film onto youtube for people to see

I also linked my film onto my Facebook page for my friends to see and give me feedback on

Overall I am very pleased with the outcome of my final film. At the start of the project, even though I loved the idea of my documentary I had a lot of doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be able to make the documentary how I had imagined it to be. However through a lot of discussion with my tutors and peers they definitely gave me the confidence that I could make this documentary. Being an animal lover I thoroughly enjoyed the research aspect of the project, as I was able to study deeply into my subject (wolves). I also gained a lot more knowledge on documentary and wildlife film making. I feel that by studying this type of film making it has encouraged me to potentially build a career in either field. I feel that I have been very fortunate during this project, especially with the people that I have interviewed. The UK Wolf Conservation Trust were extremely welcoming and supportive of my project, allowing me to spend the day at their trust when it was closed to the public. I was able to capture a lot of footage of socialised wolves and the keepers at the trust were very helpful when it came to answering my questions. I also interviewed wolf expert Shaun Ellis, a man who I have been a fan of for many years and to be able to film him was an amazing experience. Even more so to see up close Shaun interacting with his wolves.

During the editing process I think what I struggled with the most was trying to get my film in a good structure that made sense and enabled my film to run smoothly. Structure in a film/documentary wasn't something that I had ever paid great attention to before, however I now value its importance to a film and I feel that I have managed to create a structure/storyline that works well for my film. Overall I was very pleased with the collection of footage that I managed to get during filming. However when it came to editing it was harder than I thought to place certain footage with the audio that I had. If I were to do this again I would allow myself more time to look over my interview footage and then go back and do some more filming, if I felt I needed better footage to go with it.

Another aspect of editing that I found difficult was sound. Sound is an area I don't know to much about and my film needed quite a bit of editing due to both my interviews being outside. A lot of my footage from the UKWCT had wind interference, therefore I had to lower the sound levels so it couldn't be heard as much. Similarly the footage of Shaun Ellis had a lot of background noise from other animals in the zoo that I was filming in. So again I had to alter the sound levels so this couldn't be heard as much. However although some of the background noise my footage picked up was very loud, the majority of it was rather subtle. And I feel this worked really well with my film, as the background noise was very natural and suited to the whole 'wildlife' aspect of the documentary. If I were to do this again however I would take the sound into consideration more. I was also advised by my tutor Seb to next time use a different editing software such as premiere, as it allows you to have a lot more control over editing sound. So this is something that I will keep in mind for the future.

I can honestly say I have extremely enjoyed working on this project as it has enabled me to combine two passions of mine together, film and animals. I feel that I have gained a lot more knowledge and have built up a lot more confidence in regard to trying out new things and being more experimental. This project has allowed me to build on skills that I will certainly use in the future, as well as taught me new skills that I hadn't before had the confidence to use.