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.