The Henley College 62441

Quinn James 979526

March 18th, 2020
Women in Film
Television, documentaries
Rationale (100 words)

I think I did very well throughout the 8 units. I may have lacked in the creative aspect, where I found
it hard to come up with ideas and my production quality was not very good, for example, I found
making a stop-motion animation very hard due to my lack of experience with animation, and my
short film about LGBTQ+ homelessness was not as emotive or effective as I wanted it to be.
However, because of this, I made sure that my evaluations were the best that they could be. My first
unit, where I made a documentary, I got a Merit, however, I then improved to getting Distinctions
throughout the rest of my work.

Through the process of making more productions, I improved on my editing and framing. For my first
assignment, which was a factual programme, I used b-roll to cover up cuts and a voice over.
However, I think my piece would have been better if it includes more voices overs to give a rest to
the viewers, so then they don’t get overwhelmed by the amount and length of the interview section,
this then making my piece easier to watch.

In these past 8 units I have been able to understand how long it takes to make a piece, and how
much thought must go into a piece, especially if you want to make a great piece. I have also learnt
how to edit sound. I found the work where we made our own sounds for Jurassic Park the most
enjoyable.

At the beginning of the course I was most interested in video editing, and I still am. However now, I
find the research and planning section enjoyable. I can learn about a new medium and research
what make my piece on. I found researching the Titanic immensely enjoyable, because it is a point in
history that everyone knows about, and when I was in secondary school, history was my favourite
subject.

Through the course, I have heavily enjoyed the research, sound and editing sections. I want these to
be reflected in my final major project, and hopefully my editing can be improved because it is
something that I aspire to do in the future.

My immediate aspirations are to get a distinction in my FMP and make the best work that I can, and
I hope that my piece educates people and makes people think. In more long-term thoughts, I would
like to improve my skills and keep learning, whilst meeting new people in the industry/people who
are interested in film, so I can learn from them as well.
 The Henley College 62441
Quinn James 979526
March 18th, 2020
Women in Film
Television, documentaries
Project Concept (200 words)

The concept of my piece is a documentary about the role which women play in films and the
development of it over the years. Women were known to be mainly being the helpers to men, such
as assistants, and where men were usually the murderers (Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers & Jason),
and rarely a in mainstream film did we see a female who was a strong lead, such as Kill Bill rarely
occurring. However, now films like Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey and Charlie’s Angels are being
released, where women aren’t being objectified and dismissed like they used to be.

I aim to educate people on the topic but to also start conversations about women in film and ask
why it has taken so long for films such as Wonder woman and Birds of Prey to be made.

For my piece I will:

- Look at different movies and compare the role of women

- Investigate why it has taken so long for women to be seen in films as independent strong
characters
- if anything (e.g. cross-dressing acting in Renaissance England) stunted this development
- Watch video essays, find articles
- Interview people of different ages about their opinions of women in film (People I know
have said they find female lead roles annoying and having most of a cast female, seem too
obvious for equality and pushy)

My piece will be/have:

- 10-20-minute documentary
- Multiple interviews from a range of people
- Voiceovers
- Rhetorical questions
- Clips from a variety of films showing women (to prove a point & for B-roll)

For interviews I will need an extra camera and a tripod, one camera for the close up shot and one for
the long shot. I will also require a microphone, so then my interviews can hold the best quality
possible. I will be able to use my own camera, tripod and gimbal. I will only use studios if necessary, I
will find locations for interviews which are reasonable and suitable for the person I am interviewing.

I find it easier to work at home/in quiet places, so during my free time where I don’t have a lesson or
tutorial is cancelled, I will work in the library or student work area on the campus, to ensure that I
am on top of my work. Also, during tutorial, I will ask my peers for improvements and advice on my
work so I can improve.
 The Henley College 62441
Quinn James 979526
March 18th, 2020
Women in Film
Television, documentaries
Evaluation (50 words)

Throughout my FMP, I will ask my peers and teachers for feedback with my ideas and my production
itself. I will reflect on this feedback and I will document this in weekly blogs and be analytical about
the decisions that I make, ensuring that they are the right decisions. I will ask questions such as “will
this contribute to make my piece more interesting?” and “Is this necessary? Or will it overwhelm the
audience?” this ensuring that I only put in valuable information. At the end of the FMP, I will look
back at each stage of the process, such as research, editing, camera work and etc, and evaluate on
what went well and what I could have improved on.

I intend on recording both my decision making and changes of ideas in my weekly blog, each week I
will talk about what changed and why I made specific decisions. Hopefully, when I come to my final
evaluation, I can look back on these decisions and changes, and contemplate if these were the right
decisions to be made.