The creative process of project brief 3 was both a challenging and interesting one. Personally I am happy with how the product turned out overall, with the edits being mostly quick, sharp cuts to create a clean and polished finish. I enjoyed syncing voiceovers with footage, as I feel like it is effective in communicating the dialogue through another visual means, rather than only concentrating on images of the subject for the film’s entirety. Although I am pleased with these aspects, I am not as satisfied with the diversity of the portrait. This comes down to the footage I shot myself, which as a whole did not provide enough to work with, causing challenges with cutting and editing. However, if I had accumulated more footage, I feel as though I would have had much more breathing space in which I could have more comfortably cut as I pleased without the restrictions of inadequate content.

            Creating a portrait of another individual is a task that needs to be thoroughly prepared. It was tough to pinpoint one specific topic to ask about, then to draw up questions or starting sentences to stimulate answers. Although you may have envisioned the product you wish to create, you need to realise that the individual you are interviewing may not necessarily be in your mind space, and therefore may not follow the script you have imagined. This is where I have learnt that it is crucial to simply go where the conversation takes you, which may lead to candid and rich footage that you did not anticipate prior to shooting.

            I have come to see the advantages and disadvantages of the constraint of including “found footage” within the project. If suitable footage is found, it is an excellent way of adding something that you didn’t realise you needed, which can definitely enhance the overall product. This said, it was difficult for me to find relevant footage that had the potential to tie in with the nature of the portrait. As a media practitioner, it is beneficial in having sources that allow you to use footage provided by others, along with allowing you to be exposed to others’ works that could influence you own.