My movie is born first in my head, dies on paper; is resuscitated by the living persons and real objects I use, which are killed on film but, placed in a certain order and projected on to a screen, come to life again like flowers in water.
– Robert Bresson

This quote really resonates with me, as I have always been told by media teachers even from high school that a film is made three times; when it is written, when it is filmed, and when it is edited. I have found these statements to be true with previous projects I have worked on, where the finished product is always different to the original vision that had been written by the screenwriter.

There are a lot of reasons as to why this may be the case. One could be that the screenwriter may not be actively involved in the filmmaking of the script, and therefore other people’s creative vision and interpretation differentiate from the original. Another reason could be due to the revision of the writer-director, who may decide to refine ideas or his/her vision through the processes of filming and editing. It could also be due to a lack of streamlined pre-production where planning of each step of the filmmaking process isn’t fleshed out completely. Filmmaking is inherently a collaborative process, and working with other people means that they will come up with different ideas and suggestions as to how to best film or edit the script in question.

I don’t want to look at these variables as negatives, but rather keep them in mind when putting my research proposal into practice. It’s important to be aware of how a vision can change over time, and to remind myself that it is not only okay, but exciting to adapt and change my perspective on how to film and edit a scene. The whole process of filmmaking is fluid, and changes are made constantly; rather than being afraid of this happening during my practice, I need to embrace it and reflect on it.

As I have said in previous reflections, I have always thought that my method of working would be restricted by working on something I had written and envisioned. The last thing I want is to not be able to think creatively and think outside of the box. To ensure this, I need to embrace the concept that ‘a film is made three times’ and allow my vision to change throughout the processes; reflecting on what factors may influence that.