This week we presented Project Brief Three in a kind of ‘film festival’ style…screening all projects from start to finish with no discussion or explanation. I much preferred this method of presentation. Being first allowed me to sit back and enjoy watching everyone’s projects without having to worry about mine appearing amongst some of the very impressive portraits. I particularly enjoyed Dustys which was on a taxidermist… interesting subject and very well constructed. Check it out.

We were then put into groups to give and receive feedback on our portraits…here is some of the feedback I gave my group members.

I thought Gloria’s was one of the most creative in terms of using found footage. I loved the connection between the subject and animals as well as the use of filters to emphasize that connection. I was told by Gloria that she wanted to incorporate her subjects interests in planes however, I felt these shots were a little out of place and could have been approached differently. But overall I enjoy the sarcastic elements involved and look forward to seeing more of her work.

The opening shot of Ali’s portrait really stood out. Although few words were spoken in this shot it strangely seemed to tell more about the subject than the interview itself. Capturing such meaningful shots like that is definitely something I learnt from this portrait. I also liked the metaphorical connection between the two found footage shots towards the end…showing a man with nothing but a tie and his underwear to a man in a suit floating on a balloon in the city helped to tell the story of his subject.

I enjoyed the simplicity of Emma’s portrait, it had a sense of randomness cutting straight to particular event that happened in Europe…sometimes it’s unnecessary to give too much detail. I did feel as if more B-roll was needed as well as including further found footage to create a better picture of the story being told… but overall a very light-hearted and enjoyable media portrait.

My group members also gave me some helpful feedback that I will take into consideration for future projects. My music volume was too high, which ultimately drew attention away from the dialogue. They enjoyed the black and white handheld shots as it created a very personal atmosphere and my integration of original and found footage was also effective.

Happy days