Introduction
As I understand it the Zenith product was supposed to help us learn more about something of our choice, and let us practice whatever skill of our choosing to an extent we deemed was reasonable. We call it the Zenith project because it’s supposed to be us succeeding on our own. Being able to display skills we had learned at Freestyle Academy.
My Zenith project was the re-creation of my experimental film, which was a major challenge for me. Because I had really struggled doing the first experimental, I wanted to make a second that was creative and weird, while also leaving it open enough to be interpreted in a variety of ways.
For my Production Class Film, I used my editing skills to make
something fun and weird. Focused on lighting and making sure the audio was working. Mostly planning on playing around to see what I can make by just trying out things that are less straightforward, or common.
Process
My process included making a synopsis and then a storyboard to use as guidelines. I was not however able to stick strictly to my storyboard as I had constraints that made me have to adapt from my original plan. This includes challenges such as limited actors and time, and the actual creation of the costume which was planned to be much faster an easier to create than how it actually was. However, I was very happy with the look of my product and don’t mind the amount of time it took to create. The rough idea that I used in my synopsis is as follows.
The film was planned to be a mock National Geographic documentary where we follow a cardboard box man. The characters are as follows: a cardboard box man who is tall (at least 6 feet, and consists of a variety of amazon delivery boxes, with a face that is drawn in with marker), a cameraman who never takes (his face out of his camera and is often found looking in the wrong direction oblivious), a reporter (who speaks tons of nonsense, often misinterpreting and misinforming people with false facts and information). We arrive on scene to watch him watering his shoes and returning inside. We follow him as he starts his day fist delivering miscellaneous items to a variety of different houses in return for other items. Things such as a deodorant container with no deodorant in it for a box of staples. Some glasses without lenses for some soaking wet magazines. Two left shoes for a bowl of cereal. Which he promptly pours on his head. Returning home he unpeels a banana, utilizing scotch tape and staples to reseal it. He viciously beats another cardboard box with a bat. In his backyard he takes some beans and pours them into a pair of boots that he then dons. He goes and plays at the playground after he goes on a walk. Taking a shower getting his cardboard box body all wet, he then goes and swims in the pool somewhat similar to a shark, all until he sees the people that are viewing him. Where he then sinks down in the pool, disappearing, whilst his cardboard box body floats up in different portions. Reaching into the pool, specifically the box that was once the man’s head, the National Geographic Reporter is able to retrieve a pair of plushie dice for a car.
Product
Zenith Project Reflection
I chose this Zenith project because I wanted to try and see if I could improve upon what I made in my first year at freestyle, which was the Experimental film. I really struggled with the experimental film and what exactly it should be, and how it should look, which is why I wanted to try to make something that would at least beat what I made then.
I didn’t have any artistic influences for this project, but I did watch some experimental films, including at least one that we had seen in our first year.
The biggest struggle with this project was finding people to help me work on it. I had one friend who helped me out on every production day, even when we had to cancel or reschedule, or didn’t have a whole lot of time, or a whole lot planned he showed. He was a big help in the making of the costume, which I didn’t foresee taking a long time, but it actually turned out to take about as long as the shooting of the whole thing.
If I could do this over I would definitely spend more time branching out and making sure to have many different options for actors that I could pull on short notice, the other actors I had proved to be very busy except this can partly be attributed to the part of the year. I also think that I should’ve tried to get other film students to assist me in my filming if they were willing, as there was one shot in my film that I could not reshoot, and if I had more help and angles I think it could’ve been a much more interesting and fun shot.
I think the skill I improved the most on was my organization and my ability to adapt. I was able to meet my deadlines more than I was in my previous projects this year. I was also able to improvise when I didn’t have actors that I wanted or, there were problems with the costume, or when I needed to come up with new shots to take when I couldn’t do the ones that I had previously thought up. My ability to improve in these areas was my determination to finish stronger this year than I had started, and I’m happy with it.
I think I’ll be able to apply my problem solving skills that I learned here in the future, additionally, the ability to see my work, not think it’s the best, but go forward with it knowing that I have my own limits and being a perfectionist or uncertain of myself will only delay the process and make it harder upon myself.
I think that this was a good way to elevate my skills and my experiences, as I was working on my own on a project, and had nobody else to really rely on. I had to make decisions quickly, on set and off, be flexible and willing to change plans, and have backup plans.
Overall, this project was likely not the best work I have produced, however I had a good amount of fun making this project. Out of all my film projects, this was probably the most fun to produce despite the fact that there’s a number of different problems that I had with this piece.