I think the combination of my finished film and film poster is very effective. The poster is simple and asks many questions- it sets the tone for the film and raises some of the main themes: loss, marriage, an empty/circular lifestyle (empty symbolised by empty space, circular obviously by the ring). The wooden surface and warm lighting is an indication of domesticity and suggests genre.
From my audience I have learnt that I may need to simplify some of the concepts in my films considering the audience and the time I have to develop such conceits. In my main task I intend to make it as conventional and simple as possible. The majority of audience feedback is good and professional filmmakers have described it as “genuinely moving” and “affecting”. However, some found it difficult to connect with the character and so feel sorry for her, which was kind of the point. So I need to try and incorporate more ‘hooks’ to draw in the audience and perhaps more obvious symbols/signifiers to explain how the audience should be feeling, rather than leaving it ambiguous/trying to make it universal.
I have developed my technical skills (point of focus, editing, the usual natural development), and I have furthered my education in character development, plot points, screen writing and evoking emotion which I have been doing anyway by reading screenplay theory. Or rather, I tried to put what I have recently learned into practice. I think I need to work harder on accentuating certain aspects of my writing that may perhaps be a little difficult to grasp but are important on shedding light on themes and narrative structure.
For example, the audience was supposed to understand that she had been depressed when Jim was still alive, but never acknowledged it. This was explained through the first part of the dialogue: “Jim would always know how to cheer me up when I was feeling like this […] Of course it wouldn’t make me as happy as he always was, but the fact that he was there made me feel a little bit better” She felt as she does on the day of the film when Jim was still alive- but he could make her feel a little bit better. Such is the nature of depression- it is not possible to make people with depression better simply by being happy around them or ‘cheering them up’ but Jim’s death threw Caroline into depression like she had never known. But as she is clinging onto a past life, she sees it in the same way. I think ideas like this have to be explained a bit more clearly to the audience so that people don’t think she should have ‘got over it’ or ‘cheer up’. The point is that she can’t because of her mental illness.
For the main task, therefore, I need to focus more on deciding a definite reaction/emotion/feeling from the audience and making that work. This will involve probably dumbing down themes and plots, but it’s a Thriller so that will come fairly naturally anyway. It’s perhaps about thinking ‘how can I make the audience understand what’s going on in my head and what do I want them to take away from it?’ and then writing the screenplay and deciding how I’m going to shoot it accordingly. I’m not sure what I’m going to do for my thriller but it will probably focus on a male main character and I plan to show some kind of breakdown/defamation before a resolution. Three part narrative structure, two defined plot points taking me from set-up (whereby the man will be set-up as a likeable character) to conflict (where it will breakdown and he will be victimised/defamed/outcast something like that) to resolution (where he will either die or resolve it himself). I will probably try to give a happy ending, as I haven’t really done so in my work so far. So maybe he shouldn’t die if I’ve set him up to be a likeable character…
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