Statement

My project was about the mental illness of dementia and how it significantly affects a person’s life and emotions. I originally was basing my film on my great-grandparents, both of whom are in care homes suffering from dementia. However, due to their health, both mental and physical, I was unable to film without causing a lot of distress and emotional upset. Therefore, I decided to base my film on my Nan, whom suffers from slight forgetfulness, especially with misplacing items.

I spent the day analysing my Nan’s movements and habits, and soon began to notice that she often misplaced her cup of tea and made another one, only to find it again moments later. I decided that this would form a solid base for my film, and reflected a real life situation. My finished product shows early onset dementia with the misplacement of items being a symptom, including the emotions and stress a person must feel when they cannot remember people or places but know that they should.

Overall, I am really happy with how my video turned out. I had used Premiere Pro before for basic editing of files and music videos, but they had always been pre-constructed and only needed slight tweaking to audio and effects that we used to fade clips together. I am really proud of being able to say I produced a product from start to finish. I also learnt how to use a Canon C100 on this project, which is a professional broadcast standard cinema camera used by organisations such as the BBC and ITV. I understand that in the future, this still will be vital if I want to expand my work into the video production industry.

I researched a lot into the work of Keith Arnatt, and originally planned to use small notes and reminders around the video. However, upon reviewing my video after I had added these files, I came to realise that they looked out of place. The notes were filmed at a later date in my own house; so do not match the lighting that was present in my Nan’s house. I wish back when I was filming the main body of footage, I had of followed my storyboard, because I missed out a lot of footage such as the clock and notes, which I had to film at a later date. My research into Christopher Nunn and Phillip Toledano was really helpful in setting up close up shots which were very still such as of eyes and faces. They were really effective when overlaid with the sound of the clock ticking! My first final render contain the sound of the clock ticking in the background, very quietly, but I preferred the silence in-between clips and removed it.

In conclusion, I am happy with my final piece and have gained a lot of knowledge of videographers and filmmakers that I am sure will benefit me in my future studies and blogs. I have also gained experience in filmmaking and editing techniques which will boost my CV should I continue practicing.