During the Pre-Production of our film Turds to Birds, my group and I did not have specific roles decided for each person, and therefore we all contributed to how the story was going to be filmed. Even though we decided to film another story, everyone in my group contributed to each scene and each take. Our group’s MVP is probably Ben Ratner, mainly because he handled most of the technical work involved in the film. He made rough cuts of our project and allowed us to give him our opinions and inputs to how the movie should be changed or altered. When coming up with the actual idea and plot of the film, we all worked together really well and gave constructive criticism on each other’s ideas.
The Production phase of the film was just as effective and productive as the pre-production phase. Once we decided on a basic idea of what the film was going to be about, and once we decided we were going to shoot the film in the smaller gym area near the West Gym of the school, the rest seemed to flow and the ideas came naturally. After realizing most of the shots were only a few seconds long, however, we realized that adding a “two weeks later” part to the film would help us extend the film’s length. Also, it helped emphasize the meaning behind the whole film, which is that info-mercials are not always as they seem to be, and do not always provide the results they say they will.
Within the film, there are many cinematic techniques used to add something extra to the film. For example, one cinematic technique we used was camera angles, specifically high and low angle shots. This was used when Lauren first met the “workout trainers” to show that she was inferior to their knowledge of training and athletic abilities. Also, a high angle shot was used when Lauren could not handle the weights in the weight class scene, and when Gavin was yelling at her, a low angle shot was used to emphasize his strict workout routine and his motivation to help Lauren succeed.
Another cinematic technique used was music. In some parts of the film, the music was there just to serve as a beat and rhythm for the step and dance classes. However, the song “Sexy Chick” by Akon is utilized as a diegetic sound at first, but then once Lauren enters the gym, it is used as a non-diegetic sound. This is because the trainers are first showing their skills to the audience, but then the song is used as irony when Lauren, a girl who considers herself to be “fat,” walks in and the trainers make fun of her appearance.
A third cinematic technique used was the framing and shots in each scene. Close-ups were used to show the difference in the weight size between Lauren and Gavin, and to show that the workout for Gavin was much easier than that for Lauren and show that the trainers aren’t as good as they are made out to be. Also, a close-up was used when Lauren was talking about how ineffective the classes she was taking were and how the classes weren’t working for her. Long shots were used to show the difference between Lauren and the trainers both when Lauren started the classes and after two weeks.
Besides these techniques, there was a lot of editing used in the film. In one specific part of the film, a dissolve was used when Sherin was teaching the dance to Lauren and Lauren did not know the dance, even after some time past. This showed Lauren didn’t really know what she was doing at first, which caused Sherin to get upset and yell at Lauren. A voiceover was also used in the beginning credits of the film so that the audience knew that Lauren was calling to the “Turds to Birds” workout center to order what the info-mercial said and so that the audience knows what Lauren is getting into.
The fifth technique used was camera movement in our film Turds to Birds. The camera was tracking Lauren when she first entered the gym in the background and also captured the reactions of the trainers in the foreground. This was used to show that the attention was on Lauren and at the moment she was the most important person in the frame.
Post-Production of our film Turds to Birds was productive and everyone in the group was able to communicate and work together well. Ben originally posted rough cuts in a message on Facebook so that everyone in the group can watch. While watching, everyone was checking for details that could be altered or removed completely from the film. Once most of the editing and title work was completed, then the music was added into the film. Each person provided links to Youtube for Ben to add into the film so that each song can be used in each of the classes.
Looking back on the whole process of the film, I realized that it is very complicated and time-consuming to make a film from start to finish. However, the reaction from other students who watched this film has been very positive, which shows that the hard work we put into the film truly paid off. In the future, if I was to make another movie, I think it would be beneficial to thoroughly prepare every shot the group is going to use before actually shooting so that the group knows what exactly is going on and what to expect and prepare for. Also, I think the next film I make should use wardrobe to also play a part in the underlying meaning of the film. Wardrobe did not really play a part in the film, but it probably would have been more effective if it did. Overall, film is definitely a form of art, and should be treated as such because of all the hard work each person contributes to the finished project.
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