Design Practice 2: Film: 1st Edit

Here Is the first edit I have produced for our film project shift, I did the best I could in the situation I was in. I am fairly satisfied with the results, although due to the time restriction of two days to produce (for the Friday premiere), It was a bit of a rush job. It was more difficult at times as I was having to take on the roles of both sound and editor, and partly at times shooting the footage and directing.

For the most part my group all contributed to the finished result, but If we were to do this project again we defiantly should have planned out the use of time more effectively and been more direct about what we wanted each other to do. On the plus side the props, lighting, location and costume were all a success and the feedback we received today was generally positive.
               
Improvement:
. The addition of voice overs to explain the story.
. Certain corrections to the sound mix, levels and positioning. (also finding more suitable sounds for situations)
. Adding colour treatment for individual shots to create a more 'Film Noir' look
. Shortening certain clips to keep the viewers interest
. Removing certain transitions to keep things flowing
. Lengthening of certain clips for suspense
. Different title positioning and animation

These are some improvements proposed to us by our film teacher, although I do agree with the majority of them and I'm not disputing she's more knowledgeable in the film department, I am however slowly coming to realise that opinions about what 'works well' in the film industry are highly relative and differs widely from person to person. Simply put one persons heaven is an others hells. For example one viewer could interpret the lack of voice overs in our project as creative and stylistic, enjoying having to watch closely and use their brain to figure out the story, where as another viewer may perceive it as lazy, boring or confusing. Again with sound, some people may enjoy the quick, sharp shocks where as other prefer the more subtle build up, or a mixture.

So in conclusion I believe it's impossible to produce a film that satisfies every one's tastes and expectations, you'll always have people with opposing opinions and ideas. You just have to try your hardest to find the healthy medium, but remember you certainly shouldn't change a film every time someone suggests an 'improvement', or else you'll be 'improving it' forever.
JUST A RANT ;)