Final Film – Autonomy Rework

The reworked film is here: Autonomy

Having reflected on my tutors comments I have implemented a number of changes to improve the tempo and narrative clarity. The resulting film is a lot tighter and flows well between scenes. It has also cut the length of the film by nearly 3 minutes although fundamentally the story remains the same. It shows there were a number of superfluous shots and sequences that did not aid the story.

The biggest change is the ending. The original ending showed the protagonist  having a speeding awareness lesson from the car. My tutor felt that this change in character was not believable and suggested a crash in to a wall would be a satisfactory conclusion. I deliberated this for some time and wanted to use the footage I already had rather than re-shoot extra scenes. My tutor had also suggested cutting the seashore footage as it felt out of place. A fellow student had also commented that the sequence felt like a music video that had been tacked on the end. My creative decision was for the car to crash on to the seashore leaving the protagonist unconscious. It had also been observed by both that the scream needed to be louder so I added a loud terrified scream. I think it is quite dramatic and is  a surprising contrast to the initial comical reaction of the car speaking just prior to the crash.

The superfluous sequences included the opening walk to the car and putting the briefcase on the rear seat. The action now starts as Russell makes the call to Gary.

I have made the radio playing up being the distraction as he drives past the speed camera. It was unclear to the viewer what was happening in that section so I have also added shots of his face as he turns down the radio.

At the end of the opening scene there was a sequence where the car drives under a viaduct. My intention was to add an element of mystery by accompanying it with a piece of music that was to be repeated on two further occasions. This obviously did not have the desired effect on the viewer as it was a distraction and interrupted the flow of the narrative. As a result I removed that section. I also removed the same soundtrack in the second use of it at the traffic lights. I kept it in for the motorway montage as it worked well in that part of the story.

Another area that I tightened up was the conversation between Russell and Gary as they discuss Russell’s points on his licence. As I had side and rear footage I was able to do this without too much difficulty. This change worked well with the overall changes of tempo made in the opening scene and going straight from the speed camera to the next day.

The traffic light sequence was received well by the reviewers. The addition of the car horn from other motorists was suggested by my tutor and adds tension. I also added more close-up shots of Russell’s reactions as he gets frustrated with the situation. I removed the shots after the car drives away from the traffic lights to improve the tempo as it now goes straight to the motorway scene.

The motorway scene is unchanged apart from a fade to black prior to the heater playing up. In fact I had an issue identified by my tutor that I was misusing, and overusing, the fade to black. Having reflected on this I have used dissolved as the means to show a forward movement in time.

The car speaking to Russell and the ensuing crash is now the final scene. The conversation aspect is unchanged. The crash scene is a new inclusion and constructed of the seashore footage and the screaming shots. I took advantage of the close-up of Russell’s face as he drives over a speed bump. I combined the rocking of his head with rotating the frame to emphasise being thrown about. It is a significant learning point to see how the same footage, with some additional sound effects, can be edited to create completely different action and feelings.

I am pleased with the final film. The suggested tutor changes were very helpful and all of them made sense. I also received feedback from students and friends that I responded to. I tended towards filling scenes with shots that hindered the storytelling. I also included sequences that I had became fond of such as the music video seashore footage.

The inclusion of music has been an issue in a lot of my assignment submissions. I enjoy music and have a connection to the songs and the emotions they convey to me. My issue is that my interpretation and the significance I place on a piece of music is not the same for viewers of the films. Music has to be chosen carefully and must be in keeping with the story and the genre. In short, music cannot be used to make up for deficiencies in visual storytelling and poor sound.