A Bad Habit - Evaluation

1. We were asked to create a short 90 second video involving the following shots

One zoom,
eyeline match to a pov shot,
match on action and
at least one close up.

One of the requirements for the project was to include a package of some kind changing hands.

2. We had around five minutes to come up with an initial idea. I came up with a story about a shifty looking package which is transported to different places throughout the short film. After that we developed the idea. We thought about how it would all work, how it would all fit together to make a viewable motion picture. We wrote the storyline out in more detail and created a storyboard. We planned how to shoot each scene to fit the project’s criteria. We also planned the length of each scene in an effort to not exceed 90 seconds. We then designated roles to the people in our group and ensured we had the Props needed to record with appropriate Mise-en-Scene.

3. After pre Production we started to shoot. To begin with things ran smoothly and we got the first three or four shots completed so we uploaded and did some rough editing to get the feel for the video so far and to ensure everything ran smoothly as we went along. We then hit a dilemma due to one of our team members leaving which was a problem because we all ready recorded scenes with him in so we had two options either re-record The whole project or use another member/s of the group to take his place. So we used Alex and Sean as stand in’s. We did some clever shots so you never actually saw there faces so it seemed to the audience it was still Ross, at least that’s what we attempted. Overall though we worked well as a group, there were no conflicts or even clash of ideas we all seemed to agree with each other and respected each others ideas.

4. After overcoming this obstacle and finishing shooting it was time to begin the post-production stage. Editing ran pretty smoothly we did not encounter any problems during this stage first we had to upload remaining footage onto Final Cut Pro. We then put the shots in order discarding the parts we didn’t need. We then added our creative touches by changing the saturation of each scene to get the desired outcome which was black and white and dark in some shots. We had trouble picking the soundtrack for the Video so in the end with the help from our teacher we made our own one using Garage Band This went ok and we did manage get an eerie feel. To finish we burnt a DVD copy using iDVD on the Apple Mac.

5. The story follows the journey of a Package which the viewer thinks contains drugs. This plays the fundamental element in the story, because later it is revealed the package does not really contain drugs but merely sugar which is transported to a cafe this is the first twist in the Story the second twist is the person who receives the sugar for there cup of Tea gets a credit card out but instead of paying he shapes a line of Cocaine and snorts it he reacts badly to the drugs having a spasm knocking the cup off the table then final scene then ends with a medium shot and the character saying ‘Sugar’



The film starts with an establishing shot of a shifty looking character pacing up and down he begins to turn his head this is followed by a close up of his head turning it then cuts back to the same shot this is used as our first match on action. he is then met by another shifty looking character this character is seen via a point of view shot this character then hands the first character seen a package. This is done via a close up of 2 hands.

Both characters then make their way out of shot. The scene then fades down the screen is black for a few moments then it fades up into the next scene, we did this to give the impression of time passing.

The next scene you see me sitting at a table on the phone. The shot is dark to enforce the shifty feel. I put the phone down and look out of shot there’s a quick cut to an opening door (Point of view shot) followed by another quick cut back to me I then give a hand signal to the person opening the door (Suggesting to come in and sit down) We needed to ensure we did not show Alex’s face (Ross’s stand in). So I came up with the idea of only showing his feet as he walked in.

There’s then a cut to Sean’s hand (Stand in 2) sliding me the package. After this you see me stand up and put the package in my pocket we did this using a Match on Action shot. There’s then a fade down and a fade up to suggest time had passed.

You see me in different clothes walk in to a cafeteria prep area. We still tried to keep the thug like look of my character to still hold the suspense. As I approach a prep table there’s a quick cut to Sean at a table with a drink (café customer) it then cuts back to me removing the package from my pocket followed by another cut to Sean drinking.

We then cut back to me unravelling the Package.
Then we used our 1 allowed zoom to reveal the package is nothing more than sugar.
We did the succession of quick shots to build a sense of suspense. After revealing the sugar we then faded down slowly.

You then see Sean drink once more this time he shows a look of disgust on his face this is when the sugar comes in. He raised his hand requesting assistance. There’s then a over shoulder shot to show me holding the sugar in the air as Sean gives a hand signal to suggest that is what he wants.

I then approached the table and placed the sugar and a spoon on the table. Sean then put some sugar into the cup and stirred. The shot ends with Sean raising the mug as if to drink as it fades out slowly. There’s a pause of black to suggest time passing. You then see me come over with a bill Sean pulls out a credit card

(This is to make you think he’s about to pay) but then as another major twist in the story he pulls out a bag of white substance, forms a line using his credit card and then takes the drugs using a folded note he reacts badly to the drugs he loses control of his Body and knocks the mug off the table. The film ends with the final piece of humour as he says ‘Sugar’. We used a Play on Words at the end to wrap everything up nicely.


As an overall Production I would personally rate our Project as a good attempt at including some well crafted ideas in a 90 second film. The ideas were in the right place and had much potential. But I would say we could have fulfilled its potential much better if we had more experience and thought out the plot to keep it understandable and enjoyable to watch.

Improvements made on 5th January 2009