Project Outcome and Development Blog – Jessica White

I really enjoyed my time during this project and my subsequent project outcome. My theme/ “wicked problem” I wanted to address in this topic was the issue of larger conglomerate brands holding a monopoly on various industries. 

What had originally attracted me to this topic was the decreasing biodiversity within agriculture, which was related to the commercialisation of farming and one or two varieties of vegetables dominating the supermarket. My project idea was to create a satirical employee induction video, in the foreseeable future where one company has seized control of a majority of the worlds industries. I felt that this would be a fun way to connect my interest in making short films to my chosen Better Lives Theme.

In preparation for shooting, I conducted some media research and watched the movies “Sorry to bother you” and “Snowpiercer”, both movies that are set in a future where inequality is rife and power is disportionately held by the upper class.

I had already booked into a studio for this project, however due to covid-19, my booking was cancelled and I was unable to go ahead with my film as planned. Therefore, I had to adjust my film idea and shift the focus of my topic slightly. Instead of looking into the future, I decided to focus on a food conglomerate brand that exists now – Nestle. 

Taking inspiration from some of the works Ms.Hess has shown me throughout the unit which can be described as visual collage works, I decided to do my film with a similar structure in mind. 

I downloaded old commercials from brands under nestle, and tried to find as many as I could to showcase how vast Nestle’s hold on the food industry is. I then edited the clips together in a montage, and showed my peers in one of our sessions. Using the feedback they gave me during the session(some said the editing could be more streamline and the video could be shorter, which i agreed with), I made some edits and showed my work the next week.

I was really proud of how I edited and improved upon my final trailer, though the edits were minor, I think that they really made a big impact on the final piece of work and definitely made the film a smoother and more professional watch.

Additionally, it was very interesting and insightful to see my peers’ works, and not only gain an understanding of their chosen issue, to also see how they have managed to create work during the Covid-19 lockdown. Seeing their finalised pieces of work really inspired me to be more creative during the rest of this lockdown!