The Final Piece (above), as you can see, is a work in progress, with the deadline being 30th April, so still with a few weeks to finish filming and editing. I just wanted to get something coherent together, and add a few sounds so hopefully people can see what's going on. I stuck some simple credits on the end too as I wanted to have a go at making some in flash as part of this project. They're by no means perfect but they're just to give the idea.

I think the biggest help has been simply sitting down with classic and critically acclaimed films of similar genres and deconstructing them, finding out what makes them so well-made and being able to apply those techniques and ideas to my own work. You can see so much when you know what you're looking for, rather than just zoning out. Whether it's the technical aspects of filming, or the more metaphorical uses of shots etc. It seems you have to learn all of the 'rules' of cinematography and film-making, and then break them in clever ways.

The rest has all been a case of trial and error, with helpful resources or teaching on stop motion very thin on the ground. I guess it's all part of the learning curve, but can be frustrating at times.

 -  Photograph set and props for portfolio

So overall, I think I'm well on the way to hitting the deadline, with only a few tasks left to go. Looking back at my personal goals and what I wanted to get out of this project: