Feedback is awesome.

I never quite analyzed feedback and the type of system that it is. However, upon pondering on feedback methods, manners, goals and such, I believe that feedback is instituted to help make something good even better or something bad into something good. I suggest that my goal in feedback is to be effective and positive at the same time not only to me but to everyone involved. I feel that in order to accomplish that goal, of improving something something, that having a sense of an optimistic atmosphere is absolutely crucial. There shouldn't be room for rude remarks and the like. Although, there is room for frustration sometimes especially when there is miscommunication but in the end a productive positive atmosphere is needed. Some other things I like to do as someone with feedback is listen to what is being said and find out what inspired certain ideas so I can feel an inspiration as well and see their vision. By doing that, I am invested in the ideas and therefore can say maybe this will be better if you did this or that. Another feedback technique worth mentioning is recognizing that time is valuable. As such I feel that feedback should aim to be short and not lengthy to the point where I am 'feedbacking' in cirlces, talking someone's ear off, or being boring. All those aspects are not effective at all if you ask me. My one disclaimer to that is that is the feedback is about something that requires great detail, such as something heartfelt and important, such as an ideological message that has to be sent across, then more time should be devoted to it. Lastly, I love being able to listen and taking down notes, impressions, and thoughts, just like I do in classes or general conference. This allows me to be specific when I state my feedback and as such, being positive, being invested, being straight to the point, and overall effective and helpful. I love feedback. We need feedback.

Sorting and Interpreting

Along with everyone else, I have also recently learned the crucial impact that valuable feedback can have upon creative projects. Part of the challenge of receiving feedback is interpreting it in such a way that will improve your work rather than destroying your spirit.

Often only negative feedback prevails because people easily notice what isn't working, while the elements of the piece that do succeed don't call attention to themselves. This is probably why we start with positive comments rather than negative in 185, because it is much easier to remember the things that rub the audience the wrong way. When receiving feedback in an unstructured setting it's extremely important to remember this so that the negative comments don't leave you feeling defeated. Unless the individual is skilled at giving feedback (pointing out the good but unafraid of addressing the bad), you'll probably only hear about the problems, and that's okay. Find what elements are causing these problems, think of a way to fix them and move on.

I have learned that some of the most painful, scathing criticisms can be the most beneficial. Positive feedback can be beneficial in helping you recognize your strengths, but recognizing the problems and fixing them will lead to a better piece of work. Most recently, this applies to my fiction rehearsal cut for 185. My best friend, who I love and respect dearly, absolutely hated it. This hurt, but her specific comments helped me pinpoint the precise moments that ruined the piece and also helped me understand several abstract comments I received from everyone in 185. This experience also let me trust her opinion more, because now I know that she is being completely honest when she claims to like my work.

All in all, I think it's also important to remember that you will never please everyone nor should you try. You have to objectively decide if your audience's complaints are valid and if addressing them will improve your project. Not everyone has the same aesthetic and they may just never enjoy your work no matter how much you improve it and that's okay. This is why so many genres, movies, and books exist because (to reference Steve Carell in Dan in Real Life) we'll never find it all through one piece of work.

Feedback

Receiving feedback is one of those things that's always good for you, but you don't always want to accept it, kind of like Robitussin. My goals for eliciting and receiving feedback include learning things about my work that I hadn't considered or realized, as well as learning or recognizing the weaknesses of my work. I would also hope to learn about the strengths of my work from the feedback I receive. With feedback about the positive and negative aspects of my work, I could then emphasize and continue the things I do well while removing or improving the weaknesses. The reading brought up an aspect of receiving feedback that I found revelatory, but not immediately obvious—to me, at least. On the final page, the author discusses how eliciting feedback can give you a very real sense of how the work is perceived by the audience, as well as what sort of effect or impact the work has on people. This is probably only reliable if the person/people giving you feedback are reliable and trustworthy; he or she or they should probably also be important to you, otherwise you'll be less likely to allow them to proceed once they start in on the criticism. And after they finish you'll be tempted to cast off your relationship with that person unless your relationship is more solid than acquaintanceship. These suggestions from the reading were helpful because they clarified the number of ways that feedback can make your work stronger and more meaningful to the audience.

In class this semester—in all my film classes this semester, actually—I have come to understand how important constructive feedback can be; I have also seen how unhelpful offhanded criticism can be. When reviewers thoughtfully consider how a piece of work succeeds as well as how it could be improved, they give the creator a spectrum within his or her own work with which to measure his or her efforts. Knowing which parts of my scripts and short films worked well helps me understand which part of my creative process was succeeding at reaching the audience. Likewise, knowing which parts of my work were unclear or were faulty helps me understand which part of my creative process needs to be tweaked or revamped. Unless people tell me what worked and what didn't work with each of my projects, I will progress at a much slower rate than if I received guidance from my audience. By incorporating feedback into my work, I am able to create things that are more meaningful to my intended audience.

Is this thing on?

Feedback is extremely important, but it's also the scariest part of the creative process. You've created something, poured your heart and soul into it, done your best, and now you put it out there for someone to critique. Do your goals and intentions come through in your work? What did they like, and--scary!--what didn't they like? I love what Anne Lamott said about if someone doesn't like your work, then they are a terrible human being, and probably doesn't know anything about art or literature. In short, they have no redeemable qualities. This is comical, but exposes our natural reaction to feedback that's anything less than praise nearing worship. "Well of course it's a masterpiece, thanks for reviewing it for me!" That's what we all want--and expect--to hear, but it will rarely come. So we must follow Anne's advice about seeking out someone who we already know and trust, someone who is comfortable being honest with us. We may not always get positive feedback, but the feedback should be constructive and gracious. If it isn't, then choose someone who is sensitive to the process. On the other hand, it's important not to ask feedback from those who aren't willing to give you honest feedback. Padding your ego and coddling you will do nothing for your progress as an artist. So don't ask your mom. Finding a person whom we trust to give us feedback on our work is an important--often overlooked--quest as an artist.

My goal for receiving feedback is finding someone who I respect as an artist, someone who has a similar creative vision, and is experienced in the field and form of my work. I expect them to be completely honest in their feedback, yet sensitive to the fact that my work is an extension of myself. My initial response is usually similar to Anne Lamott's. I reject the changes and dismiss what they say. However, I've learned to set it aside for a while until I've calmed down, then return to it with a fresh attitude. I find this to be an effective exercise. My goal is to seek out why they didn't like or understand a particular section, and get to the root of why, and then fix the underlying problems, instead of just accepting the changes or alterations that they suggested. You know the inner workings of your story or work, and are the chief architect. The feedback and suggestions you get are valuable, but instead of just accepting them, figure out what prompted the feedback, and fix the underlying issues.

In class, I learned that not everybody has something valuable to say. Some people are ignorant and do not understand your work, the creative process, or anything that has to do with real life in general. However, there are also those who have great, positive, valuable feedback.

Mack Robins, Blog 9

It was really good to hear what other thought about our idea. I am glad that people mention the title cards. I do love the idea but I can see how that could be cheesy if you don’t do it right. I defiantly want to talk to my friend about it and see what she thinks. I am interested in finding out how she will want this to look. One person asked where she served her mission so we will defiantly include that. They feed back was very helpful, if nothing else it is just fun to talk to everyone in the class out our ideas.

I also I glad that I was able to give feed back to other groups, and hear what the class had to say to the other groups. It is always good to remember that we each have something to say and that we all have something valuable to contribute to the whole. I was also cool to see that almost everyone had something to say to each group.

As far as feed back in general I like how Professor Hill said that it is not terribly helpful to just say thumbs up or thumbs down. Feed back is important because it can point out things that are good and make them even better. It is scary to give feed back because you do not want to be rude but for me personally it helps to remember that they are just trying to help and also it helps to know that you do not have to do everything that everyone says. Someone could not like something about your idea but you could do it anyway and have it turn out good. Or maybe you just improve on what the person addresses instead of throwing it out. Feed back is so important for success.

Guilty as charged.

I love getting feedback. It helps me improve. However, when somebody gives me a negative comment I just want to strangle them with a garden hose until their whiny little heads pop off.

I jest. There are a few people whose feedback I value and I find myself consistently seeking advice from. I'm also more likely to share my undeveloped ideas with them early on in the creative process because I trust them and know they'll be honest but respectful about how to improve. There are a few people who I know if I can get them to say they hate my work, I feel like it's a mission accomplished because they're worthless human beings. That doesn't really help though.

I actually do enjoy getting feedback from a wide variety of sources but I often find myself resisting it at the same time. For instance, I was really opposed to the idea of the rough cut for our doc assignment in 185 because, to quote myself exactly, "I just like doing things right the first time." So I went into the screening already planning on disregarding any negative comments but I realized afterwards that the feedback I received was very helpful-- it's good to know what people are confused about because you're so used to the context and the connotations in your head that it really helps to get other eyes and brains involved so you can see what you missed. It also helps to watch or review your work in a room full of people you respect and some you don't because it makes you look at your work in a different way as well. I often feel very happy with my work but then when I let other people see it, all I can see are the things I want to change. 

It's important for me to receive positive feedback. I feed off it. But it's more important for me to receive constructive feedback. I think that's where I need to be less hesitant-- showing the unfinished product early on and getting some good suggestions will help the development and execution of the idea so I can get more positive feedback and feel good about myself. When I got into this program I felt extremely underprepared and out of place but still super protective of my ideas but I've been able to learn a lot and open up a lot and it's been good for me.

Don't Get Your Feedback From an Angry Mob

I’ve always been a bit nervous when it comes to feedback and criticism. I think this is for one main reason: I used to be painfully shy and I still have parts of me that are afraid of what others think. I try to make everyone happy and I tend to overthink things, which is a deadly combination (in social situations, at least). This led to me becoming afraid to give anyone any feedback that is not “awesome!” and “perfect!” and “you’re a freaking genius!” It was a while before I realized that I, personally, appreciated constructive feedback more than empty comments. This is true even if the comment isn’t necessarily praising my work. It was another while before I felt comfortable applying what I had discovered in my own feedback. Sometimes, even when I think I’ve done my best work, I can sense that it is missing something. Only when somebody points this out to me can I fix it. I want my work to be the best that it can be, and other people’s reactions and advice is crucial in this endeavor. I only hope that I can provide an equally efficient resource for them in return.

From the reading, I learned that there is no good use in being torn down. I already knew this, I suppose, but I tend to assume that if a person is critiquing something that I’ve made it makes their opinion valid. This is not always true. Unfortunately, there are rude people in the world who would like nothing more than to merely degrade others in a pathetic attempt to make themselves feel better. Perhaps ironically, my opinion may not be valid here, but I believe that one should ignore such people. It’s good to get suggestions, but if somebody is a real friend (or even a remotely nice person) their feedback will be polite, considerate, and constructive.

I think that it is important to receive feedback from more than one person. Anne Lomott may disagree with me on this, but it is something I thought of during class yesterday. One person’s reaction probably won’t be a good implication of how successful your work will be. I can pitch an idea to my mom (who’s biased to begin with) and she might love it or hate it, but that says almost nothing about what the rest of the class (or the world) is going to think. It’s important to get a variety of opinions, preferably from people you trust. It may not be a good idea to get a first opinion from a large group of random strangers, because groups like these have been known to turn into angry mobs. And everyone knows that an angry mob doesn’t care about whether your writing/idea/film/whatever is any good or not.

Wide Open

            I think it is really cool how feedback based it seems like this program is. I have never had such a positive experience with it! I have normally had two different experiences with it. Either they are just giving me good advice because they don’t want to call me out on anything, or if they tell me it is bad, they don’t really tell me anything I need to change, they never really tell me what exactly I need to change. So before this class, I didn’t really see the point in really even listening to the feedback. This year, feedback has helped me more than I ever thought it could. I think it is important to not be too defensive and try to take the feedback with an open mind. Even though we created it, it doesn’t mean it is perfect. It is cool to get a fresh set of eye’s opinions and perspective. They often times can see things that we miss. Especially in 185, I really read the comment cards and use them to make my projects the best they can be.

            Something in the reading this week stood out to me. It wasn’t really said point blank, but I kind of gathered the information that it is important to find someone whose feedback you can trust. Like a go-to person who you know will be honest with you and give you good ways to improve whatever you are working on. For me, it’s my mom. Even though she is family, I know she is someone I can count on to give me an unbiased opinion. I go to her with everything. I really value her opinion and know that she only wants to help make whatever I am working on the best it can be.  But also, the reading kind of talked about not taking peoples opinions too seriously. Don’t lose sight of what you want your masterpiece to look like in the end. Regardless of what other people say, your work is still your work.

            I really am going to try to keep these things in mind this last month of school. With this final project, and a few from 185, I am going to need as much feedback as I can get. There are so many insights that other people can give me. Especially with this last project in 112, I need all the feedback I can get. I just need to be open and try not to be too defensive when it comes to my own work. 

FEEDBACK TO THE FEEDFUTURE

I think of myself as a man/boy that engages in and encourages an open exchange of ideas. I like to think of myself in this way because it makes me come across as a pretty cool guy. And yeah, I try to speak honestly and frankly as often as possible. But when it comes to asking for the opinions of others in regards to the things I have made, works that I have invested serious time and effort into, I secretly just want a validating pat on the head. So, the violent reactions to less-than-fawning responses described in Sometime to Read Your Drafts were easy to relate to. Lest we forget, the article also makes clear the necessity of a acquaintance who can be kind AND honest in their remarks, and that distancing ourselves from our rabid and defensive egos is essential when forming this sort of relationship. Also, asking for feedback and constructive criticism doesn't require you to sign a stone-set contract that entails the utter acceptance and application of all suggestions. You're capable of sifting through what is returned to you and discerning that which will improve your work. The important part of this is to remove yourself enough from what you've made to leave room for the good ideas that will be offered.

Asking for someone to respond in earnest to a piece of your work doesn't have to be a painful process. But asking in a manner that facilitates edifying and enlightening discussion can be. While encouraging a "thumbs-up, thumbs-down" reaction can be a good way to get the ball rolling, seeking assistance with specific sections, aspects, and creative decisions can be a lot more helpful. What were some glaring errors? What can be done away with? What worked the best? Did anything stand out as disruptive or distracting? Did my intent and purpose come across properly? Who am I? These are all questions that I've found to be useful in my own work. As far as incorporating the feedback of others into what I've made, the most important factor is my respect for the person I'm dealing with. I seek input from individuals whose opinions I value, and whose own work and manner impress me. Sometimes, classes can lead to a critical relationship that is hard for me to take seriously (hopefully not in a snobby way) because my partner is someone who I don't really trust with these matters. I try to at least consider everyone's suggestions, but sometimes people are just WRONG and DUMB. Or at least wrong. Dumb isn't necessary. There's that ego talkin' again.

The Hitchhikers Guide to Giving and Receiving Good Feedback

There's good feedback and there's bad feedback. The best kind of feedback is when we use positive and negative feedback hand in hand to build up and help the filmmaker. An example of this would be saying something that you liked intertwined with things that could be improved. A steady stream of negative feedback has serious potential to put the author on the defensive side, and can really be discouraging. If we are tactful in our giving of feedback we can be great aids to our classmates on their projects. This type of criticism and feedback can build trust. I believe that trust is a huge part in giving and receiving feedback. The person giving suggestions needs to trust that the person receiving those suggestions will not be angry or offended by he/she has said; just as the person receiving suggestions should trust that the feedback he/she is receiving is valid, genuine, and done with their best interests in mind.

I also think that often times we are prideful whether giving or receiving feedback. Remembering that we are all on the same team trying to help each other out is huge part of feedback. We can't take someone else's work and compare it to our own trying to defend what we have done and how it is better than our classmates work. This can seriously impede our ability to effectively criticize, and give good helpful feedback. Also as the receiver of feedback we cannot get offended. Right now a lot of our work is just simply uninteresting, dull, mundane, and overall not very good. It takes a lot of work to become good filmmakers, and not taking good suggestions from people who are trying to help us is sheer foolery.

In reading about feedback my thoughts about their necessity were established. Good feedback can help build and create incredible films. We need help from others, and if we never try to improve with the help of others we are what you could call "a lost cause." In class I realize more and more that the best feedback is the feedback that touches on specific things, and is coupled with positive and negative criticism. We are in a funny industry where everyone is a critic and has something to say. More often than not it is intended to hurt, tear down, or make fun of. To avoid this we need to trust each other and work towards the same goal. We need to respect that some people are simply better at some things than we are and we need to take their suggestions. Feedback is the best, and without it we are nothing!

Feedback!

I really, really dislike the act of going and asking someone to give me feedback on my work.  I think it has to do with the fact that I hate giving feedback and I know it can be a hassle so I don’t torment others with the task of reading a crappy piece of writing for some benefit.  Most of the time when I do get feedback it’s only from though assignments that I get feedback from anyways, or when I know that something is so important that I don’t trust myself not to get feedback. 

Now I do realize that this is a really terrible view of feedback and I should be more open to getting more, blah, blah, blah.  But for some reason I just haven’t found that person that Anne Lamott was telling me about.  That one person I trust to give me feedback and give it truthfully and respectfully.  I really like getting feedback and sometimes even the craziest and weirdest suggestions help me to understand how to focus on a subject or to convey an emotion.  I think I can be really helpful in a group setting like our discussions in class because then you have people playing off of each others suggestions to come up with really amazing and interesting ideas for you to think about and implement. 

I think that my goal, though I’ve been working on this goal since I was a freshman in high school, is to find someone that I trust to give me feedback and I can bring them anything and they won’t care or mind.  I need to work on asking people for help rather than doing everything myself.  They really seem simple but I’ve had 6 years to try to fix them so they really aren’t as simple as they seem.  

Blog 9, Spencer Tasso

Gee whiz is there anything more shallow than a stream of feedback summarizing why it’s good, great, perfect, awesome, interesting, or cool? Yes of course there is, and to a slight point, this is flattering, but I think I’ve very much outgrown this monotonous form of response, at least when it’s from my common peers. If my good friend Steven Spielberg solicited me with such a response, I’m sure I would take it with all due sincerity. But nonetheless, my claim persists. I understand many people don’t possess enough knowledge or familiarity with film to critique my work, but even so, an effort might be nice. With my entry film for the program, I got lots of congratulations and consolations, but very little criticism. I did get some on my plot, it was a little hard to understand, or open to interpretation.

The reading talked about finding someone who appreciates your style of film. I find this very important- for example, I have a friend who’s pretty competent with video, although we do frequently have different, even conflicting, productional opinions about what’s good and what isn’t. But this to a point is the nature of film, and I need to work around these differences and breed something substantial and productive from our differences. Compromise is king.

Frequently I wish I had someone, or I just planned better, who could predict or specifically outline shot problems I’ll have before or during filming. Consistently I get back to post only to find I’m missing a couple of shots I really wanted, or what I thought would make sense, doesn’t seem completely obvious, and would be remedied with a simple additional shot. But I suppose this is poor directing on my part.

The opinions of others will almost only ever bring improvement to your work. Others spot what you miss, or improve and find what you ignored. I need to collaborate and produce more projects, taking in others thoughts and compromising the whole way through. Yeehaw. 

Mark Fletcher Blog 9

Feedback is one of those tools that is very useful, but we have to keep an open mind.  I remember in our TMA 185 class we discussed the importance of listening to the audience and not trying to interrupt or explain what they didn't understand in the story the first time they heard it.  We talked in class how it's important to accept the feedback received and try and do better to adjust the story in a manner that fills in the holes that the audience addressed.

Feedback is something that can be taken offensively and personally.  I remember in my class with Brad one student gave me some feedback about a story I had written out in the form of a screenplay which I took great pride in and thought I had did a good job.  However, this one student made a comment that I took offensively due to the fact that the comment sounded very naive.  Yet, I accept the comment with respect; but to be honest in my head I just disregarded it.

Now there have been some feedback given in my classes that at first I did question, but after pondering I can to the realization that I needed to fix the story so that there was not any confusion or misunderstanding.

In our TMA 112 class I found it to be very useful the feedback that our group received on the subject matter of our documentary idea.  We had a general idea as far as what we wanted our film to be based on and direction we wanted it to go in order to reveal something unique.  Yet, the class gave us some great feedback as far as some question ideas, and subject matter that would be good to address in the documentary.  With feedback a filmmaker, story teller, or writer can know how they can better portray their imagination, for it is the audience that they want to appease and if they don’t like it then the artist has failed the audience.

Stop... FEEDBACK!

I think through out the years of film and everything else, criticism has gotten a more and more positive wrap from me. I feel like back in the days of High school and stuff criticism was a lot harder to take in and convert to more positive energy. But as time was passed I feel like both the criticized and the criticiz-ee have become more mature and able to both dish and handle constructive criticism in a better way. I personally love criticizing and being criticized for the work I do. It allows me to break out of the box of my own mind and get other's perspectives on what is important to them, and in a roundabout way to myself.

The reading taught me that constructive feedback is ESSENTIAL to becoming what you want to be. I think it very much related to the subject in my Mormon Podcast more then anyone. Jenn Blosil mentioned that her dad would bash her first songs to a pulp because they were a bad chord progression, they needed more dynamic work etc. and now she is so grateful for that (what she called) opportunity. She appreciated it so much and because of that she is now in a great situation in the music world and on her way to becoming the next Adele (basically). Anyways, in relation to myself, I make a lot of YouTube videos and I receive all kinds of feedback from both people I know and people I don't know. I think it's important to get the perspective of people you don't know when making something artistic or creative especially because they can give counterpoints and suggestions that will eventually make your work better. Sometimes getting the opinion of a bias friend doesn't help at all. I guess what I am trying to say, is that sometimes it's important to be a little rude when criticizing someone's work.

I feel like especially for this last project I need a lot of constructive feedback to make my podcast interesting and entertaining at the same time. I love what we did in class on Tuesday this week because it opened up my mind to new questions that I never could have thought of myself about my subject. I will take constructive criticism anytime! I think it helps me more then anything when creating something that I may or may not think is a good thing.

Feed Me Feedback

    Personally, I find that receiving feedback on your projects is one of the most beneficial things that you can do. As a result, I actively look for those who are willing to give me honest feedback about my work. One of the best ways that I can think of, and one that I will definitely try to implement more, is to just get a lot of different people to watch what you have made. When making a short film (or any type of art for that matter), the finished project is generally created for the public to enjoy. Sometimes, however, what you create can be a bit too specific to you or your friends’ sense of humor, making it less likely to appeal to wider audiences. If one gets opinions from a plethora of people--of different ages, majors, interests, circumstances--they will be better able to see how their work appeals to the general population as a whole. Many times, I have found that the majority of people will appreciate the idea of your work, however, they will also be able to give you suggestions on how to make it better, as well as letting you know where they may have become bored or confused. Obviously, one cannot implement every idea from each person who has a suggestion. However, if you know what exactly it is that you want to get across, I find that, oftentimes, implementing other’s ideas makes your own work more clear and enjoyable. In fact, some of my favorite things that I have put into my films have come as a result of my seeing what it is that other people think of when they hear my concept for the film. As far as utilizing this feedback, it is important to just make sure that you do not compromise the film by trying to please everyone--your idea is a good one, enhance, do not tailor to everyone’s whims. By doing these things, your work will be greatly improved and you will be more likely to create something that many others will love and appreciate.

Feedback

Describe your goals for eliciting and utilizing feedback on creative projects. What did the reading teach you about the necessity of receiving productive feedback? What did your own experience in class teach you about the necessity of receiving productive feedback? 300-500 words

Receiving and giving out feedback has been a big part of everyone's life this semester, especially in our 185 class. I have had a lot of mixed feelings about it. Brad always wants everyone to participate, but I often feel like I don't want to. It's always the same few people who raise their hands every time, and I always feel like you have to be extra assertive to be able to get a comment in. I also feel like I don't give any good feedback, so I might as well not say anything. I may have criticisms for other people's work, but I usually don't feel like it is my place to tell someone they should change something just because I want them to.

As far as receiving feedback, I often dread it. Sometimes, I really want to hear what other people think, but only if it is something I am proud of. If I am just turning in a project as an assignment I don't really care about, I feel like I don't want to hear anyone's feedback. I also often feel like I already know what they are going to say, because I am already aware of the faults in my work.

HOWEVER, I have recently decided that I am going to try and revamp my approach to feedback. I like the way we did feedback in 112 with our most recent project because I felt it was actually helpful. Everyone seemed to take it more seriously than they do in 185, and the direct we took was more productive. For me, i think the most important part about giving feedback is that you are giving suggestions for things that can actually be fixed or avoidable, in the form of questions or comments. For example, when pitching an idea for a story, good feedback could include sincere What if? questions, like, What if this happened instead of that? How would that change your ending? etc... This lets the person pitching think about more options than they had maybe thought of already. A helpful comment could be something like Make sure you make it clear that...blah blah blah. This helps the author understand that everything they had planned may not be as clear and cohesive as they had thought.

When I receive this kind of useful feedback, I am genuinely thankful for it, and it really helps me. What doesn't help are comments and suggestions that have obvious solutions, of which I was already aware. For example, You need to color correct that clip so it matches the others! I also don't find feedback super helpful when everything is already done. What's the point of getting feedback for something you can't change?

All things considered, I am going to start having a more positive approach to feedback. I am also going to try and give it more, but I still don't think I could give very good feedback, but I guess you have to start somewhere!

Feedback? Why Bother?

I generally don't solicit or use feedback because my work is great from the inception.






Just kidding.  That statement isn't true.  When you are woking on something, a lot of the times you become so involved that you blind yourself, missing out on potential growth.  Feedback is important in the birthing process of a creative work, just like a mid-wife or an epidural is important during the birthing of other things (namely babies).  You could do it alone, but it's not a good idea.  However, the important thing is to remember your creative vision.  This will help you decide on which suggestions to use and which to dismiss.


There are several ways to obtain feedback.  You can take it personally to someone whose (notice the proper use of ‘whose’) opinion you trust.  Ideally, this person will understand you and your creative drive.  Another way is to submit it to mass view, whether it be YouTube or class or whatever.  The advantage of this is you can see how the average joe reacts to your work.  Also, be receiving feedback from a lot of different people, you can see if there is a common theme or suggestion.


Here is an example from my own experience in class.  We screened my "Bowling" documentary in class.  A lot of people said that it was redundant and repetitive (kind of like my usage of those two words).  Because quite a few people commented on that, I know it is a legitimate concern.  And because it doesn't hinder my creative vision, I will work on fixing that.  Also, a few people suggested that I focus more on the machine while a couple wanted to see more of the bowler.  Because this was only suggested by a handful of people, I am going to guess that it was not that important to the overall film.  So, it's within my own discretion as to whether I change that or not.


With giving feedback, it's important to be constructive.  If you liked something, say why.  If something didn't work explain why it didn't.  Also, it's important to actually give feedback.  I noticed in class the other day, while giving feedback about our final docs, that a lot of people (myself included) were merely asking questions about the subject, a lot which, I imagine, would be explained in the documentary.  A lot of us were asking questions as opposed to making suggestions or whatever.


So, my goal is to ask more people.  As of right now, I ask either my roommate or one of my friends.  If I want to really improve my work, I feel that I should ask a wide gamut of people, including 1 or 2 whose opinion I trust.  That is all.

Why You Shouldn't Take a Flamethrower to Your Feedback-Giver

Whenever I get feedback on a creative project that I have really worked hard on, my first instinct is to be disappointed by all the negative comments I receive. It’s only natural that after spending a lot of time and effort on something you want other people to like it. But, after I let the first wave of disappointment roll over me, I remember something very important – this is what I asked for. I wanted feedback. Constructive feedback. And how constructive is it when someone comes back and says, “Oh, yeah, I liked it. It was perfect”? You might feel good, but your project won’t get the opportunity to grow and expand and become better. So, when I get feedback, I plan to always take a moment and remove my personal pride from the equation. Then, I can accept and consider any and all suggestions and employ them in making a better product.

The reading talked a lot about how to get and use feedback. I learned how important it is to find someone who understands your style, appreciates your work, and wants to help you by critiquing it. It’s important that you find someone who is on the same page as you – someone who you can see eye-to-eye creatively with. For me, that person is my roommate and good friend, Sarah. Whenever I write something or make a film or whatever, I usually show it to her first. She is really similar to me in terms of taste in literature and film, as well as in personality, and I trust her judgment. She also won’t hold back useful suggestions in an effort to spare my feelings, which is awesome. Her feedback is usually just the objective response I need to revise and improve my work.

My experience in class taught me that feedback is important because when you present an idea to a group of people, they are likely to think of things you never had. I liked it when someone would ask a question about logistics, or partialities, or other possible directions the documentary could take because it expanded the range of my thinking. It’s nice to have so many different minds consider the same thing and come up with multiple ideas about it. It keeps the process interesting and engaging and is very beneficial to the planning process.