Since I joined late, I was only here for one full length project, but I did also do the 24 hour film challenge, so I will speak on that as well. This semester brought on a lot of learning about lighting and how to really use the cameras. I also spent less time editing than I did in the past. I was able to branch into different, bigger roles like script writing and directing.
Semester Work
I transferred into this class in the middle of a project, which was extremely bad timing on my part. But, it gave me time to catch up on in class videos and work.
Film Reel
I siphoned through all my old work and videos I had to put together a film reel. I also went out and shot new content with my friends and family as actors. Filming and editing took probably about two or three weeks to see through to completion. It took me some time to get back into the swing of filming and editing. There wasn't much cinematically appealing footage from sophomore year, so I basically started from scratch. Reteaching myself Premiere was a lot of fun, especially from a new standpoint of making the final product something beautiful and not just the clips placed together in order.
I chose a song called 'Summer is Like a Dream' to set my reel to. I had some footage of Halloween decorations at the end that I had changed at the last minute. I was told that it was misleading, which I definitely understand. Summer and Halloween don't really coincide. I took that footage out and went back to my original plan, which I like much better. I don't have the new version with me, so you'll just have to take my word for it with the original.
A lot of my sophomore year was spent disliking my videos and being embarrassed to show them off. This is the first project I have been proud to show to the world. You didn't read that wrong. This project made me fall back in love with my craft, a love I lost last year to a poorly executed and overly ambitious short film. But, that's in the past and I am back to enjoying editing.
24 Hour Film Challenge
We'll go in chronological order. The process was a little different than a class project would be, but it was still fundamentally the same. The goal was simple, complete a short film with the required criteria in twenty-four hours. And so we did. We had to include specific shots, specific lines, and had to stick to a prompt. Once we split into teams, we immediately began to brainstorm. Our film was about a couple being followed during their anniversary date. I directed and wrote most of the script. Besides the time crunch, finding actors and locations proved to be a challenge. Luckily, some of my friends we willing to act and Sophia worked at AMC and they let us film in their dining area.
After our film was shown, we were told it could have been a little bit clearer and that some of the shots were grainy. There was a shot we couldn't get because of how late it was that would have made the plot a bit clearer. In the beginning, when they walk out to their car, we were going to have a car in the back to show someone was watching them, but no amount of lighting that made sense could pull the car into the viewfinder's shot. Also going along with the time, it had already gotten dark by the time we were shooting so the shots ended up grainy. We should have tried to film earlier or waited until the next morning, but our lead had to work so she couldn't be out too late. If I could go back and change anything, I would have filmed that scene early in the morning to get the illusion of sunset and show the car in the background. Sound was also another complication we had. We couldn't seem to find the right noises we needed and none of us knew how to make eerie music. We were also switching back and forth between Premiere and Final Cut, but it all worked out in the end.
For the time we had to do it and with all given circumstances, I think it turned out alright. I had a lot of fun directing for the first time and getting to work with people I wouldn't have had the chance to otherwise. There's no way I'm not doing this again next year.
Short Film
This was my first actual entertainment project, and I was a little bit nervous. This was our final sophomore year and even with more time it still made me join animation instead. This time around was much different in a lot of ways.
To start the project, we all had to write a treatment. I was out of ideas and had been for awhile when I found this out. It took me until the last day of writing to figure out an idea that I actually liked. I wrote it, pitched it, and joined a group. I worked with my friends on this project. It was really interesting because I've never seen them in working environments. We ended up choosing my treatment so I directed. We all had to write our own scripts, so I did that and part of the story boards. This project taught me a lot about time management. Pitching took a really long time in our class and we ended up with about a week to do a majority of the project.
Our short film was enjoyed by the classes. They liked our choice in actors. We should have been more careful with our costuming though, because there was a scene where an actress who was supposed to be a kindergarten teacher was wearing a varsity jacket. We also could have spiced up our lighting. If I could go back and change anything I would have done more with the lighting and refined the script.
This project could have gone better, but I am relieved it turned out the way it did. It is still something I am proud of and am ready to show off.
Time in Class
When we aren't listening to a presentation or getting taught, time was spent planning and preparing for production of the current project. Gathering actors, getting props, finalizing locations. If I ever thought I was done with something early, I wasn't. I would go back and refine where I could and get other people's perspectives on how I could improve the work. In pre-production, I could go back and refine the script, look for locations, and find actors with flexible schedules. In production I could start editing and prepare for the next filming day. In post, I would go back and refine my final edit with color and sound and just final checks. I am lucky enough to have Premiere at home, so if I'm ever more crunched for time than I thought, I can take projects home.
Strengths and Weaknesses
As a cinematographer, I have an eye for natural, or, almost accidental, lighting and shots. When I'm brainstorming or script writing, I can see scenes play out in my head. That translates very well to story boarding and editing. Editing has always came pretty natural to me. I am good at keeping everything smooth on screen and getting the feel of the film where it wants to be. I am also a pretty good sound editor. Cutting together music or cutting parts of songs out to sound smooth is something I really enjoy doing. These make me really excited for next year's music video project, but I can't wait that long. I will definitely be working on projects this summer and during breaks.
I have never been good at time management. Long term projects are always hard for me to wrap my head around because the future always seems so far away. I am going to have to force myself to get better at that through scheduling and better planning. I could also stand to get better at communication and getting my point across when I explain things. I also need to practice reading out loud.New Knowledge
It's always fun to see old students come back and apply what they've learned in the real world to classroom settings. Looking back, I feel like I was always somewhere else in the school for a club or class when these presentations were happening. I do remember learning about characters with Drew and I loved his presentation. I don't remember what he called his character triangle, but I will definitely be using it in the future to create more complex characters. the Social Apex presentation was also really interesting. We don't get to see how our skills in this programs could be applied in the real world often.
Feature Film
We're doing a feature! I am part of the post production crew as an editor. I am bringing my knowledge from my past projects and editing abilities to make this movie the best it can be. I will be working with the DP to learn the coloring software he wants us to use and working on other outside projects in the meantime to keep my skills sharp.
Let's Wrap it Up
I have seven minutes to finish this. Let's go.
The project I loved most this semester has to be my film reel. It was a wonderful reintroduction to the program and got me back into editing. I also got to edit my own music and cut down the song which was definitely my favorite part. If I could go back and do something differently, I wouldn't have gone into animation. I wish I could have been here to be a part of the commercial and music video projects. My overall takeaway from this semester is that you shouldn't let one project ruin how you feel about something. That does go back to last year, but I think it really applies to my e-Comm journey this year as a whole. My goal for next year is to put my best e-Comm foot forward and pour my heart and soul into every project. I want to be proud of everything I create and I will.
That was a lot of typing. Cool. I hope you enjoyed writing this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Look forward to more exciting blogs like this one because they are coming with cool, new, exciting projects. Just not for awhile because now we are going full steam ahead into the feature film and I couldn't be more excited.
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