Light or dark, shadowed or lit, high and or low angle, quick cut or long take, it doesn’t matter what you’re shooting for, there’s always going to be a million questions you’ve got to ask yourself in the planning of a film. And as much as I would like to delve into all of the above, today I’m going to looking at colour.
The use of colour in film is both amazingly well taken note of/revered by critics and filmmakers alike, but criminally overlooked too. It is something so simple and yet complex it can make or break the visual style of a film. Too much and the shot can become saturated, not enough and it can look bleak or lifeless, the ‘wrong’ choice and an object character or scenery can become jarring or unnerving. Although, this can sometimes be a very intentional thing, being a choice made by the director on purpose for a specific reason.  It’s simple; it merely depends on character, context, lighting, angle, the set/scenery, the objects within the set/scenery, and tone (and much more I’m sure). See? Simple.
This is predominantly so due to the ‘psychological colour theory’; a subconscious effect which dictates our views and interpretation of the light/colour spectrum. For example: the colour white has become synonymous with purity, surrender, innocence, heaven, and childhood. Reds are passion, love, hate, blood, fire, warmth. Blues are cool, calm, open, but also cold and sterile. Black night, darkness, evil, dread, death, corruption, but can stand out and accentuate and define those around it. Brown is earthy, humble, yellow is inquisitive, purple is wise (and gansta), and so on.
Because of this we can almost instantaneously know so much about a character because of what they wear as well as their choice of surroundings. It’s just a matter of knowing what to use and when. It is an incredible tool when utilised correctly. But what about when it’s not used? Black and white films can be just as powerful with their choice of shades than their more colour counterparts. Many of the most revered and acclaimed of all time are shot in black and white, some even with the availability of colour at the time. In 1960, director Alfred Hitchcock made Psycho, a black and white film hinged on its use of shadows and light. In 2015, George Miller created Mad Max: Fury Road with the directors’ cut being in black and white. James Mangold soon followed suit with Logan in 2017. But why? Form. As said earlier the colour black and define its surroundings, accentuating shapes and tones. It creates a direct contrast between black and white, highlighting direct and specific choices of position and shape whilst not detracting from the film itself. One critical aspect may be ‘lost’, but in its place it allows for everything else to become even greater.
regardless of stance, colour will always play a crucial role in any medium. And just as cinema genre has gone through cycles of genre, so too will colour.  From black and white up until the 50’s, the dark embellishment purple and ‘deep’ colours in the 80’s, to the domination of the pairing of orange and blue in the 2010’s. Its trends and uses may vary and change, but its effects and the role it plays on our screens will not.  It’ll be exciting to see what the future holds for the next cycle.

Although the studio has really only just begun, I feel like I’ve learnt quite a bit in the last two weeks. For one, why haven’t been more videos more often? Hasn’t been too strenuous so far. Two: working with other people rather than solo is sooo much easier working with other people. Not only does it divide up tasks and require me to not have to constantly be in front AND behind the camera, but ti’s also nice to just be collaborating and creating with other people again – something I’ve missed over the semester break. Three: it’s good to reflect. Not only on your own work but also others – look into how they made their pieces, what worked, what didn’t, and visa versa; have others criticise and give feedback on my own work. I should a lot more time between creating a piece and hitting the  export and submit button. Wouldn’t hurt to actually take my time rather than just shooting and editing the very first thing that comes into my head.

The class time we’ve had so far, whilst seemingly short and quick, have been invaluable. Previously I had gotten into the habit of doing various extra takes and trying things from new angle, thinking that I may change my mind later on about a sequence of shots, or ‘just in case’. But I’ve realised that that’s wrong now. You don’t want to have your film “shot to shit”, because if it is, then it will become shit. Don’t shoot until you know what to shoot. Have everything planned, know your work inside and out, then once production has begun, you can work quickly and efficiently. Only if having faced challenges and obstacles in the filming process itself should you then compromise and change a shot or scene. Know your shit. Don’t just work with what you have on the fly.
This is just what I’ve come to know in a week and a half. I’m eager to find out what’s yet to come.

Throughout the course of this studio I want to be able to explore, develop, and hone my own creative style; to look into what I regard as my own personal flair. In order to achieve this I further aim to build a small series of stylised videos, slowly but exponentially getting better as I create them. If I’m able to create a small but humble little collection of videos that I can happily share and be proud of, then I will be more than happy and satisfied with the studio. Although, in conjunction with this I’d be more than happy to be surprised and learn new skills, techniques, styles, and work collaboratively with classmates, in fact, I aim for that to happen. To enter with one goal and end with having achieved multiple in the process would be a dream.

To me, or at least from I can gather thus far, this studio is a chance for us to learn from example, from those around us, and with a guiding hand learn to better understand ourselves as well as the craft of filmmaking. Hopefully, from more trial than error, come to understand what the rules and techniques of filmmaking, when to utilise them, AND when to go against them. If able to achieve this, then this studio will not only be highly valuable but also critical in the development of who I am as a media practitioner  and filmmaker.
Will I be able to achieve all of the aforementioned prompts? Maybe, maybe not. I’m just gonna have to be a good boy and try my best. So until failure comes beckoning on my doorstep I’ll just have to try and continue to do my best, even if that means continuously uploaded poor quality videos (gotta start somewhere, right?). So, with that said, here’s to Box and all the challenges and joys that come with it.