In class this week, we were asked on our tables we were sitting at to discuss some questions that relate to our journey in this studio. Below are the questions and my direct responses to them.

What is the Studio investigating/exploring. How is it doing this?

On the Frame was a systematic exploration of the concept of the frame in relation to film and the context for which it exists in cinema. The studio deconstructed what the frame actually is, as well as challenging us to come up with different ways of manipulating the frame to create unique content. We had a deep focus on the way the frame exists as a means of translating and conveying meaning to audiences, but existing only in its own world, separate from that of the world we know but yet is enlightened by it. We explored this through extensive looks at films such as Drive and In the Mood For Love, picking apart the things that worked with the films and what didn’t, cross referencing and linking these films back to the pool of academic knowledge on film and cinema provided to us.

What did YOU discover in terms of your current/future professional practice?

I discovered how much the cinematic element of films entice me; the aesthetics of photography and mise en scene (which the Sontag reading discussed in week 2) is something that I discovered I really enjoy about film. It captures a moment in time whilst fusing motion with it to create something that we as humans would like to see if it was before our very eyes.

I also learned lots about practical methods of filmmaking, and being able to use specific equipment for different types of shots. Some of these include shot-reverse-shot, 180 degree rule, using movement and other visual aspects to aid in creating the narrative (these were all concepts I knew of, but the studio greatly enhanced by knowledge and understanding). It was interesting as well to see how much of this changed in applying my knowledge to mobile cinema for my project, and seeing, in light of a clearly huge difference, how I’d cope. Without any major equipment for my phone, the studio therefore taught me about flexibility and being creative in how you approach tasks.

What about the Studio would you recommend to potential future students?

I think what was so valuable about this course was the deep attention to detail. It wasn’t a crash course on how to make a film, with the assignments not being “now go out and make a film” type tasks. What we’d learn in class was directly addressing a certain aspect of the way the frame works in conjunction with cinema and filmmaking, and the assignments were an opportunity to express what we had learned with our own spin on it.

As such I feel students in future with a great desire for detail and understanding why you felt so moved by a sequence in a film rather than just accepting it would benefit greatly from this Studio. I feel that the greatest takeaway I had from the studio were the little discussions that I was able to have with Dan as well as other students about the way my thinking had changed, and the inspiration I got from the little things we picked up in class. As such it goes without saying that if you really want to learn about film, this would be the studio for you.