Today we had our initial group consultation with Jasmine. We came in to the consult with very rough ideas, each very different in theme and focus. While my main interest was cinematography and what constitutes a ‘beautiful’ cinematic shot, other group members ideas were the personification of mental illness, the ‘stoner shot’ from That 70s Show and the comedic genre in general.

As we talked through our ideas with Jasmine, we realised that our ideas could come together in one project. Maybe it would be a comedy, with that iconic 360 degree circle shot, featuring characters who personify mental illness. That would bring our interests; cinematography, the stoner circle shot, comedy and mental illness into one scene.

Though there were only three of us at the consult, we agreed that working on something in this vein would work for all of us. However, as we left the consult, we began talking about how ambitious this idea was. Trying to write a script with strong characters, as well as focusing on the cinematography and format of the shot, all while trying to keep if funny, may just not work. In a group of five people, it seemed that having a more defined focus would work better.

As we discussed our project, we went off track and talked about TV we watched; comedies we love. We then started the discussion on the format of the shows, and thought about how interesting it might be to explore these formats.

So we have decided to shoot a single scene in a variety of different formats. We will use the stoner-circle shot, as well as mockumentary style shooting, multi-cam live studio audience shows, shows with flashbacks, and shorter style sketch shows. We will be able to focus on writing, writing one good scene that will be adapted for multiple formats. We will also be able have a strong focus on shooting and experimenting with editing (adding laugh tracks, etc.).

Thinking back on our discussion now, I think we are on the right track. We are in agreement, which is rare in group projects. However, I also think there is a lot more work to do. We need to actually explore these formats of shooting, because at the moment what we now of them is what we see in finished scenes we watch on television.