Collaborating in groups for the three shot exercises felt like a smooth process. We bounced ideas off each other, all contributing to the construction and production of each individual shot. I think I can speak for us all when I say that there was little concern about how the end result might look and more appreciated the collaborative experience. This is the attitude I’m learning to adapt to – more doing and learning by creating. The narrative is easy to follow and each of the three shots progressively reveals more about the story (even if it revolves around something as small as a lost phone). See below.
Whose Phone? from Gabriel Strachan on Vimeo.
In saying that I appreciated the collaborative experience, this particular edit still turned out okay. Even though the position of the camera crosses the line, which I think is generally not so accepted in the film world, the close up of the phone in shot 2 creates some coherence. And why not do away with some of the rules of film-making? It’s a surefire way to progress development. The cut to wide shot as the dialogue begins reopens the scene, and doesn’t feel cramped for space. The light coming in through the window is maybe too strong however. I can’t recall if we white balanced it which may have had something to do with this. That and the exposure level.
Just by watching the short scene it is hard to pinpoint a genre. We didn’t outline a genre to begin with, just kind of did it. I think the main thing that would contribute to the genre in this scene though is the acting, which I am responsible for. Changing my tone in voice and exaggerating actions would certainly alter the tone and genre of the scene.
It was fun being the ‘actor’ in this scene. The more time I spend in front of a camera, the more comfortable I will become. I don’t necessarily plan on forging a career as an actor but I can sense that I’ll benefit from the consistent exposure. I wonder how long it will be before I am truly comfortable being captured on video though, if ever? This is probably a question that I won’t ever be able to answer, but an exploration of it could be interesting. Often I’ll just film my friends doing everyday things. Most of the time, they are aware of the camera being around, and this tends to alter their behaviour. But when someone you know slips fully into behaving naturally, you can generally tell. I wonder how many videos I have of people noticing the camera and acknowledging it compared to videos where people do not…
– Gabe