GIVING TO AND RECEIVING FROM THIS COURSE

We were assigned to create an “aesthetic masterpiece” but not to have “a creative crisis”. (More about Exercise 1A here) Throughout the first class, I kept asking myself what film form is. It made me realise that our media studio aims to equip us with the technical knowledge to execute whatever simple or abstract ideas. There is no point, if a storyteller has the most imaginative and thought-provoking concept but is unable to present the idea in a clear and effective way. I believe that being conscious of our creative process is being “True to Form”.

Typing this right now, my goals are revealed to me:
1) To be a disciplined filmmaker by practising a care for equipment and everyone on set
2) To be a purposeful storyteller by making considered choices about what and how things are in frame
3) To be a creative film editor by learning and applying ways to cut, string, foreshadow, trick, hide, reveal stories
4) To be a considerate and effective director by communicating with team members honestly, clearly and kindly

My obstacles:
1) Ignorance
2) Clumsiness
3) Fear of socialising
4) Looking down on myself
5) Unaware of strengths and weaknesses
6) Being easily demotivated by my obstacles

My actions:
1) Update blog regularly to reiterate learning points in a coherent and cohesive manner.
2) Do not be afraid of looking foolish. As Dutch scholars Erasmus and Peter Bruegel believe, everyone is inherently a fool and deranged.
3) So no harm trying something new.
4) Critically analyse the creative choices a storyteller makes.

I still do not know how, with specificity, I can achieve the above goals. They may also disappear or evolve along the way. Hopefully through this course I can develop not only various aesthetics of film form but also a form to filmmaking.