What you gained from the studio？

After this studio, I think I learned a lot of things. The small things studio not only teach me to master the most basic shooting knowledge but also in the process of learning encountered many challenges to recognize my own shortcomings. I learned how to use equipments-cameras, tripod, microphone, lighting kit etc and the equipment safety is also very important during the shooting. A good cinematographic and television work can not be separated from careful consideration, lens’ design and shooting, selection of music, good teamwork and editing. All of these are indispensable. We tried to play different roles in the studio, each of them is very important for video shooting. We learned how to play every roles and saved time by fulfilling our duties. Although theoretical knowledge is important, when it is combined with practice, I realize that I still have a lot of things to improve and learn. When we show our works in class, the suggestions of the teacher and classmates made me reflect and make progress a lot. When I met some difficulties, the help of the teacher and peers helped me solve many problems. Although the short half semester studio is over, I have learned a lot and benefited a lot.

Pre-production

During week 8 and 9, we were divided into a group and started to work. Although everyone was not familiar with each other before, everyone was very friendly and treat the work seriously. We got an idea that two criminals are in an elevator, on their way to commit a crime, with comedic events occurring. We tried to write different scripts and chose the best three of them. The shooting requires a lot of preparation and detailed planning. First of all, we worked out a shooting schedule, invited actors who fit the roles at starnow and assigned our own roles. In class, we also discussed other preparations, such as the selection and arrangement of shooting sites, meals and equipment transportation. The choice of scenes is the first problem we encounter. It is obviously unrealistic to shoot directly in an elevator because of the poor radio effect and the difficulty of shooting. Fortunately, David has an empty house which we could set the scene to make it look like an elevator. Although this is a good place, the remote location is the second problem we encounter. Luckily, two of our group members have a car so that they can pick up other people at the railway station and transport equipments.

We discussed our free time and chose to use two days to complete the shooting. A week before filming, we completed a lot of preparations, finished the storyboards for each scene and went to Bunnings to buy materials to arrange the scene. We bought black corflute and cut them into small pieces, using Blu Tack to stuck them onto the walls. In the selection of materials, we have faced difficult again. Many materials are wooden boards so they are too big and heavy to be transported by our own cars. Finally, we found a lightweight material that was just stuffed into the car and it has reasonably price. We set up another empty room as the actor’s lounge. We also provided them with tea and snacks. The day before the shooting, two members transported equipment from the school to the shooting site. They put the equipment in advance, which saved a lot of time for our next shooting.

We arrived at the place earlier than the actors, so we had plenty of time to adjust the lights and confirm the equipment. We tried to stand in place of the actors and adjust the lights. Actually, the scene layout alone did not look like a real elevator, but it looked good after adjusting the lights. I worked as sound recorder. It was in a small enclosed room and we also had sound insulation so the radio works well. We communicated with the actors before filming in order to let them know the script better. They were very interesting and offered their own suggestions. We will reversal before every formal shoot  so that we can see the problems which we can improved.

（Adjust the Lighting in Classroom）

（Shop Purchase, Scene Layout）

（Capital budget）

（Handling and debugging lights and equipment）

（Communicate with actors before filming and prepare props）

Reflection 1

It took us a lot of time and energy to prepare well in advance, but everything was worth it. It had laid a good foundation for our later work, so that the work can proceed smoothly. When I encounter the next work, I will be more experienced to do better.

Edits, sound mixes and color grades

Using PR this software was very new and difficult for me. Firstly, I watched videos about color grading which provided by Paul. Then I searched the Internet for many tutorials. When I encountered difficulties that I could not solve, I turned to my team members for help. I spent a lot of time on audio synchronization. In order to show the real effect, I also searched the Internet for a lot of music and sound effects. Because many sound effects were very detailed, I need to revise them carefully and repeatedly. However, when the tone of the film changes from dramatic to comedic and mundane, so will the score. The elevator will have diegetic stereotypical elevator tunes playing in the background, which we hope adds to the mundane and therefore, the humour of the scene. In my draft edition, the color of the scene is warm. But after a group discussion, we felt that the cold tone could better show that it was an elevator scene and that it was about killers. After the class presentation, the suggestions of the students and teachers also helped us a lot.

（Editing…）

(Original)

(Before)

(After-Final)

Reflection 2

This is one of the greatest advances that I learned to use PR this software. It is very important to combine theoretical knowledge with practice. Every detail should be noticed, and the choice of music should be considered repeatedly. Listen to other people’s suggestions and make improvements to achieve better works.

Collaboration

A good work is inseparable from good teamwork. In a team, we shared our strengths and advantages, constantly absorbing the strengths of other members, and communicating with each other that we can make a better work. In the process of cooperation, everyone is growing and progressing. One plus one results in more than two, that is to say, team work often outperforms one person’s achievement. Film production is not a matter of one person, but the collaboration and cooperation of the whole team or even multiple teams. Through this studio, I realized the importance of people do their different roles that can not only improve work efficiency, but also improve the quality of work. If the creator wants to finish the production of a film, besides the experience and ability of the producer, he must be prepared in advance. The theatre group is often a temporary team, even if it has made sufficient preparations, there will be various accidents, make the necessary preparations to avoid unnecessary risks as far as possible. In addition, the unexpected response measures and plans should be prepared in advance for emergencies. Reasonable budget allocation, maximizing the use of existing funds, controlling the shooting cycle, and selecting the most suitable actors. All of these were done through our team discussion and careful preparation so that it makes easier to shoot later. I learned to work with others and it also can make a lot friends. After all, film is not a technical arena, people-oriented is the most important.

(Group photo)

Final video