The course. The course is great. I am so excited to explore something in such detail and depth. As soon as the idea of looking solely at camera coverage is suggested and highlighted it becomes so apparent in everything I watch. Looking at what the camera covers, and what it doesn’t cover is something that is so often overlooked. It’s absolutely true what Robin and Paul said in the lecture – on set, the camera placement is not often considered to the extent it deserves. “Classic” shot-reverse-shot setups (such as the conversation in the bar from Gossip Girl screened in the lecture) have become formulaic. They have become the standard because they are efficient and an easy way to get a good sense of what is going on between characters at any one time. However they are not creative, and given this opportunity to study cinema and to make films at our own leisure – not constrained by a production company’s vision or budget – we should be making the most of it and experimenting as much as possible in what and how we can cover scenes to elicit different feelings and style.

The exercise in the tutorial was a whole lot more enjoyable then what I expected it to be. Having to go out and make something, quickly and only focusing on one aspect of production. Our group incorporated more camera movement then I would normally include if I had to storyboard, or plan out a similar scene. Given that the camera had to remain in a set position we were also able to think about the blocking of the actors and their position in relation to the camera. I really enjoyed the opportunity to get creative. I suppose having “media-trained” people acting played a large part in the way we set up and blocked actors in relation to the camera. For me, it was if they were acting an moving FOR the camera, and not so much for their surroundings and for each other.
Acting is something I really want to learn more about and become more aware of. I feel that my media practice has been largely selfish – as it’s about experimenting with what I know and developing my skills rather then utilizing the skills of people I am working with to the best of their ability. This is something I really feel like I ought to take the time and to explore and think about. To me, actors have seemed foreign – like what goes on behind the camera and in front of it are so very separate. I have understood they are connected, but not to the degree that I am beginning to understand now.