Reflection – Week 7

2I really enjoyed Jane Campion’s “Passionless Moments” (1983) as it was the clearest example yet of an ideal way to execute a simple, unremarkable observation in an artistic and engaging manner. In the short it showed several characters, led by a narrator explaining what they were doing and thinking about, all executed in a stylistic yet exceptionally realistic way. I especially liked the one of the woman lying on the floor waiting for a phone call.

This week we did an in class exercise which involved us getting in groups and shooting one of the actions listed on the sheet, filming it in different ways and rotating roles as director, camera op & actor. I was in a group with Nathan & Patrick , and we decided to shoot the person walking, noticing they’ve forgotten something, and turning around. We found a quiet area near the class room & shot in our different ways. It was hard to find artistic ways to shoot, and although my first attempt was quite conservative, when we worked together on the following two attempts we got a bit more creative with it. We employed a slow zoom out, adjusted focus as we were shooting, and employed a hand held tracking shot also. This was just more great experience using, handling & experimenting with the equipment. The more we use them the more comfortable I feel.

The next class we did the same exercise again, this time we chose the person waiting for lift prompt and expanded on it slightly. We had Nathan & Patrick playing two acquaintances getting in an elevator together. We tried to capture an awkward encounter. This was good practice as we saw the struggles of shooting in elevators, going up & down, getting angles right so cameras aren’t shown in mirrors, and how to fit large equipment inside small spaces. Although it was a quick exercise, this was more helpful experience that I actually took something from!