What did i take away from this studio?

Small Things was actually my first choice for studios this semester what intrigued me was the idea of putting small ideas into action and that was what interested me in the class all together. Before this studio i didn’t really have a grasp of the whole editing thing, was constantly hoping for the best and not really knowing how to use the correct software to edit, premiere pro that is. However, after completing this studio I have enhanced my skill set in the editing suite, i am able to navigate the software and use it in a much more professional way and my confidence has definitely grown with it. The most fantastic thing about the studio was that every class were learnt how to use different equipment properly how to set it up to put it away and how to use its functions to serve our purpose (for example, white balance and focusing). I had an idea of what the studio might be like before it commenced but i was pleasantly surprised that i got so much out of it, i learnt so many new skills that i will take away wiht me for life and that is an incredible outcome for someone who was using Imovie beforehand. Small things worked perfectly as it was easy to tackle small projects and hone in on my skills instead of being overwhelmed with a huge task and not developing my skills well incase the big task would have taken away from getting to know how to learn small functions. i think i would have never have been so successful in my learning had it been one massive film we were shooting the entire time. The course has shown me how meticulous and detailed everything is when it comes to production and didn’t like matching up the wild lines to the film footage was something i learnt within this course and something i never would have thought about previous, its effect was miraculous and so big on any project.  What was also beautiful about this course was the idea of making perfect shots and not to shoot the shit out of something, to take the time to focus and get everything perfect so that time wasn’t wasted later. Teaching me patience and attention to detail. I feel like I have acquired so many skills, i am so much more organised in my post production now because of this course. its been an incredible opportunity to learn and develop this skill set.

Working in a team:

This assignment was such an experience learning to work well in a team was a component. we had our challenges when it came to communicating all the time as we all had so many commitments. So for example picking a time to shoot took a bit of time to organise so that it was a good time for everyone. Obviously everyone is different and has different personalities these sometimes clash or work well together, i’m lucky i was laced in a very cooperative group who wanted the best for everyone and for everyone to be heard and have a say. what i found is that it was easy to speak up and put froth my own creative ideas that were taken on for everyone in a group. We all learnt how to cooperate with each other through this journey, we learnt how to be flexible and understanding of each others needs whilst working together to get the project done. This group was lovely and there were no significant issues. It was hard to always be on the ball when it came to our online discussions, or to reorganise the reshoot was also difficult based on everyones availability and due to the lack of availability for one of the actors that created stress for the group.

reflection:

the aims of the production we had as a group:

As students we wanted to hone in on all the skills we were learning in the studio and implement them in our project like the audio and the function wiht the camera. This project was the time in the studio where we were really given the go to be creative and do something freely. Thus our aim was to take the skills and constraints we had previously in the class and do something special with them in our own terms.

Sound for our film:

it was important for us to finds music that represented the characters well. For example the superhero to have string loud music that accompanied the character while they were onscreen. What was also important was finding a a siren alarm to accompany the footage at the beginning. We found this naturally whilst out and about filming we were able to grab audio of a siren but also found an artificial siren to enhance the original in post production editing.

Camera:

on the day of shooting we were experiment in the fact that we tried movement to enhance the effect of the superhero flying. We wanted the audience to feel like they were moving too, that they were following the superhero closely enough hat they might even be about to fly. we mostly used the tripod in shot to create stability and ensure professionalism. And with the help of Aarons and his steady hands we also managed to shoot a few things hand held to enhance movement and create a sense of POV when necessary. I guess with the camera we were trying hard to make it look sturdy but also experimental at that same time, trail and error to see what would work best and to have enough material to choose from in editing. We used the story board on the day of shooting in order to run smoothy with the camera, then we knew what types of shot to set up, close ups, wide shots, mid shots, POV shots, Over the shoulder shots. Its was all mapped out for us. when it came to lighting in regards to the camera we used the filters when necessary to create light balance, we also adjusted exposure, focus and white balance to get the perfect shot.

Lighting:

was easy to set up we didn’t need to use too much artificial light, only in the inside scenes we used two LED lights to create definition and atmosphere in the footage, shot. otherwise we were lucky to shoot on a bright sunny day and use natural light in out filming. We used the sun as high key lighting in our out doors scenes. We ere also able to enhance and change the lighting up using colour grading in the editing post production.

Editing:

when it came to editing it was a big task:

there were two shoot and that meant sifting through two different folders and making sure i was super organised with premiere so none of the files would be unfindable. through meticulous organisation i was able to keep on tip of where everything was. I was able to match up or sync the audio with the dialogue in the footage by using our log sheet i was able to match up the correct sound to the correct footage. A skill i had learnt previously within the class.

in the editing suite i was able to make my own narrative out of the footage we had all shot together it was interesting to see what everyone came up with individually but using the same material. Really saw everyone in our teams own individuality when it came to creativity even within the collaboration.

During the editing there was one shot i wanted to use twice: the one of the friend being shocked to see the superhero. originally this shot was meant to be placed when the superhero was entering the elevator, but it wanted to use it before hand as well so i flipped it so i could use it for both the elevator moment and when the friend first makes eye contact with the superhero.

Colour grading was a huge part of our editing process, we wanted the footage to be bright and colourful to match the outfit/ costume of the superhero. Thus we enhanced all of the colour so that its was very dramatic and colourfully bright,. Further Because red was the theme colour of the narrative i in the editing used the colour grading to enhance any red throughout the footage to be much brighter than ay other colour, using it to enhance the title, and making the colour in the film almost a character in itself.

i struggled putting the titles in on the footage, as it was a skill i hadn’t learnt yet but learnt by watching youtube tutorials during the editing process. Not only that the team i was with was amazing when i had questions for them about how to do something whilst editing that i didn’t understand how to do they were there to help me and were so helpful during that process, as editing was definitely not my string suite coming into the class.

as a reflection, this class was amazing i enhanced my skills and learnt new ones i will take away wiht me forever.