Please reflect on how you feel about the course. What surprised you, what excited you, what disappointed you. What we could have done better. What you could have done better.

My Goals/Desires response from Week 1:

For the first semester of Film-TV 1 I hope to gain a better understanding of the production process of films, from the pre-production stage right through to post-production. I hope to gain an understanding of industry practices which will help me feel better equipped to conduct my own productions in the future.

I want to challenge myself by taking on roles that I’m not used to in production such as trying my hand at cinematography or technical adviser. By pushing myself to learn how to best serve the production from a technical stand point I believe I will become a better filmmaker by not letting fear of technology stand in my way.

I hope to learn from the other students not only in my group but in the other film groups as well. I would like to learn how to be a better editor and to learn skills in lighting and sound, which if I’m not in charge of I still hope to learn these skills by watching and helping other students.

By the end of the semester I hope to be a more well-rounded filmmaker who is ready to take on any aspect of filmmaking.

And Now:

This semester of Film/TV 1 has been the best I’ve ever had in terms of setting out to achieve, learn, and grow from the experience. I feel like I have gained so much from just one semester of film production that I can’t wait to continue studying, working and learning.

I set out to gain knowledge in production practices, lighting and sound, and editing and I have come away feeling more confident in my ability than ever before. I’ve always felt confident in my writing, producing and organisation skills but I’ve always taken a step back when it came to the technical side of things. I feel really proud that I can now take the lead in any of the production roles, which I never would’ve had the confidence to do before this course. I certainly never thought I would be confident, let alone enjoy editing but I really did. I used to always ask my brother for technical help but now he is asking me for advice and I even colour graded a video for him just today, which I never thought I’d be able to do before this semester.

I really feel like I took myself out of my comfort zone this semester and gained so much for it. Before this semester, I was hesitant to put my hand up for production roles for experience, but now I feel like I can take on any role and that my production experience/knowledge no longer holds me back. I just want to keep making content and now I feel like I can do it without needing a whole team of people to rely on.

This course is fantastic, and I don’t have any criticisms at all. The only thing that surprised me was the lack of attendance at the lectures. Before this semester I’d never had lectures and have heard that people tend to not go. It was a bit disappointing as I gained a lot from the lectures and feel like others (even those in my group) would’ve benefited a lot from them.

I really loved how everyone came together to help one another despite whether we were from the same tute or not, just because we all understood what we were going through. It was great that all of the students could lean on one another for advice and support and the teachers are just superb. The teachers’ commitment to the students, their approachable nature, knowledge and dedication outside of class is amazing. I can’t fault this course. I feel like I learned and gained the most from it than any other subject or even my previous course.