I touched on what I am concerned about regarding the groups for this semester in a previous post. These are things that I have noticed in the first month of this studio and that I think may be an issue or something we have to think about for group work going ahead.
There are a few things that I have noticed about the class and working in groups so far. Firstly, there is a varying degree of skill level within the class. While this is inevitable and not at all a bad thing, it is something I worry about in terms of the ongoing practical work. Ideally, those who have less experience (myself), can learn from those who are more skilled. It would be unfortunate if those with more experience ended up doing a lot, or most, of the technical work (both for them and for the less experienced). I think this is an important factor to consider when we form our groups. I think it would be best if we had a variety of experience in each group.
It is easy for someone who doesn’t know how to operate a very foreign piece of equipment to step back and let someone more confident do it. Similarly, I can understand that it is a lot more efficient and would be a lot less frustrating for those who are experienced if they did the work. However, one of my main desires or goals for this studio is to gain a lot more competence in technical work and production. I would find it a wasted opportunity for everyone involved if we didn’t help each other and transfer our skills.
This is why I loved our class today- Friday 11th of August, in which set up a scene and went through the basics of the equipment operating. Not only did it show me that I was definitely not the only one who felt out of their depth regarding the EX3s, sound recorders and general filming practice and processes; but it was also great to go through all of these things to a degree with Robin. I really appreciated the opportunity to have a go at being the camera operator. I think it would be even more valuable if we could do a similar thing in smaller groups, as there would have been people who were familiar with the content and hence bored in this class. There were also people who didn’t have as good as a chance as I did at practicing hands on skills. Nonetheless this session gave me hope for what the future holds in terms of my (and all of our) practical development.
The second thing I have noticed through group work is that there are people who are very vocal (myself included), and people who are not very vocal. Neither is an issue, and neither I have a problem with. It is a matter of working with both types of people in a way that allows less vocal people to have more of a contribution and more vocal people to make less of the decisions (which may be a burden if no one else is making them). It is something I have noted now, to see how it is dealt with and how we work within our groups throughout the semester. As a relatively confident person in class conversation and group discussion, I definitely do not want to take up most of the conversation. I may be becoming hyper aware of this issue but I want to make sure we all are equally engaging with the production process and decisions being made.
I have appreciated that we have worked in fluid groups up to this point in the semester. I look forward to forming groups and solidifying our aims and groups culture.