I chose this studio not because I was interested in experimental film, but because this seemed like the studio that would allow us to have some creative freedom in what we chose to create.  The films that all of us have produced over the semester have been diverse and interesting and with James’ guidance we have all been able to work within our interests and develop the skills that we want to develop. Going into film project 1 I had no idea how to really use lighting equipment, only knew how to use the standard Media 1 cameras and a very basic knowledge of premiere pro. Through FP1 I learnt how to use the DIDO lights and a DSLR. Then how to mask and colour grade in premiere.  I think one of the hardest parts about this studio was trying to recognise my own skills and faults as I wasn’t able to actually come up with any film ideas to pitch to the class, rather I wanted to focus on my skills as a producer/director. I am not a writer, and I’ve tried to work on that during this semester with other classes but I know my strengths and I’d rather hone in on those skills than throw my self in the deep end with attempting to write an experimental film.

One major aspect of these classes I found incredibly helpful was the pitching sessions. Listening to Stephanie Palmers pitching session really opened my eyes to a skill that I would have to develop if I want to enter the production field. I made sure that all my pitches were adhering to  her structure to get more practise in being able to share thoughts concisely. I have no problem with public speaking or even answering tough questions on the spot, but sometimes i get bodged down in the details and end up jumping from point A to C then back to B.

I think out of any studio I have done, Screen and Sensation has given me the most hands on experience in creating films from the initial stages to the final cut of editing. My confidence in Premiere Pro is way higher than when I started off the semester and now that I have produced a short film myself I am confident in my abilities to get all the producers paperwork sorted and what’s expected of me. Group work is still a difficult challenge, especially in Film Project One, but that is the nature of the business.

Film Project two is when it all came together for me. I spent HOURS in those editing suites trying to get this cut ready for the exhibition. I started to not notice the time slipping by as I was just going over and over the same four minutes attempting to get the tiniest aspect of editing to work. Film project one had ONE cast member who “slept”, film project two we had to deal with a cast of four people with dialogue, 5 different sets and intense continuity. I think having to organise all of the schedules and make sure everyone was on the same page was one of the most difficult tasks i’ve undertaken this year. Luckily, I’m a control freak and enjoy making sure everyone is ready and on schedule and the cast were great at call times and scheduling (theatre kids!)

I have uploaded all my production documents to the folder “Production Documents” in my Screen and Sensation folder.

Working with Joel and Willa on this project was great! Sometimes I felt a bit like a referee between them trying to control the train of thought and keeping them on track and away from each others throats but in the end they are really good at what they do. Joel is incredible with his camera and has such a great eye for cinematography and Willa is so motivated to be apart of the film industry that she is willing to go 500 extra miles to get the right effects. She made batches and batches of fake blood just to get the consistency right, then transported it all from Brunswick to Kew.

There are some major issues in Bloodlines that if we were able to reshoot I would change. The timeframe of the film was so rushed that I feel like if we had more of a build up to production we could have made something really intense, however without a budget it wouldn’t really matter how long it took us. I think between all three of us we ended up spending about $350-$400 on all the props and catering for the actors. Unfortunately I had the wedding on in Brisbane so we did have to do the shoot quite quickly but even so I’m glad that we did considering how long it took to edit that film. The scene in the dining room feels off to me, and I’m not sure if its the writing or the acting but I would try and figure out another way to covey that scene maybe without dialogue or at least a continuous conversation rather than a few lines being spoken at a time. There are many scenes that I would want to reshoot to get the right reactions out of James, he did great but some of the takes were good for his body movement but not his face and vice versa.

I think the colours worked out well in the end. I let Willa direct where the story went then in pre production took the liberty to design the colour scheme. I chose an icy blue for the room to show a comforting yet cold colour for the safest space in the house, a washed out grey for the more mundane family dinner setting, a darker tone of yellow to represent a sort of sickness for the bathroom, a dark green for the monopoly scene (supposed to indicate the fathers greed and entitlement) and the purple for the more crazy kitchen scenes. Reading through Patti Bellantoni’s If It’s Purple Someone’s Gunna Die this semester has been super interesting in not only learning about the different shades of the colours but also what visceral reaction it gets out of audiences. Paired with examples of famous movies and choices in costume and set design it makes  for a really good comprehensive study of both art and cinema.

Overall I have had a great time in the studio and I have learnt heaps. I think the main thing that I’m proud about is learning the skill of colour grading. Though I am still learning I have always wondered how it happens and what it takes to do something like that but always expected it to be way too complex to comprehend. I’m really proud that I was able to colour grade that whole film myself and really force myself to learn a skill that will be very beneficial for me later down the path.  The amount of time I spent in the editing suites and getting to know how to use premiere properly again was the most useful part of this year to be exact. I always felt a little behind with all of the other people in my degree as most of them have been using some form of editing software since high school and I only learnt how to use it last year. From learning how to blue and mask a shot and to colour grade I have gained much more confidence in the program which means I’m more confident in apply for jobs where the use of the software is required.

Yes there were issues with both film projects and neither of them turned out how I expected, but as you say we made the films three times. So therefore we made 6 films. That is 6 more films than I have done in my life so I feel like I’m getting a pretty well rounded education in all aspects of the filmmaking world. Thanks James! I’ve enjoyed the semester and I’m looking forward to working with you again next year!