So the writing task we did in week three was designed to give us an idea of what we might like to investigate for our series of experiments. We jotted down people and places we find interesting, as well as actions – interesting or mundane. Then we jotted down ideas of things we could experiment with and investigate.
Now personally, I don’t think this activity helped me at all. I didn’t really get anything from it, and I haven’t even considered experimenting with the things I wrote that day.
So I’ve got to come up with something I want to investigate in terms of filmmaking.
When we were given the task to think of what we’d like to experiment and play with – nothing came to mind. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to investigate; all I knew was that I wanted to come out of this semester as a better overall filmmaker.
So we just created out expertise video and there’s one thing I learnt that I never knew before. And that is how powerful folly sounds are – more specifically, how powerful creating your own folly sounds are.
In the week one practical class for true to form, we went out and took shots of an ‘action’ in small groups. ‘Actions’ could’ve been anything, from sitting to fighting to doing push-ups.
In week 2, we reviewed the shots as a class and pointed out common mistakes found in most the shots.
So for my ‘true to form’ class, we were assigned the task to create a 1-2 minute abstract film – and I’m already confused.
2nd year in uni, and I’m currently doing ‘true to form’ as my studio for media three.
What do I expect from this class? To be honest – I don’t exactly know. I’m hoping that this class will build upon my knowledge of film making (as little as it may be) and raise my understanding of the fundamentals of film making. I also want this class to correct any bad habits I have with my film making techniques – while also teaching me new and useful filming techniques that I can implement into my own films.
The first class I had was a bit of surprise. Why? Well I didn’t expect to be taught how to use a tripod. Apparently there is a ‘correct’ way to use it which I was completely unaware of – which is nice. The fact that I was unaware that there is a proper way to use a tripod shows that I have a lot to learn, and I have tons of space to grow as a film maker. Sometimes even the most simple things requires more thought to use properly than one would assume. Although in saying that – learning how to use a tripod was a bit of a dry topic, and I hope that classes in the future teaches things that are more exciting.
And finally, what are my goals for this studio? I want to learn things that I will use in the future. Too many times – from primary school all the way up to more recently, I’ve been taught things that I haven’t used at all. I don’t want this semester to be wasted on things that I will forget. Last semester was a great example of a class where everything I learnt was useful in applying in real-world scenarios. I did ‘transgression studios’ with Catherine Gough-Brady, and it was a class based on story-telling through audio. My audio knowledge was minimal. By the end of the studio, I walked away with the confidence to create interesting and engaging soundscapes that I will be able to apply in my videos. And I’m hoping the same will happen with this studio. I want to walk away with the confidence to create interesting and mesmerising visuals.
Cheers to another semester.