Summer School has now come to an end. In these past 6 or so weeks I actually feel like I’ve possibly gotten more out of this class than I have any other so far. I’ll be sad to see it go, although I’m totally pleased with the way it came to an end and what I achieved in the class.

The two-day-a-week timetable of The Great Belgian Egg Hunt worked really well, it neither felt overwhelming or lacking. I felt that the subject was paced perfectly throughout the semester and that each aspect of the course was given an appropriate amount of time. The first three project briefs all served as phases in the development of the final project brief so I didn’t feel rushed in producing the music video itself as I had appropriately prepared.

We viewed and discussed the extent to which the music video medium could be explored, and as a result I was exposed to some auteurs and ideas that I may not have been had I not applied for this course. I became truly aware of the impact of the music video on an artist’s brand, message, character and legacy. I also discovered the significance of the music video itself, and how important it has been for music to be given a visual platform and context. To us today, music videos are to be expected and are definitely no surprise; seldom do we think about the layers they add artistically and commercially to an artist’s work and the extensive possibilities for narrative, .

This class gave me the opportunity to exercise my ability to work in a group and collaborate effectively. Obviously there was a degree of luck here, being that my group was full of keen, driven people, but I think we all played to our strengths and didn’t try to control or sit back too much. This made for a pretty easygoing production process and ultimately enabled us to complete a product we are all proud of.

I’ve also most likely required more practical skills from this class than any other yet. Being behind the camera for both my group’s shoot and the live performance practical class allowed me to practise filming on the fly. I’d never shot and produced green screen material before, so working in the green screen studio was an interesting experience, with care having to be taken with basically everything, such as ensuring that the lighting lit the green evenly to make the keying out process in post easier and more effective.

My editing skills, particularly within Premiere Pro, have also greatly improved as a result of this course. Luckily, Steph in our group has had plenty of experience with the program and was able to show us the ropes. I picked up a lot from watching her breeze through with different shortcuts and techniques and as a result feel a lot more confident with the software and my ability to produce something with it.

Coming out of this class, I’ve produced a video that was initially well out of my comfort zone technically and have accrued a number of new skills that will have extensive application for the rest of my course.