In terms of communicating symmetry in my film, I took inspiration from the reading ‘Semantic Analysis of (Reflectional) Visual Symmetry’ in how the authors explain Symmetry as being the link of elegance, beauty within a well-proportioned and balanced visual image (Suchan 2018 et al). When coming up with ideas for shots I would correct my positioning or the position of objects in a scene to help well proportion the environment to be as equally balanced as possible. I also acknowledge the other aspects of symmetry in terms of perceptual similarity which refers to the ‘similarity of features’ and ‘semantic similarity’ within a visual image (Suchan 2018 et al). This explanation helped me structure images to guide attention to visual saliency as well to break paths of symmetry occasionally to move the shot or add action to the scene. Especially when moving in the sequences, symmetry occasionally goes off balance. For example, a scene I am happy with in terms of symmetry as a well-balanced image is during the beginning of the kitchen sequence where I open the cupboard doors and change the shot to a different perspective, watching me open the doors. I feel proud of my accuracy and ability to problem solve as the middle of the doors closing was a different center point to where I would be positioned.

Moving along, another aspect of symmetry applied in films is ‘one point perspective’ as explained in the reading ‘The Art of Perspective in Cinematography: One-Point Perspective, Symmetry, and the Golden Curve,’ which is achieved by ‘placing the camera perspective directly opposite from the horizon line and vanishing point’ (Nguyen 2019). Understanding one point perspective helped me storyboard sequences and have my focal point in the middle of the shot which provides symmetry both vertically and horizontally. When attempting to fully secure symmetry in my sequence, I edited the clips by zooming in and expanding the frame to center my focal point as accurately as possible. Overall, within the readings, they helped me understand how symmetry truly adds to the aesthetic experience of film. I also found ways to incorporate symmetry without it needing to necessarily be perfectly exact, for instance a scene where I am cooking pasta in the pot, I understand that the pasta may not be perfectly centered but it’s okay to have some differences and still be symmetrical. Looking at examples of One Point Perspective in Nguyen’s article ‘The Art of Perspective in Cinematography’, helped me look at examples of symmetry through Stanley Kubrick’s examples.

During pre-production, I brainstormed some ideas. In total I had 3 ideas and expanded on a story about cooking in my kitchen as it’s a wide-open space for me to work in and there are many props to add character to my shots. I created a brief and got some feedback from peers and from my lecturer. What I needed to expand on was establishing a narrative that is not too broad and has a backstory and reasoning behind the sudden passion of cooking. Learning from this and from my lecturers idea of stumbling upon a recipe, I decided to change my brief. This helped me create 2 different parts of my Symmetrical Film. I then brainstormed a storyboard which I mostly followed and added some more symmetrical shots to expand the simplicity and provide more perspective from different angles.

Beginning production, I started in my room and turned down the blinds to allow for my sunset lamp to highlight the scene. I would use my tri pod for majority of the sequence as I was going to be fully in shot for majority of this part. When filming in my kitchen it was difficult to follow the storyboard in some moments. For instance, I had an idea to have my camera face the stove whilst it was on from the opposite end, however I realised this was a dangerous idea. I did not have enough space for my phone to rest behind the stovetop, and I also did not want to endanger my sister by having her film around there. To solve the issue, I changed those parts of the storyboard but tried to display a similar scenario just without me in the shots. I used my tri pod to film whilst incorporating handheld and had my sister help me for some moving shots.

Postproduction has been helpful and really cleans the aesthetic functions of my work. I firstly assemble my footage in order of my storyboard. Then I edit the length of the clips to their desired length and mix and match according to the storyboard. I then colour grade as best I can and then I go onto effects and smoothening transitions. Changes in the future would be to film my sequences where I can see what my camera is going to capture. When filming in my room for the first part, I avoided the front camera for quality purposes. This made it difficult for me to picture where I was on screen and to have my shots symmetrically balanced properly. In the future I would also love to challenge myself and film in a different space that isn’t my room or home. It limits me to stories when I stick to a comfortable environment. If I push myself to go in social spaces, it will only help me grow in storytelling and filming. Working in environments like the beach, parks, alleyways, or shopping districts can challenge me to incorporate the natural elements of the wind, people talking and work along with the natural lighting of these settings.

The most successful part of my symmetrical film was assembling the storyboard and creating the sequences in postproduction. I have a very imaginative mind, so visual planning is mostly straight forward for me. When storyboarding I was able to draw my visual images and create a sequence that made sense and followed symmetrical patterns. When it comes to postproduction editing, I found it very simple to arrange my sequences due to the colour of the beginning section to the kitchen sequence. Going along with the storyboard, I would look back and forth to see if the sequence aligned with the plan. Editing has become easier with use; I understand the templates for the window and how changing them can help focus on the specific aspect I want to edit within my sequence. The least successful part of my symmetrical film was not having the entire film be symmetrical as well as the colour filter, I wanted to employ through the kitchen sequence. When filming I thought creating symmetrical shots would be easy, however during production it proved itself to be challenging. Especially when wanting to be perfect, not all shots are going to be exactly balanced. This is where during editing, I try to zoom into shots to try and fix the balance. I realise that my iPhone camera zoom feature doesn’t work as well as I hoped. When zooming out I found the quality of footage drop drastically, and when zooming in having the same issue. Moving along to the colour filter, I had to improvise and keep working toward trying to ‘warm up’ the kitchen environment to feel more homely, whilst maintaining the video quality. In the future, I want to experiment and practice in my own time how to colour grade more effectively and ways to preset my camera settings to try and optimise the results.

Ultimately, my journey through Assignment #1 – Symmetrical Film Sequence, combines inspiration, creativity, and challenge. Following from the insights of the readings, I learned the different dimensions of symmetry within storytelling, from balanced compositions to one point perspective techniques. Through the process, I learnt how symmetry plays role in not only the visual alignment but also in the narrative structure. A takeaway from this assignment is the importance of planning and storyboarding. Mapping out sequences helps me envision symmetrical patterns to implement in my film and ensure the flow of my film is cohesive. This also helps me adjust shots whilst maintaining a similar visual image. Successes were made in assembling the storyboard and executing, however in post-production I encounter some limitations in achieving perfect symmetry. Technical constraints like zoom quality and colour grading can really impact my narrative and the mood of my film with symmetrical aesthetics. Nonetheless, the obstacles help me learn and push for experimentation, and problem solve through improving my previous strategies. In the future, I am eager to refine my skills and explore new environments beyond my familiar surroundings. Embracing challenges and honing technical experience, I can elevate aesthetic and narrative aspects of my films in the future, whilst maintaining foundation in symmetry and balance. Each project I embark becomes a stepping stone to help me improve in my world of filmmaking.

Completed Timeline

REFERENCES

Suchan, J., Bhatt, M., Varadarajan, S. and Amirshahi, S. (2018). SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF (REFLECTIONAL) VISUAL SYMMETRY A Human-Centred Computational Model for Declarative Explainability. [online] Accessed 18 March 2024 https://web.eecs.umich.edu/~stellayu/publication/doc/2018symmetryACSJ.pdf.

Nguyen, T. (2019). The Art of Perspective and Symmetry in Cinematography: One-Point Perspective. [online] Medium. Accessed 19 March 2024 https://medium.com/@tuyettrangnguyen95/the-art-of-perspective-and-symmetry-in-cinematography-one-point-perspective-47158772a23e.