I think that the importance of collaboration is one of the biggest lessons I learned from this studio. In the process of planning and filming my short film, discussing ideas for the dialogue and shot ideas with my cast and crew (Kadee and Nia) really aided in making me feel more confident in my dialogue points. What I mean by this is that I have no experience writing dialogue scenes and I struggled to make it seem more natural (which is also part of the reason I left so much space for improvisation). Editing my dialogue scenes made me feel a lot better about the rushed production process as well, because I had a more clear vision for what I would be editing together (I knew I would utilise the audio in many different ways so it was important to know what I would be emphasising through it). I am eternally grateful for Nia as well, as she agreed to help out on the day of filming, and successfully helped me in making my vision come to life.
When crewing on my friends Sarah and Seth’s short films, I saw that receiving feedback and guidance from other Media-makers can really elevate a film and make the filming process more enjoyable.
I was unable to help on Sarah’s first day of filming, but despite the long filming day and everyone being exhausted, they all expressed how much fun they had on set. I think this pretty much sums up filmmaking when it’s well prepared for. I helped on Sarah’s 2nd and final day of shooting (which was on the 7th of October), mainly helping with the audio aspect of things, and it was so rewarding to be able to wrap and be a part of such a professional shoot. We finished filming ahead of schedule, and we may have been exhausted and cold from the carpark, but it just felt like something I have wanted to do for so long.
On the other hand, Seth’s filming day was not as step-by-step planned for. However, it was clear he had a vision and he was sticking with it. He went by his instincts and he was able to tell the story that he wanted to, despite being overwhelmed by the end of the shoot. This was so different from the experience on Sarah’s set, but I enjoyed seeing the ideas come to life and on the spot, it makes me feel excited to create.
What I want to do in the future is share my creative ideas when I’m crewing, because I know how helpful this was to informing my final product. I think this will require me to practise more in making things and stop being afraid to do so. I definitely need more confidence when it comes to my ideas and with my creations in general, and I think that being on student film sets is a really good way to share ideas without having anything to lose.