During the class this Tuesday, we watched multiple clips of scenes by various film directors, as per usual. The one that left the strongest impression on me was a scene filmed using the one-shot technique. For a long time, even before I started learning about filming techniques, I always envisioned filming a scene entirely in one shot. The obvious positive effect of this technique is that it immerses viewers in the scene with the actors, as there are no cuts to break the continuity. However, on the downside, this technique is quite challenging to master, especially for someone who only started learning the filming process a few years ago and is hardly an expert yet. When we were watching the scene together, Robin seemed very excited and pleased about the techniques used in this scene. Initially, I didn’t understand why until Robin explained what was so impressive about it. Then, I realized how difficult filming a scene can be, having done it twice a week myself. What I saw was truly amazing. First of all, the space they filmed in was quite tight, and when I watched the scene for the first time, I forgot that there were not just actors in the room. There were also people outside the camera frame, and more importantly, a large filming camera. It was quite genius how, in such a limited space, they allowed that gigantic filming camera to swing around smoothly, connecting one movement to the next without making it look rushed or too aggressive. On Friday, it was my directing debut for the exercise session, and I’d say I was pretty disappointed and embarrassed about how I managed the session. While I didn’t mess up entirely or create chaos, I realized I was really lacking a clear vision and confidence. Despite my best efforts to prepare, we didn’t have enough time, and I struggled to find the right location. As soon as we got to the place, I was panicking inside my head while everyone else seemed ready to start shooting. I began shooting anyway, but because of that, I had no clear vision and only focused on completing the scene as quickly as possible. The choices I made were pretty boring and possibly wrong, as they were not very effective. Soon after the filming was done, I suddenly had a much better vision in my head, but obviously, it was too late. I realized I need to train myself to come up with a clear idea, take notes, communicate with the team effectively, and create a satisfactory scene within a limited time.