Sienna Macalister’s work and contributions to studio discussions have stood out to me throughout the course of the semester on account of the fact that she not only has industry knowledge, but also a clear desire to participate in this studio to her fullest capabilities and leave the studio with a professional product that she would be able to take into a professional production realm following the conclusion of the semester. 

With regard to Sienna’s contribution to the studio website, an aspect of her contextual writing that stood out to me was her choice to focus on a singular, pivotal moment in her short film script. This idea, as a cinematic approach, is intriguing to me for not only does it some-what break from conventional narrative approaches, which seek to achieve a didactic or emotional effect by the accumulation of several moments, but it gives rise to the possibility of a particular production approach. If a film’s focal point is a singular moment, then the majority of production resources could and should be devoted to that moment of the film. While it is difficult to certainly assert this without having first put this technique into practice, one may assume that this approach would enhance the production efficiency as well as the economic efficiency of a film, for the lesser-significant moments would justifiably be given less attention/resources and would be able to be produced at a lesser expense.

In addition to this aspect of Sienna’s work, Boyu made an interesting point about the inspiration for his script that provided new insight into production possibilities. He noted that he looked to everyday moments and books in seeking out subject matter that would be appropriate for a micro-budget production. This step in Boyu’s process led to my realising the potential qualities which may come from a literary approach to production and how these qualities would be suitable for a micro-budget. Particularly, literature typically has a strong attention to detail and a tendency to ruminate on the beauty of small moments without needing to give these moments significance within a larger narrative. This approach could be reflected in a short-film production by providing opportunities for reflection on the beauty of life-like moments (as may be achieved through longer, stagnant shots focusing on a particular subject) and exploiting these moments for the engagement of the viewer. Within the context of producing a film, this could help to achieve engagement without having to go to great expense in producing a film with voyeuristic features, such as special effects, for everyday simplicity could be justifiably prioritised. Essentially, this led to me realising that aestheticism is a useful approach to micro-budget film-making. 

In looking through the work of other studios, I came across the work of Dillon McGuinnes and his short essay film, ‘Butcher Bird’. I was absolutely mesmerised by the work and how effectively it was able to engage me, particularly given that the piece was created around a personal essay – something I don’t usually have a strong affinity towards.

This piece, and that of the other studio participants, reveals how multi-sensory experiences can enhance pedagogical interactions with work. By relating intellectual pieces to visual and aural qualities, I found myself able to be fully immersed not only in the beauty of the works, but the content. I was therefore better able to engage with the student’s pieces on a conceptual basis.

Further to this, the incorporation of a variety of senses for the purpose of communication allowed for the connotative qualities of those techniques used to further enhance the meanings made by each piece. The language could be dry and academic, however the use of music and visual aesthetics could create a particular mood that would lend the spoken word an emotive quality, thereby allowing said spoken word to achieve a greater depth of meaning.

Ultimately, the key concern that I found to be communicated by this studio was the importance of effective multi-sensory stimulus to enhance the engagement achieved and the meanings made by a text.