What I really enjoy about our studio is that in each class, Robin will create opportunities for us to do practical activities and hence, interact with filming equipment and get in touch with the actual somewhat professional filming process. However, this time the activity was a bit different as we simply just sat in class and wrote down our observations – in other words, I think he actually guided us into one of the most fundamental parts of the journey: writing. I personally think that being able to write is a core value in the filmmaking process. Whether it is script writing or regular writing, I view this act as a way to ‘materialize’ what is in our head, then from this we can proceed to transverse words into visual, moving footage. 

 

Of course, if one has a creative mind, outstanding thinking skills and good vision, it is entirely possible for them to transfer directly from their imagination into an actual scene. However, from what I have known in most of the cases, most movies are a combination of many different details and frames, and of course, the production of a movie usually would be in the form of a group thing rather than an individual, so taking notes and sketching out ideas in a form of written words is a must essential. That can then be treated as a guideline to help them manage and navigate, as well as visualize the scenes, the characters, and the narrative. 

 

With that being said, although today’s exercise is not actually about writing a script in the correct form but more like an observation freestyle writing, it still serves as a start to this important process. I also had a chance to take note of what I should consider, if I will ever write one. I was made aware of the fact that what in the script would later be transferred into a visual experience, hence there are some distinctive points and style of writing in this form. And as someone who has done a fair amount of creative writing and also other types, I have come to realize that writing in cinema is absolutely a skill that needs to be learned and cultivated. It is, in a way, also a type of storytelling in my opinion, but this form of writing will focus on the description process, so adjectives are used a lot and are also something that needs to be paid attention to.

 

In addition to writing, I also get to hold an actual script in my hand. I have searched for it before but I was never certain of what it would look like until now. Robin also gave some insights about how to actually read a script. For instance, I was informed of how sometimes, a screenwriter can choose not to include detailed instructions for every scene in the script. They would write a subtle description of the scene in the script but not in instruction form, so although it would be hard to catch, their vision of how the scene will be is there. So I now know that sometimes I should pay attention to even the smallest detail in the script, especially adjectives, when filming, to catch hints to what the screenwriter imagines/desires. Having been introduced and experienced this is a privilege to me not only in the role of a writer but also a filming crew member, as I do think that it is important to know how to communicate and satisfy both the crew and the screenwriter in a set.