Dreams of Spring Break

Last class was a blur. Partly because me trying to remember it now is like trying to remember your 3^rd birthday party, it was a very long time ago and I was too excited about the presents that awaited me to pay attention to anything else. Spring break was whispering “come hither” in my ear and I just couldn't sit still. I guess that is why our class notes are posted for all to see :)

So now that I've reviewed last class' notes, I can briefly discuss my experience that Thursday night, so very long ago...

Cory presented to us his Honors Thesis film that he has been working on for quite some time now. I thought the actual filming of it (the cinematography I guess you would call it) was great. It looked good. There were a few things story-wise that bothered me. The “break-up” scene didn't feel real to me, whereas everything else in the film did. The confusion of that scene followed by what seemed like an abrupt ending just threw me for a loop. I think watching it again might help make some more connections. But overall, knowing what I know now about film-making, I thought it was absolutely incredible! Congratulations Cory for all your hard work!

We watched a few clips that highlighted the significance of editing. You can get the shots for a particular story line but if it isn't editing with that same story line in mind, you could have a whole different film! It's like the man looking at the woman in a bikini smiling, ha.

Well, it's done. Our first round of filming is done. I really can't believe we pulled it off. I mean, I can, because I have a great team who has worked really hard to pull things together, but it was definitely more than a mo hill to climb... This is the part in the project where I can relax for a few weeks, let the other members do their thing, and I can in the bleachers and just watch and perhaps make a few comments :) It feels good.

Tips for other groups:

-Scheduling was biggest problem, try not to depend on more than 2 or 3 main actors, unless the actors are in your group and you know you can rely on them, everybody is super busy with finals and if you think your friend would love to be in a movie, I'm sure they would, but it's a huge time commitment.

-We didn't necessarily need the editor and sound editor while filming. Let them put in their two cents when making script and storyboard and then director and camera-operator can do their job more efficiently.

-It helps to map out shots (take camera to the places you are planning on filming) to make sure it's what you want and everything fits how you imagined it

I think that's all I got.

I hope everyone enjoyed their break, I know I sure did!