February 2, 2009

It was our first film class today and we were introduced to the basic rules in class. During the course, we will be learning about different kinds of skills but we will be focusing on developing our editing skills and also film analysis. After being briefed on what to expect in this course, we were told to be in groups of four and work together for a “Recap Scavenger Hunt” on some cinematography we have learnt last year in year 10. I was with Medora, Louise, and Ashley. We planned quickly once we retrieved our equipment (camera, tape and tripod) then we started to film what was listed for the task.

Firstly, we filmed a dream-like sequence on “a student typing on the computer”. We adjusted the lighting by pulling up the blinds so the person’s features will be shown clearly on tape. I thought we could have done better by filming from different angles so it will look like a well-thought sequence with continuity. In the same room, but different area, we moved closer to the window so there will be natural light for “A student picks up a piece of paper, looks at it, then scrunches it up into a ball and throws it onto the floor” scene. The sharp, detailed effect was not as smooth as it could have been, however, it was slow enough to show what happened for this scence. Then we moved on to filming “a person is walking up the stairs”, we changed the lighting so it shows tints of blue. I thought it fitted the mood and the blue was appropriate for the “surprised and shocked” mood. When we filmed “two people dialogue”, we filmed it where natural lighting was quite effective for our scene, however, as it was a little windy, perhaps going indoors could have achieved a better footage. We made up our own script and filmed two people dialogue for “180 degrees rule” and I thought it fitted the rule. For “rule of thirds”, we filmed a person (Medora – actress) walking out of the library, I thought it was suitable for this task.

Next, we looked at sound effects, our group started with “work” so we recorded typing sounds. However as we did not have enough time, we will continue next time with the use of Final Cut Pro to create better effects with our footage.

Looking at the IB learner profile, we were mainly “Inquirers” today as we looked at the acquired skills necessary to perform the exercise. I enjoyed this “Recap” today as it refreshed what I have learnt in the previous year. It made me think about what I have to work on and improve throughout this course.