For this blog post I decided that I would present my development, both personal and technical though a video so enjoy!
Transcript:
“Hello everyone, my name is Mara and I am one of the creators of “The shape of regret”! In this reflection exercise I will be talking and explaining the skills that I developed throughout this project and how they have helped me grow both creatively and technically.
Before starting this project, I had very little experience with filmmaking and mostly personal fun projects but nothing formal. I had only experimented with filming short videos on my phone with my friends as a fun activity, but never put this much effort in creating a short film. Therefore this project allowed me to move beyond that level and gain a deeper understanding of what goes behind the scenes in creating a structured and meaningful piece. Throughout this process I developed a large variety of skills that I know are going to be very useful in the future, since I am interested in pursuing a career in media studies and media production.
One of the most important skills that I improved is teamwork. At the beginning of my journey, we sometimes struggled to fully accept others’ ideas as we were often focused on each of our own perspectives, however, working on this film opening over the time showed me how essential teamwork and collaboration is. From planning the narrative to creative decisions about visuals and editing, each and every stage required communication and compromise. By becoming more open to their input, I was able to contribute more effectively to the end product. This experience will continue to help me in the future as this skill develops further.
In terms of the practical part of this journey, I gained a much clearer understanding of how to create a strong visual and emotional impact. One of the biggest challenges for me and my team was to understand how to use a professional camera instead of an iPhone along with how to position proper and professional lighting equipment. Before this project, I had very limited knowledge of camera settings and their impact on the final product. Through practice I learned how to control the focus, how exposure would affect the quality and vibe of a scene and how to perfectly frame a scene. This was especially important for our film opening since it relied so heavily on visual elements such as colour and composition to communicate meaning rather than dialogue.
Another key aspect I learned was the importance of editing. Going into this project, I underestimated how significant editing is in the filmmaking process and its impact on the final emotional impact, assuming that filming was the most important stage. However, I quickly realised how important editing is and that it’s basically the element that brings the whole film together. In cat i found editing to be one of the most challenging parts of the entire process.
Through editing I developed a large set of skills such as organising and selecting footage, creating difficult transitions and ensuring continuity between scenes even if the location was completely different. This was particularly important in our film due to its non-linear and confusing narrative as we had to give our audience clarity between different timelines and emotional states. Editing also played a crucial role in building tension and atmosphere especially with the ear ringing sound and heartbeat sounds. Overall this experience taught me that filmmaking does not end where filming stood, but continues in post production where the story is fully shaped and refined.
Beyond technical skills, I also improved in areas such as idea generation and attention to detail along with some researching skills. Developing the concept for the shape of regret required a lot of creative thinking since this was an artistic film and the ability to transform guilt and identity into visual elements. At the same time I understood the importance of small elements such as lighting, props and colour and how they contribute to the overall emotional impact of the film and the audience’s engagement.
Research was another important part of this process since we had to explore genre conventions, film opening conventions, analysing already existing films and research our target audience. This helped me understand the importance of preparation and gave me confidence for future projects along with useful information such as how to analyse results from a google form.
In conclusion, this project has taught me a wide range of valuable skills, both practical and personal and helped me grow as a person and as a director/actor. It has shown me that filmmaking is a very complex and layered process, involving so much more than just capturing footage. I now feel far more confident in my skills and abilities and im sure that they will continue to develop in potential independent projects in the future
That’s all for today, thank you all for listening to my never ending rant and see you in the next post! Byee!!!”