Wong Kar Wai Bye Bye

After all the hard work... after all those days when we have suffered in the heat just to take quality footage... after staying in an office without air-conditioning at all, it was finally time to watch the films that we have made in groups. It was amazing, how time passes so quickly when we are all working so hard on our films. At last, we could have some time together to share with each other, our experiences, and what we have learnt as individual filmmakers who are assigned different roles.

It was really worth it. Watching other's film, and imagining their process of filming was just the best part. Thinking about what we went through in our groups was the best feeling ever. What we have achieved, and judging that it was my first time being a director of a film, I have achieved, and learnt a lot from this valuable experience that I had.

Being director, I have learnt a lot from this experience. I have learnt how to become a leader of a team, and the ultimate core of the team. The driving motion, and power of the group. I never had a chance to become a leader of a group, well at least, not for a big project like this. I wanted to prove that I can actually be a leader, with control over the team, and to lead them to make a great film. However, there are lots of obstacles that have been blocking our way in the process. Some of them have been mentioned before, but sometimes, certain group members are not available to attend filming sessions during the weekend, which really, all comes down to the ability to cooperate as a team, and most importantly, commitment to the group.

I have really had enough of trying to chase down certain members of my group to get things done, and I tried really, really hard to keep organized during the creation process. Even if I think back on my role, and what I should have done to improve on, I do not think that I would think of myself as a bad director. Well at least for a first-timer, not a bad director.

As I watched film by film during class, I had a lot of thoughts, and different questions that were raised in my head. I started comparing each film with my own, to, I guess, boost my confidence. At the end, it didnt really work out, because all the films were superbly presented. When it was out turn to show our film, I watched my film, not knowing whether it is as good as the other films that I saw... Surprisingly, the comments that people gave on my film were positive feedback (well most of them), and I really think that they were constructive, and useful feedback.

When it was the director's time to speak, I really didnt know what to say. I had so much going on in my mind that I just couldnt find a way to organize myself. So i just said whatever came to my mind. What I have said in this blog, are all my thoughts, and feelings that I had throughout this unit.

Activities Week Lessons

After a seemingly hardcore filming session last Saturday was, seriously, very hardcore. We did a lot of work, and we went beyond our own responsibilities. At the end of the filming session, the Director became the Cinematographer and the Sound Director, the Sound Director became the one who plans the scenes and the setting, the editor became the Cinematographer, lastly, the Cinematographer became the driver, or i.e. actor. The large transitions and change between the different roles have really got us thinking about our own abilities, and their limits. I never knew that I would have to supervise, and see what the cinematographer does, nor did I realize that I had to be the sound director at the same time. No one really knew what was, truly, going on. However, we, surprisingly, were very productive, and completed nearly 60% of the film on that one filming day. The problem was... we only had around 16 minutes of footage... I told myself, 'the shots must be of quality, but not of quantity'. I guess I was right... I mean who could I have trusted instead of myself?

Then my teammates started to go like 'Why do we have so little footage?', and I told them the same thing. They didn't have much to say... I guess thats the power of being a director: to make my teammates feel better when they think that they are going to epically fail the project.

Honestly, we did have a lot of good shots, along with a good atmosphere, and good lighting. Especially the scene where Ronald, our famous 'Cinematographer' opens the door and walks home. It seemed like he was walking in via heaven. No kidding.

As I was an actor in the Film Noir project, I really knew what it was like to become an actor, and what it requires. Sometimes you think that you are doing the expressions really well... when you watch yourself on that classroom screen, you merely bang your head on the table. 'I look so weird!' says the actor. But nonetheless, being an actor is not just an important role in the film, it is also a way to learn how to link our emotions to the film, says Ms. Wong. Of course, that sounds easy, but its obviously not.

Back to the filming... we spent a great deal of time playing around with 'preference manager' in class, and 'emptying trash cans', along with 'rebooting the computer'. Quite ridiculous and time consuming, but nonetheless knew more about patience when we wait for something on the computer to load instead of spamming the mouse. As there was time left after fiddling with the program itself, we captured the 16 mins of footage onto FinalCutPro. We were all very excited, anticipating to see if what we achieved on the weekend was worth it. Watching what we filmed, we were very much proud of ourselves, although, of course, there are areas that we can improve on.

Not having much experience on the HDV Camera, I didn't really know its functions. With the help of my companions, we were able to make a large portion of what I had to reality. Although I was very confused about the camera, after the day, I felt that I am a lot more familiar with the controls and functions of the camera. Also, as a director, I should have planned, and become the most organized person of the group in order to make my film come true and accomplish it sublimely. Next time, I should clearly write down what I am going to film that day, and what I am going to complete after the filming session.