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.