In general, throughout the whole semester studio experience, the hands on work engagement easily gain so much of my attention and concentration. The execution techniques were critically engaged as mainly through one on one precise teaching. Many topics, both theoretical and practical were incorporated throughout the semester such as 3-4 shots, blocking, crossing the line, depth of field, shot-reverse-shot and more. In those few events, there are three most in-depth reflections from my perspective of thoughts and opinion that evokes my study interest.
The first theory would be about the learning process on planning, blocking and thinking ahead or not; staging. This theory is familiar, but unadaptable in modern filming industrial places. Doing practice and rehearsals, is a sort of a foreign approach and culture before the actual production phase begins because this practice rarely happens during actual shoots and also it is usually neglected mainly due to waste of time. I felt that blocking through the entire scene give guidelines and a clear direction among actors, allowing the control of space and limiting power among actors. Blocking through increases the impact of clarity and proximity of the choreographs, movements and detailing of the entire scene. It is crucial doing rehearsals as a result, it gives the ability to visualise the scene before camera execution.
One of the many knowledge refresher is putting and learning your basics of common broadcasting skills. For me it is about lighting principles; hard and soft light source. How the versatility and manipulation of both techniques that will create tremendous effect and mood of the scene setting. Further illustrations are illustrated in the diagram below:
| Lighting type | Factors |
| Soft light source | 1. Cloudy day
2. No shadows can be found 3. Bounce off the shadow 4. More directional soft light |
| Hard light source | 1. Sunlight
2. Dense shadow 3. Directional hard light 4. Bouncing key light |
Improvements and reflections that are needed to make for the upcoming studio assignment; to-do list during camera setup; setting the depth of field: focal length, lens aperture and distance at which the lens is focused. Honestly, this conception is considered as a challenge to determine the depth of field between subject and background wise. My main problem is getting confused over the readings and couldn’t position myself for a specific formula to a perfect depth of field. Nevertheless, I will continue to challenge yourself putting into practice about the underlying theory of depth of field.