When I found that I was sorted into The Scene in Cinema for this semester, part of me was very excited but also anxious at the same time. I didn’t know anything about cinematography at all as well as not filming anything from a camera such as the EX3 that I later would encounter almost every class. But then, this means that I can learn something new every lesson, which is something that I always want because after all, it is all about making progress. And then, I realised from the very first class that this is a highly practical studio, which makes the whole learning experience even more fun. I probably sound very much like a kid in primary school right now, but week by week, I always looked forward to the class and wondered what we would learn about. Maybe it is because, as Robin said in one occasion, this studio provides a very unique look into cinematography, which makes it even more extraordinary of an experience.
Robin is an amazing tutor. His knowledge in the world of film craft is amazingly broad, and I am proud to say that I have learnt so many valuable things from him in the course of 12 weeks, as I am sure all of us in the studio have too. The fact that we learned about so many different aspects of filmmaking is something that I did not expect in week 1. Initially, I thought “Oh great, I’m gonna learn how to make a movie”. That turned into “Oh cool, I’m gonna learn how to operate a proper camera” in the very first class. Then “Oh wow, I’m gonna learn how to watch a movie?” So so so many different aspects, from something extremely technical like the depth of field to something like the roles of different people on a film set. The studio completely changed the way I watch a film now, as I now pay more attention to the smaller details and constantly asking myself “Why this scene is shot that way?” This is something that I certainly did not expect at all. Apart from that, it was great being in the same studio with amazing and talented individuals like my classmates. All exercises were so fun in cooperating with them and there are many things I also learnt from them throughout the last three months. For this being my first studio, I have cherished every moment of it. Eventually, all good things come to an end…