I cannot believe this studio is over, it felt like we’ve only just gotten to know each other!
I would do it all over again just to absorb all those little things that I didn’t have enough time to write down. Never before have I been given the freedom to dictate my own learning like this studio. An exciting prospect but also a terrifying one. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of the last two assignments. The revelations and unique aspects of filmmaking I have learnt from simply investigating two areas of coverage are now so valuable to my future endeavours.
I often doubted my own knowledge and technical skills as a filmmaker. I had little confidence in how to shoot let alone cover a whole scene; from storyboard to screen! I often look back at how little I knew about coverage and I am now so grateful to be able to be introduced to this area of study by Robin. When discussing coverage with other students from different film schools, my friends had no idea what I was talking about. This made me so happy to know I was exploring such a unique area of filmmaking.
I want to reflect on a few things from this semester, starting with how much I have improved on a technical level. I was intimidated at the start of the semester to pick up a camera, or any piece of equipment really. Despite this intimidation, I thought I understood basic functions such as focal length, depth of field, aperture, exposure etc. and yet I didn’t really. It’s quite remarkable how just knowing how to use the camera properly can inform creative decisions as well. I now have shot ideas I wouldn’t have previously and a better understanding of what is actually achievable. I still have a lot more to learn before I am completely on top of camerawork but I’ve certainly made a huge improvement in these past three months.
Beginning the practical investigations was a huge learning curve for me, I haven’t had much confidence in just jotting down an idea and running with it, and this is simply what I did. I took a bit of a gamble by sticking with my idea of exploring the difficulties of a ‘one-shot’ after Robin had mentioned in class how he perceived it to be a ‘show-off’ type of camera movement, which, don’t get me wrong; I did agree with! However, this worked to my advantage and I really succeeded in exploring the pros and cons of a single long interrupted shot and in response, Robin gave me a whole lot of great feedback that only pushed me to work harder! Never in my student years have I had a teacher who spends so much time responding to my questions and queries in such depth, providing me with a fresh perspective and deep understanding of our area of study which can often be overlooked. For this, I am forever in debt to the priceless advice shared with me throughout this semester.
This studio has given me a deep understanding of what it means to cover a scene efficiently and furthermore, confidence to produce a whole set myself! A huge thank you to Robin for teaching us how to successfully cover a scene and being persistent even when we incorrectly dismantle a tripod.