Week 1 Response:

“For this semester of Film and TV 1, I would simply like to gain experience undertaking and attempting multiple roles of the many that are required to produce a (short) film.  It may sound like a basic and uninspired goal to some, however for me, filmmaking is a very new prospect and one I never thought I would be trialling even after enrolling in RMIT’s media course.  I very much feel as though this subject could be a highly influential deciding factor on my future career, and will not hold back when given the responsibility to accomplish set tasks.  I would gladly accept any job given to me, but would particularly relish any opportunity to either write our short film’s screenplay, or even to be handed the seemingly high pressure task of directing; both roles of which I feel I would be capable of tackling.”

Film and TV 1 definitely lived up to the hype that precedes it and my expectations for the subject were constantly lived up to and exceeded.  Though at the beginning of the semester, while I was secretly looking forward to the possibility of the role as director of a short film, I didn’t necessarily feel like I would be the best candidate for the job at all, group members pertaining, as I had zero previous experience as to what the task particularly encompassed, though it was a challenge I would be willing to accept.  As the cards fell, I did end up directing, and is an experience I have no regrets over, even from the mistakes I made and learned from.  It is a role I would definitely like to take on again in the near future, whether for a Film/TV 2 project, or beyond.

While guidance for both pre- and production was excellent, in both the lectures and tutorials, I felt a little like a fish-out-of-water during post-production, being relativelyunfamiliar with most types of editing software, even after attending the extra editing tutorials, which at times still seemed too advanced for myself – I felt like I was missing the in-between steps.  Here, I do feel like I could have tried to help myself further throughout this process, via instruction manuals and YouTube tutorials etc., but skimmed over a lot of it, due to our group having one particularly competent editor, and I feel like I could have put in some more time and physical help in accomplishing our final product.  When she left to go overseas however, I do feel like I sufficiently stepped up to fill her role to put the finishing touches on the film.  Tutors Robin and Paul were always on hand to offer helpful advice, and easy to contact via email outside of class times.

I thoroughly enjoyed this semester of Film and TV 1, and hope to learn as much as I have over the past six months in Film and TV 2.

A Love Lost

I found ‘A Love Lost’ a refreshing subject amidst the many other comedic and dramatic films of the night, and therefore, even regardless of its excellent quality, it would have been memorable.  A story of a man who in recent years has tragically lost his wife, I feel was a bold decision, but reaped the rewards of telling a more unique story.  I found the film quite emotional, which was obviously its intent, and is a credit to all involved.  It was well cast, and very cleverly displayed the passing of time effectively, by changing as little as the man’s facial hair.  Framing of shots both static and in motion was excellent, and the various lighting, such as the candlelit dinner worked to stunning effect.  A fantastic short film, with a heartfelt message.

Pranking Frank

I feel that ‘Pranking Frank’ was the best executed comedy of the night, and set the tone of the film very early in the piece, wasting no time in revealing Frank’s mischievous craze of prank-calling, though he is not very convincing at it, until he accidentally meets another veteran prankster.  Again, the framing of shots was excellent, and stood out due to the fantastic performance of the casting choices.  I found the film a little jarring at the conclusion; I’m not sure whether this was from an acting perspective or perhaps tweaking of the script was required to more clearly demonstrate the character’s motives, but that’s being picky.  A well structured film, with good value for laughs.

The Hole

The stylistic choices of ‘The Hole’, such as the use of the almost silent, slapstick comedy, combined with the black and white picture worked perfectly.  The male actor in particular almost looks like he’s taken from that mimicked time period.  The costumes and setting of the beach and restaurant even looked incredibly European.  Again a short film with an uncomplicated plot provided a personal highlight, and although it was a ‘comedy’, it didn’t rely on its jokes to be a good film in itself.