WEEK 1 - 3/1/17 & 5/1/17
This summer, i was required to enroll in Media 2 for this semester which was a summer studio called RECORDING PLACE : Location based documentary practice taught by Rohan Spong. According to studio brief, the studio aimed to:
- improve location filming and sound recording skills and
consider new strategies for organizing the edit. - engage with nonfiction storytelling technique and theory.
- have a better understanding of the role of place in nonfiction
storytelling.
I was excited for a new semester to start as i just got back from my hometown after a 2 month break. This was the first studio i have enrolled and i did not know what to expect. Even so, i was glad that i only had one subject in the semester as i could focus and engage in lectures better.
TUESDAY
The first class started of with Rohan discussing about the course and the assessments we would have throughout the semester. We were also shown a feature documentary,Winter at Westbeth, directed by Rohan himself. I personally thought the documentary was amazing as emotions flooded through me as i emphatised with the characters as their story unfolded in the documentary. The reason Rohan showed us this documentary was because our final documentary had a similar concept and element which features a notable location showing it’s characters and how their story unfolds.
Rohan then gave us time in lieu for the observational exercise which aimed for us to develop our observing skills by going around Queen Victoria Market. We were required to head to the market on our own and observe our surroundings there. We were to find at least three people we saw at the market and find something interesting about them, as specific and detailed as we could be. We were also required to notice what they wore, their gender, body language and use our imagination to tell why they were at the market or where they would be going after.
I chose to go to the market on Wednesday night as it was the summer night market. I went there around 5pm and explored the market abit while getting some food. I then started people watching and taking note on the people that i took interest on in a notebook i brought with me. It soon got crowded as the night came and i left the market.
THURSDAY
Thursday’s class was fairly interesting as well. We started of by taking turns to talk about our observational exercise (PB1) we did and everyone had really amazing things to say. My favorite was about a woman who was crying at a fortune teller booth as everyone wondered what that was really about.
My PB1: PB 1-28czf4k
After hearing everyone’s stories, Rohan started a lecture on Aesthetic Standards with a series of slides that was detailed and informative. I learnt a lot about the rule of thirds, white balance, temperature, exposure, focusing the lens, light sensitivity, camera movement and shutter speed. Here are my notes.
Rohan then introduced us to the recording equipment such as a video recording camera, microphone and the tripod. I was not familiar with the equipment because in Media 1 last semester, i was introduced to different recording equipment. Nevertheless, Rohan explained what we needed to know thoroughly such as white balance, exposure, zoom and so on. The next activity was to film establishing shots but unfortunately i had to leave the class and missed this activity.
Overall, i thought the first week of 2017 was pretty great and i loved having Rohan Spong as my lecturer for the semester as he made the class enjoyable and interesting. I learnt alot about shooting a documentary and basic filming skills that would help me in future projects.