Like all good things, our summer adventure that has been “The Great Belgian Egg Hunt” has come to a close. Where were the eggs? Well – the eggs would have to be the things that we learnt over the process of the hunt, and the ‘Great Belgian’ sounds too heavy so ill leave him behind.
I can safely say that i learnt a lot through these short six weeks. Firstly, the course was very practical, compared to the 12 week studios, the egg hunt took no time in getting us into gear. By the end of the first week we were already conceptualising and creating our end product. This whole notion of practicality and learning while doing was one i really appreciated, I learn best by DOING, and this course had a lot of doing. Especially the filming process, using new equipment, organising extras and directing. Opened me up to a world of learning. For example; I learnt that a video camera would have been better for our wide shots. That its almost impossible to use a 5D in direct sunlight. When working with actors one has to be gentle but give clear direction. All these practical learnings have ensured that next time I am faced with a similar situation I will be more informed on how to act.
Secondly, not to boost his ego – but, Rohan was a pretty great mentor. I say this not only because because I know he will be assessing this post, but also because he actually had REAL LIFE experience with music video making. For example, from day 1 he was showing us his own work and explaing to us how it was done. This was inspiring, as we quickly learnt that a production does not have to have a huge budget to look good, and there are many ways to achieve a particular look or do an effect. This experience that Rohan had also came through when it came to editing our work, he was able to give us an industry perspective on what worked and what didn’t and often pointed out cheeky editing stunts we could pull off. This adds to my original point about practical learning throughout this course. It was simply the best way for me to learn, to be able to see examples, try things and receive feedback.
Finally, what impact has the studio had on my professional journey? Well, Iv’e realized that i really like music video production! For one, the sound is totally taken care of; dont have to worry about a sound guy – and great sound automatically adds so much value to your production. Additionally, its such a dynamic and diverse field, whereas, often with feature film there are basic filmic and narrative conventions which should be followed. However, with music videos there is room for experimentation that does not take one and a half hours of an audiences life. Furthermore, there is more room for detail, being a student and not having a large budget, its easier to do 3-4 minutes of quality work than making a 90minute film with over 30 scenes. Lastly, I have a passion for music and evoking emotion through music (im not sure im necessarily good at it – but its fun), therefore music video seems to be the perfect space to bring my interest for film and music together. I have actually contacted another two singers in Melbourne and im going to continue making music videos and see where life takes me.
Until next time,
Jordan
