Assignment 3 Reflection

Crew call at 6:00am, the view in location - Nam Sang Wai

Overview

I volunteer to be the cinematographer of this short film despite being worried about the complexity of the scenes and the number of actors involved. I believe that my role as a cinematographer is crucial in creating a harmonious and visually engaging atmosphere that can effectively convey the emotions of the characters and the script. While I may not particularly enjoy being the cinematographer, I am willing to take on the job for the sake of the team. None of my group-mates have experience in handling the challenges that come with being a cinematographer, so I feel it is my responsibility to step up and contribute my skills to help make the project a success.

As a member of the team, I made what I believed was the best decision at the time by taking on the role of cinematographer for the short film. However, as I reflect on the project, I can't help but wonder if my decision may have hindered my teammates' learning experiences. Striking a balance between fulfilling my own responsibilities and ensuring that everyone on the team has a chance to learn and grow is a challenge I struggle with.

Despite my best efforts, the haunting thoughts of my decision's impact continue to plague me. Nonetheless, I will use this experience as an opportunity to improve and find ways to better support my teammates in future endeavours.

Preproduction

As someone who recognises the importance of preproduction in the filmmaking process, I took it upon myself to assist Oscar, our director. Oscar had no prior experience in directing, and as a result, he was struggling with the preproduction process. I wanted to help him clear the process and provide him with step-by-step feedback so that he could better understand the process and become a more confident director.

I approached Oscar with the idea of assisting him, and to my relief, he accepted my help with humble mind. He was open to receiving feedback and was receptive to my suggestions. We worked together to go over the script, storyboard, shot lists, and the overall vision for the project. I was able to provide him with insights on how to improve the preproduction process and how to communicate effectively with the rest of the team.

Working with Oscar was a great learning experience for me. It allowed me to explore a different role on the team and gave me the opportunity to contribute to the project in a new way. It also helped me understand that there can be no boundaries when it comes to stepping into different roles, as long as it benefits the team as a whole.

One of the crucial elements of the project was the script and storyboard. While the initial rough draft was a good starting point, I felt that we could do better. I suggested that the team brainstorm and work together to come up with better ideas. We spent several days discussing and exchanging ideas, and each member of the team contributed a lot.

In the end, we were able to create a much better script that brought out the characters and conflicts more effectively. We were all quite satisfied with the final result. The experience taught me that everyone can contribute to the project, and it's not limited to their specific production role. Brainstorming together as a team can lead to better ideas and a better final product.

Aims and planing as cinematographer

As a cinematographer in this project, one particularly challenging aspect of the project was the big scene, which required careful coordination between all members of the crew and actors. Some of the scene was particularly complex, as it involved multiple moving shots and a large number of elements that needed to be managed. For example, the dancing scene was set in a long shot, with multiple characters interacting with each other and their surroundings. To create a sense of harmony and energy, I worked with the director to choreograph a series of moving shots that followed the characters as they made their way through the celebration dance.

To bring this short movie to life, I relied on my technical skills and creative vision. I utilised a variety of camera movements, including tracking shots and dolly shots, by simply a stabiliser, to create a sense of movement and energy. Through careful planning and collaboration with the rest of the crew, we were able to successfully capture the scene and bring the story to life in a visually engaging way, in only one shooting day.

The genre of the film was unfamiliar to audiences, which added an additional layer of difficulty. However, I try to create visually engaging and memorable images that helped to make the story. For example, one of the key scenes in the film was a tense confrontation between two characters. To create a sense of tension and chasing, I utilised a combination of long running shots. But as it is my first experience in shooting a dancing and chasing scene, I still have a lot to learn.

Shooting Day

During the shooting day, there were several challenges that I had to overcome to ensure that I was able to capture the footage I needed. First and foremost, we were operating on a tight budget, and we could only afford one day of shooting. This meant that I had to be incredibly precise in my planning of shots and in the execution of the shoot itself. I had to make sure that I was able to get all the footage I needed in the allotted time.

One of the challenges I faced was with our focus puller. There were a few instances where the focus was not quite where we wanted it to be, but I had to make the decision to let it go if it wasn't affecting the shot too much. Additionally, there were a few times when the director wanted to reshoot a scene for slightly better quality, but I had to convince him to stick to the schedule to ensure that we got all the shots we needed.

I started shooting at 6 am and worked tirelessly until 5 pm. Throughout the day, the lighting and shot composition constantly changed due to the movement of the sun. As a cinematographer, I had to adapt to these changes by adjusting the white balance, using ND filters, and changing the ISO to achieve the desired look.

Another challenge I faced was working with a large number of actors in different mise-en-scènes. As a small crew with teammates who were relatively new to production, I had to rely on my experience to capture the footage we needed. I worked closely with the director to make sure that we were able to achieve the desired shots while also ensuring that the actors' performances were compelling.

Finally, there were times when I had to give the director advice on how to capture a particular shot, or suggest that an actor change their expression to make a more powerful shot. I did this with the utmost respect and professionalism, and the director was receptive to my input.

Overall, the shooting day was challenging, but with teamwork and collaboration, we were able to capture the footage that needed to tell a compelling story.

Assist in post-production and the struggle

Throughout post-production, I continued to collaborate with other members of the crew to ensure the film was of the highest quality.

During the editing phase, we faced some challenges as the editor, Kingson, who also is one of my best friends, delivered a few cuts to the team that were not entirely satisfying. It was understandable since he was new to editing. The story flows, rhythms, and in and out spots of the video were a bit off and not up to the expected standards. I tried to give feedback, but unfortunately, there was not a significant change. After discussing with the team, I gave up my initial idea of re-editing the video myself, which could have been a faster option, and we instead spent four overnights working together as a team with Kingson right next to us. We did this out of respect and trust, giving him room to learn. Finally, we were able to deliver a cut that could tell the stories and display everyone's hard work.

I am grateful to my teammates for their advice since without it, I may have done something that could have hurt my classmates. I used to believe that everyone should be responsible for their work to ensure the team's best work, but I have learned that in a learning environment like an academy, it is essential to be respectful and considerate of others' learning experiences. We were able to keep the harmony within the group, and I genuinely enjoyed working with them.

Screening and the feedback reflection

As a cinematographer in this particular project, the intention was to create a sense of excitement and tension through the use of moving shots and a stabiliser. However, after receiving feedback from some audience members, it was found that the later part of the film was quite moving, and the overuse of the stabiliser might not have been effective in creating the intended mood. This highlights the importance of considering the effectiveness of a shot, and how it can impact the overall viewing experience.

In retrospect, it may have been beneficial to explore a wider range of framing and movement combinations, rather than relying solely on the stabiliser, to create the desired mood. This experience has taught me the value of considering all aspects of a shot, not just the technical elements, in order to achieve the desired result.

During the screening of our short film, the audience provided feedback that the main character's intention was not clear enough to tell a complete story, which I agreed with. The script and ideas were vast and intricate, and it was impossible to capture all the details in a 5-minute video. I had shared my concerns with the team and the director beforehand, but since the pitch was already done, we had to work with what we had and make the best of it.

The audience's feedback was fair and constructive, and I appreciated that our classmates pointed out this issue after the screening. It gave us the opportunity to reflect on our work and identify areas where we could improve in the future. We took the feedback seriously and used it to better ourselves as filmmakers. Overall, it was a valuable learning experience, and I was grateful for the chance to receive feedback from our peers.

Conclusion

Overall, this project has provided me with a valuable learning experience and a deeper understanding of the role of a cinematographer in creating a film. Through this experience, I have gained insights into the importance of collaboration with the director, consideration of the effectiveness of shots, and exploration of different framing and movement combinations to create the desired mood. This will undoubtedly serve me well in my future projects as a cinematographer.