Initial Thoughts

posted under by Philip Howlett
Firstly I'd like to say that I was really amazed by the videos we produced in the seminar session with Deborah on Tuesday. For me it was one of my first times using a camera, and I think the same goes for the rest of the group. We didn't get much time to think about what we were going to do, but that was probably a blessing. I took it as a baptism of fire. We all got involved and got it done. Then came the actual coursework which is going to be a big step up from what we've done.

Reading through the brief I can see that the success of the one shot films is going to be in the preparation. With deliberation and communication amongst group members we can make sure this project is great. With three weeks to produce a 1 - 2 minute film there's plenty of time to think. My worry right now is that there could be a little bit too much "thinking" and nothing actually gets done. Three weeks is also a long time to mull over things, and one risk is that things become too complicated or too ambitious. I want the group to stay grounded, and realise what we're capable of at this early stage. Sure we can go crazy in the ideas phase but then we have to become realistic.

We have a fairly specific brief which is quite useful right now because it gives you direction. For instance, we know we have a 1-2 minute film to produce. In that time the camera must only move once, and it must be on a tripod at all times. We also know that we can't do something "studenty" which I'm happy about. It forces us to go out and find locations which people don't recognise, hopefully making the whole project more interesting and exciting for everyone. We also know that this is a team effort, and everyone has their place. We're also aware of the fact that by next week we should have a narrative, location, mood etc decided. This is the worrying part because right now I don't have any concrete ideas which I'm excited about. I'm thinking of something quite abstract though, not necessarily with a story. I want to have beautiful compositon so it becomes a picture in motion. If the group agrees with me I'd love to do something which confuses everyone, they might watch our film and just wonder what the hell is going on. Confusion and mystery. Ohhhhhhhhhh.

I've created this early time plan just to manage the groups time between now and next Tuesday. I find this kind of structure useful, especially in group work.

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