Summary

Our goal was to make a one minute or less film with a beginning, middle, and end. I was the cinematographer and my task was to record video and use intentional lighting. I contributed to the film by creating emotion in the shots used in the final version of the film.

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking: I had to use lighting which was very new to me. I used the light to create emotion throughout the film. When a problem went wrong I fixed the issue by trying something new or going to my peers.

Ways of Working: With my team members we had to discuss in order to make decisions. For example, at the beginning of the process, we had to communicate what our film was going to be about. Also, as a cinematographer, I had to talk to my editor to make sure the film was in the correct order.

Tools for Working: To record the film, I had to understand how to use light to create emotion. To do this, I watched a few videos on lighting and techniques on camera movements.

Ways of Living in the World: Throughout session one, I had to work in and outside of class. I watched many videos outside of class to do the best I could have during the first session. I had to fit this in with my other school work but I got it done.

The Film (The Retake)

Reactions to Final Version

When presenting our film to the class we received feedback from the students and the advisory committee.  Elizabeth from the class said, “I liked how the shots told the story because of the little amount of dialogue. I also liked how the lighting created emotion throughout the film.” In the advisory committee, James wrote, “Excellent, smooth, framing, lighting wasn’t too much, very well done.” Michelle said I like the close-up shots of what he was working on. He knows his lighting and why. Great Job. Good presenter.” This was helpful because I received feedback on what I did correctly and what I needed to work on.

Evaluation of Final Version

From our final version of our film, it used some of the principles from the SUCCESs model. Due to the film being under one minute, it had to tell a story while being simple. It also is emotional because it is something an individual can relate to. The short film is also unexpected because of the little to none dialogue.

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

From the session one production project, I learned how to use the key light. I never knew you could create emotion with lighting. I also learned how to work with a team. I had a problem with the lighting being a harsh white color. To fix this problem, I changed the light cover to the warm light filter. Some people in the team did not participate when the rest of the team was working. To fix that issue, I asked them questions on what they were doing to get them back on track.