Looking back on this semester I can
really see the progress I have made since August. My last hands-on production
class was in Spring 2014 so quite some time had passed since I first learned
the basics. I was slowly forgetting what I learned in 201. I also never got too
much hands-on experience in 201. The same handful of students would always hog
the equipment in class so I would sit back and just hope to get a good view of
the camera or the light kit.
Over the
summer while out in LA, one of the pieces of advice that I was given repeatedly
was go back to Tuscaloosa and get more experience. This class was my ticket to
that. I needed more experience with production and that is exactly what I got
this semester.
I’m not
going to lie, I was a little scared to handle some of the cameras in the
beginning of the class. The thought of breaking anything was terrifying but
handling equipment was the first step I needed to take in the class. I was able
to purchase a camera halfway through the semester and have become more
comfortable with it since. I have gotten a lot of practice handling lenses and
being able to tell the difference between all of the focal lengths!
One of my
takeaways from the class that I recently learned is to really check your
footage when you are filming with DSLRs. Making sure that everything is in
focus is extremely important. I wasn’t completely satisfied with my work
because of all the footage that turned out to be slightly out of focus. Next
time I film, I really want to have some sort of monitor nearby so I can check
the footage.
I also really
learned a lot from the pre-production meetings. Making a shot list and a
shooting script was really helpful. I messed them both up and didn’t stay
faithful to them for my shoot, which I regret a lot. The good news is that I
can learn from how I messed up my storyboard, shot list, and shooting script. I
saw with other people in my group how correct pre-production planning can
really help improve the quality of the project.
