Reflection on the Film Making Process

Last week, Oliwier, Julian, and I shot all of the scenes for our short film project, during the allocated class time. We couldn't have been luckier with the weather, the it was warm and sunny without a single cloud in the sky. Overall, I found the process of filming very enjoyable and informative.

Going into shooting, we had a plot and an idea of what we wanted to make but this evolved as we filmed. I thought it was really interesting seeing what does and doesn't work while you are actually trying to film it. Something may seem perfect in your head but it doesn't actually look good when you shoot it. The thing that I found the most enjoyable about filming was how we were able to bounce ideas off of each other and build upon them. There are a lot of things in are film that I find really cool that are the culmination of three separate ideas coming together. It is amazing how three different people can look at the same story in different ways, and what you can create based upon that.

The process of filmmaking is much more intentional than I thought. We have talked a lot this semester about how directors are auteurs and how everything you see in a shot is important. You cannot fully understand this idea however until you try it out for yourself. Filmmaking is a slow process and every shot is intentional and has a lot of thought behind it, even if it is very short or seemingly insignificant to an audience. It took us almost two hours to create our five minute film because we were so methodical with everything. 

All in all, I really enjoyed shooting our film. It is a fun process and one that leads me to a deeper level of respect for some of my favorite filmmakers.