Final TIME project
For my final TIME project, our class was asked to make a one-minute film based on any topic that we could choose, and incorporating all the skills we learned from the course in the entire semester.
My idea was to film a documentary of one of my suitemates and her passion for music and playing the violin. A lot of preparation went into setting up the entire project, and is as follows:
First rough sketch
Firstly, I had to come up with a rough outline that documented my suitemate, Zihan Zheng’s short film. I made a small sketch to put down my ideas before I began researching the best camera equipment materials for filming.
I wanted to begin with filming Zihan just talking about how she got into playing the violin, and so to make it more easier for her to talk about it, I came up with a rough script on Word with questions about her life and music. I also had to film her playing the violin so I chose different views around the school that had colored walls and was empty so we could film from different angles and perspectives to make the video more engaging.
Material Investigation
I wanted to use appropriate camera equipment for this project, so that I could accurately record the sound and video quality.
From the discussions in class, and the practice session we had in class on filming a video, and the different angles we can capture- coming up with a list was easier.
My rough list included renting a
Lapel Mic
Shotgun mic (with a basic windscreen) for indoor filming
A softie camera – for outdoor filming
Tripod
An SLR camera
Out of those I ended up renting only the Lapel Mic, Tripod and a Sony NX70U HD Camcorder Kit, which included a UV filter, and an onboard mic for sound as it was finals week and everybody was renting out equipment at the same time.
After filming both the video and sound, I made Zihan record her entire musical piece she chose to play for the film in the music room we have in our dorms. I attached the wireless lapel mic onto her tshirt , and continued recording.
Editing
Finally, after assembling all of clips I started with the process of editing. I had to make a short storyboard outline to lay everything out and make it easier to refer to something while editing on Adobe Premier Pro.
Zihan Story board-rough assembly of clips
The final outcome
(link to video)
This project definitely helped me move away from the usual mundane methods of taking a video through my phone and editing it on IMovie apps in one go. I enjoyed this two-week adventure of figuring out techniques and the importance of angles while filming. Editing the video really made me realize the importance of creating a storyline, and how the beginning, middle and end play a huge importance in creating a better understanding of a film. Trying to edit this under a minute was a challenge because of the amount of clips I shot and had to reduce, but overall I am grateful for this experience because it made me want to dive deeper into the realm of directing and editing, and maybe even considering taking a minor in film.
