Hello,
Welcome to my As Media Studies Blog!
Have a look around the blog and comment on anything you find particularly confusing or even interesting, I would love to hear from you.
From
Sapir xx
Before given this task we were
asked in groups to make a list upon how we thought a film production works.
This is what we came up with:
It consisted of 3 ideas;
Pre-production, Productions and Post-productions.
Pre-production meant before the
filming had started, for example, idea/concept of the film had been shown,
finding a supporting studio that would provide the initial money and help us
with the setting of the films. Writing the script, choosing a location to film
at or try and decorate a set. Budget the film so they know how much each cast
member would get for their wages and how much behind the scenes cast would get.
Cast the actors and actresses, find a camera crew, setup the green screen
equipment if they needed it and rehearse with the cast. Rehearsing with the
cast is before productions because the script could still be edited more after
that so a few of the steps could be repetitive.
Productions means when in
filming, this is where the director, costume designer, hair and make-up and
camera and lighting crew all come into action and a play a big role in
producing the film. So it includes filming what needs to be filmed, while that
happens you could have the lighting and try to incorporate the sunshine or the
gloomy rainy day. Making sure the clothing is realistic to the script/film,
make-up and hair is not as essential sometimes because it could be the
character needs to look grim and unattractive but that could still be a concept
to make them look horrific for the make-up and hair crew. Song selection and
Editing comes after that, the reason we put it in a production is that you are
still producing the film.
Finally, Post-Production, this is
where the trailers come out and even before the film comes out, we see reviews
of how interested people are in the newspaper. We market it by going to press
conferences and set a premiere date where all the people that helped make the
film and were in it get a chance to meet fans and watch the film before it goes
on release to the public.
Recently, I had my first criticisms that went a bit like this...
On the contrary, I did not find it condescending at all. I appreciated the message although it didn't make as much sense to me. So after chatting to him again, I understood the statement. 'The shots are too normal and that doesn't make the red box significant'.
I had agree with his perception as most people didn't get the reaction I was expecting and so I knew something hadn't worked. After looking at the video several times asking myself what could I do better with my shots and objects in the film, I decided the critic himself - 'What would you suggest to make the shots/objects significant?' So he answered with many ideas such as the background story to the plot, in his exact words 'perhaps, shots of someone in that room and house leaving it in one state but coming back to see this strange box (I think the suitcase itself is perfect, wonderfully strange and alluring)... and the end of the ''taster'' is that person putting it onto the bed and unclipping it...' After reading this my head bounced off the walls with new exciting ideas that I cannot wait for everyone to see...
Also, I had another criticism from a person in my fathers work, he asked: Why do we see your shadow in the video?
And the answer to that is that I when I was filming the light from downstairs had still been on and then that affected the filming as it had shown my shadow. But after looking at it again, it looked suspicious as now you know there is a person going up the stairs rather than a box that was situated in a random room.
I took a camera home from school just to explore the use of
it. After exploring the camera itself, I saw the red box that came with the
camera and suddenly ideas popped into my head instantly. It was crazy to just
suddenly see acolourful box and then
get so many ideas. Finally, taking all these ideas and a film started to
produce in my head.
This link will provide you the video of The Red Box.
In my head, the film had been so perfect but actually
applying the angles/types of shots to filming was very difficult. When going up
the staircase, I had to do it several times to get the best shot and even that
shot was not that great because you could see that I was shooting it as you
could see my shadow with the camera, it moved incorrectly so it didn't look
thriller like and the next shot did not correlate with the 'going up the
staircase' shot as it was inline. So I had to rely on the effects of Windows
Movie Maker to make it a smooth outline, but even then the colour grading was
different and the proportion of where the camera was, was different to the next
shot. When filming my room, the lighting was very different so I had to colour
grade it and change the brightness to make it a mystical room. This was also
relying on the software which I was not expecting to do.
The sounding was impeccable for me as I imagined a
particular type of music in my head but as most thing happened through this
filming making process, I couldn't find the perfect music I was looking for
after searching for 30 minutes but the music I found was much better than I had
expected it to be. Although, editing the music into the short film via Windows
Movie Maker was a stressful course of action. I had to listen to the whole
piece of music and then cut/trim the parts that I didn't like. I had to zoom a
lot into the editing so I could get everything precise but even then it was
disappointingly early or late. Especially the last 'boom' with the bold letters
spelling 'THE RED BOX' which was the most unsatisfactory process. I kept on
contemplating if the 'boom' came exactly on time with the words so it would
have a bigger affect but unfortunately every time I see the video I still think
it's a second behind.
Overall, the software I used was hectic to use as I knew the
basic but I had to explore it on an in-depth level, the sounding could have
been better but it still was a success finding the first piece of music and
filming was generally stressful as I couldn't film what was in my head as
properly as I thought I could. Eventually, I came to a success product which I
am proud to put my name on it.
Initially, I thought that creativity
is not something we can describe; it is something we can learn from and be
inspired by. We can't always describe it because so many people have different interpretations of it. Creativity is something
everyone has and can develop it if they choose to but in some way or form
everyone has it. Also, Creativity has create in it, so in some perspective you
always create something and creativity is alongside it. In addition I thought
creating something had to be from something bland to something creative, for
example, a piece of paper can be made into an origami creation.
My definition for creativity is an aim
to explore expression and external influences (e.g. upbringing, surroundings,
environment and existing products) that don’t necessarily need to be original.
To do with something you don’t see every day that provokes a reaction and
solves an existing problem. Creativity is making.
We came up with a bunch of ideas that
we thought was creativity and constructed it into a definition which
incorporated all of our ideas. Our first idea was aiming ‘to explore expression
and external influences (e.g. upbringing, surroundings, environment and
existing products) that don’t necessarily need to be original’. This was the
starting sentence because this theme of influence and expression became a
common connotation when discussing with others. Creativity is expression because
we can have an emotion within us and we need to understand how to relieve and
maybe eliminate those thought, dreams and ideas out of our head because it may
become irritating to keep everything in. Expression can come through many forms
such as music, films, art, solutions etc…Also, we can be externally influenced by things such as upbringing, the
way you were brought up can influence you to be creative in a different way to
another person as you both were brought up differently means you have two different
ways of being influenced creatively. Surroundingsand environment can be talked about
physically by nature and by peers and relatives, you could say you were
inspired by the crisp on the grass to draw something or the echo of cars and
birds chirping in the morning to make a piece of music. On the other hand, you
could say that you peers influenced you to find a better solutions and your
relative could do the same. But getting onto the last point that it does not
have to be original. There can be a range of ideas and thoughts for this, as
originality can be something that has never been done before but in this case
it is slightly the opposite, as creativity does not always or necessarily need
to be original. I think originality is so complex to find because somewhere
something has already been designed or manufactured or even thought of, this
explains why originality can be intangible and so rare to find. But there may
be a flaw in this because again originality is different to others opinion, although
it is surreal to others (because it’s been misused so much, it has lost its
meaning), you can develop yourself to be more creative. So in some way
creativity is a flaw
The second idea was ‘To do with
something you don’t see every day that provokes a reaction and solves an
existing problem. Creativity is making.’ I agreed with creativity being
something you don’t see every day because the word creativity is used over and
over again so the meaning of it gets lost and becomes a word that is misused.
So it is hard to find something creative because if the word is misused, we do
not know or we do not understand the meaning of it so we rely on something
spectacular to come along so we can announce the creativity of it (e.g. when
Apple came out with the Iphone 2/3 we thought it was a creative concept as no
other phone company had the idea of inventing a touchpad). Creativity can also
be a problem solver as well because maybe someone could solve a problem in a
creative way so others say ‘‘I liked how you solved that debate/question, it
was creative.’’ Finally, ‘Creativity is making’, by saying this we mean that
creativity is something we create individually, it can be an everyday lifestyle
for some people if it’s their job or passion and to others it may be occasional
occurrence when they make a creative solution or somethingtangible. Even by turning the sentence around
it makes sense – making is creativity – I did something creative there. So the
simplest of ideas can be creative but on the other hand, creativity is a
misused word which most people don’t understand how to put it in a sentence.
Finally, creativity is a conflict of definitions as there is two sides of an
argument that can finalise what creativity means
We had 4 particularly deep conversations about 4 of the following
questions:
1) What is your inspiration? Where does it come
from?
I found this question very general because inspiration can come
from anything and again it depends on who you are your upbringing and your
social environment that affects that you are inspired by. Looking deeper,
(instead of taking general perspectives), I found something that I am inspired
by and that is my parents. I acknowledged what I am inspired by them and
understood where it came from. My mum is a brilliant artist and she has created
amazing canvases and stitching that I am inspire by and my dad works with
computerparts and fixes them. These two
skills that I don’t think I can ever achieve and that is why I am inspired by.
As I cannot be an artistic or a mechanical, they fascinate me which leads to
inspiration. If there is something that I cannot do, I find it unsatisfactory
but also fascinating so it leads me to be inspired. But inspiration can (again)
have a flaw, because they are my mother and father, they have more of an
effect, so it maybe I am inspired by them but not by the things they do.
2)Is creativity a skill? Can it be developed?
The opposite of what my peers suggested, I do not think creativity
is a skill. Creativity is not something you define and not something that you
can classify but it can be something you develop as a person if you choose to
accept this matters. It is something that is there that you have and cannot be
taught. Also, everyone has a different interpretation of creativity so how can
it be a skill? I think a skill is something that has one definition and one
perception whereas something so broad like creativity has many definition and
many perceptions. Evidence of this is that if you go onto the social viewing
site: YouTube, you can find many results if you type in ‘what is creativity?’
and they will not all be the same. ) I strongly agree that is can be developed,
if you choose to develop your creativity.
This can be done by thinking creatively which brings in the
originality argument; by putting it down on paper or even if you are talking
about it in a creative way. Whatever you think is creative, you are developing
it by thinking about it. Even the smallest or unnoticeable things are creative
such as a if you accidently put 2 things together and they look creative. By
thinking it is creative you broaden your creativity thought and that is how you
develop you thinking. As always, you can develop an creativity through originality,
becoming inspired, collaborating, building on something you have done before
hand which are all great examples of creativity as they have all helped to
create an imaginative environment.
4)When are you most creative?
Scientifically, you are most creative in your alpha stage which is
when you momentarily experience a realm of your subconsciousness as your drift
off to sleep and wake from your sleep. I agree with this statement but I also
doubt it as there are other times when you are increasingly creative than when
you just woke up, for example, in a science lab, an art room, a history
classroom, a touristic place. Anything can spark that creativity, especially
when it comes to being creative because it’s such a broad definition, becoming
inspired somewhere must be a broad option. You can be creative when listening
to instrumental music rather than music with lyrical, and again scientifically,
instrumental music is supposed to help you concentrate. You can be creative
when watching TV shows and imagine something in your head, you can be creative
when you are emotional so when you are happy or sad. I personally, I am
creative when I wander in my head and around places. I may be looking around
and not concentrating and I might suddenly see something and an idea pops up
inside my head which is creative. OR I might be searching for a book or
something in my room and I might find an item I wasn’t looking for and after a
minute or two, I would have a whole mindmap of thoughts or I would have
overthought the idea. So I am most creative when I am astonished and wandering
off.
Creating a Short Film
We created a short film called ‘Panic’.
For the first couple of ideas we came up, the short film was heading to a thriller
based film. To watch the film, here is the link.
As you
can see that there were a lot of themes that we presented in the video which
involved 4 different ideas, Setting, Camera, Sound and Mise-En-Scene. We
decided the setting to be staircases as in existing films the norm for a chase
is down the staircase which incorporates sound because it created tension as
the stairs amplify and distorts the sound so it makes the audience stay on the
edge of their seat. Most thrillers incorporate the staircase because of this
but also, the point of view of the camera creates empathy for the audience. A
point of view (POV) shot gives a more personal understand of the characters’
point of view. So when I was rushing down the staircase, the audience could
empathise as I was running and breathing heavily. This could affect the
audience as they might copy the characters’ point of view and start heavily
breathing because they don’t know what is coming next. Heavily breathing is
another sound effect that was said in the discussion at the start because that
is a stereotypical component of a thrillers’ running away, especially if the
director wants to impact to the audience. We also, had a cut-in shot when we
just saw the feet walking down the staircase and right in front of her. This
had an impact because you cannot identify the person or judge them as you haven’t
seen them but you can only judge them from the shoes that they wore. This is
called Mise-En-Scene which is the objects of the film which makes the movie, the
shoes were combat boots which is a negative connotation as it is normally worn
for army use and that involves gore, blood and generally a harmful atmosphere.
We can already identify there might be a villain in this film and that person
creates the trouble. This all correlates with the existing films; existing
films give us a stereotypical view on thrillers (such as heavy breathing) so
when we come up with ideas it is based on the stereotypical themes of thriller.
How creativity will play a role in Media Studies? Creativity plays a huge role in media studies as you have to think, feel and imagine creatively to make an amazing piece of work which both represents you and makes your audience want more. For Media, you have to be able to think outside the box, and think differently to do something that has never been done before, or to create a new meaning for an already existing form of Media.
Reflection
When starting this activity, I had a broad idea of
creativity but I was confused about the ideas that I had. So when we completed
it, I had a better idea of not only my view of creativity but also others which
helped my point of view. I now know creativity is more extensive but also, it
has many conflicting ideas and flaws (such as originality). But it’s always
great to know my view on creativity so I can influence that on others.
