Developing My Skills

As I move onto the second year of my Media Studies course, I have to acknowledge the ways in which I can improve in order to become a more accomplished and successful learner. Therefore, I thought it would be pertinent to reflect on how I worked in AS, recognising how I worked well and, perhaps more importantly, think about the ways in which I could improve as coursework (inevitably) becomes more advanced. The following are the components that are tantamount, both to the production of my AS and A2 Coursework:

Research and Planning

Using Conventions From Real Media Texts

Digital Technology

Post Production

Creativity

By recognising the ways in which I did well -and perhaps nots so well- in the above categories, I can improve, becoming more skilled. Hopefully this will allow me to produce a more developed piece of coursework in the coming year:

Research and Planning: 

(i): I was fairly comprehensive in my own personal research on the subject of thriller films, providing detailed analyses of thriller openings, as well as outlining the codes and conventions of several sub-genres in order to develop a wide-spread understanding of the subject matter.

Examples of this include my posts on the "Homeland" title sequence as well as a montage sequence  from "Requiem for a Dream". I found this part of the research process to be really interesting; hence, I felt that my interest in existing media texts permeated into the quality of my posts.

Aspects of research that I was also pleased with in AS was my understanding of film-making: ie. camera, sound, lighting etc. I did a series of posts entitled 'Learning the basics', which ensured that, prior to entering the production stage, I was more confident in my abilities as a film-maker.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Areas of research that I could have improved upon was the survey; in hindsight, I hadn't quite understood the significance of the target audience's opinions and expectations, and with less than 100 responses, our survey lacked any resolute conclusions.

Moreover, I feel it would be important to research the editing process. Given that I hadn't used Premiere Pro previously, I should have learnt the basics of the software before we got to the editing stage. Therefore, I feel my research was geared more towards the creative aspects of film-making, whilst research on the practical nature of filming was equally as important.

(ii): I feel as though one of our key areas of weakness as a group came down to the lack of planning. This lack of sufficient planning acted as a catalyst for weaknesses in our production, and so I acknowledge that planning going into A2 is very, very important.

Issues such as casting and locations were left too late in the planning process; next year, casting characters as well as finding suitable locations should be found early on in the process and should be central to the planning process as a whole. Moreover, our shooting schedule in AS was liable to change on a regular basis, meaning that not everyone within our group could attend. In the future, I plan to draw up a schedule early on in the planning stage, envisaging dates for re-shoots if need be.

Using Conventions from Real Media Texts:

An understanding of the political thriller sub-genre we were aiming for was of paramount importance in order to meet our target demographics needs. The widespread research I undertook, analysing a variety of thriller films, ensured that I could apply such conventions to our own thriller opening. I found that my research into existing Media texts to be very helpful to become more knowledgeable in the field of thriller films. Therefore, I feel an even more comprehensive understanding of the Media text I'm creating in A2 (whether that be a short film or a music video) would help me to create a better product.

'Falling Down'

The depth of research that we had done was reflected within our work. An understanding of our sub-genre had been built up through analyses of existing texts, such as "Falling Down", "Enemy of the State" etc. Applying these conventions, such as intense close-ups, tracking shots as well as the idea of an ordinary person turned bad helped us to construct a text that was inherently thriller.

However, I feel that, in order to make an interesting and successful product, there should be a balance in terms of applying existing conventions as well as adding your own spin to the genre. Therefore, in my work next year I feel it's important to make something that avoids cliche and finds its own original voice.

Digital Technology:

I found that in my AS work I would allow other members of my group to use the technology, such as operating the camera, as well as editing. Everyone started the year with no experience, yes, but we naturally found our roles within the group, and whilst some of us gravitated towards the technical jobs, I found that I worked best in a more creative role. One of my regrets in the shooting process was that I didn't use the camera enough; as I work on my own in A2, I now have to become more well-rounded: a director, a cameraman, an editor etc.

Despite this, I did aim to develop more experience as an individual, as seen in the short film I produced for a short film competition:



I enjoyed this practice, and I'd like to do more of this work for fun in order to become more comfortable with using a camera, as well as feeling more able to use editing and post-production software.

Post Production:
As I've said, I took more of a backseat role in my AS coursework. It wasn't being lazy, it's just other members in my group were noticeably more comfortable with editing and, therefore, because they were the ones in control of the computer, it was inevitable that there creative decisions were the ones that permeated into the final product itself. Despite this, I did contribute ideas- I did have a sound knowledge of editing as well as adding effects, and so I feel going into A2 it's simply a case of being more pro-active and forward-thinking in applying ideas to the actual finished product.

Creativity:
I feel as though this was where my role lied within the group; adding ideas, envisioning the style of the piece and the way in which our finished product would ultimately look like. I was pleased with the way that my ideas within the group would spark ideas and creative enthusiasm amongst the other members of our group; moreover, I feel I could apply my ideas and transition them onto paper during the storyboarding process. Ultimately, of all the five factors listed above, creativity was my strongest feature during the first year of my media studies course.

As I move into AS, there is a certain element of creative freedom as there aren't other people to contend my ideas with. This is both a curse and a blessing. It's good in the sense that, as someone who admittedly works best on their own, I don't have to push or indeed sell my ideas across to others; however, this could be perceived to be a negative in the sense that, whereas others could be a positive in keeping my wild ideas on track, now I have to be entirely responsible for my finished product and the ideas that will (ultimately) culminate in the production of my media product. Therefore, moving into AS, I need to have a more cynical approach to  my ideas and be more questioning of my thinking.

Summary:
In summation, I felt that I worked well during my year in AS- however, I acknowledge that there were many areas in which I could have improved. As I progress into my second year in Media Studies, I plan  to be a more creative, insightful learner and to be more forward-thinking and enthused in the production brief that I will select. I want to be more well-rounded in my ability: to become more practical-minded, as well as maintaining my enthusiasm for the creative aspects of the production. Overall, these developments in such skills will allow me to improve in my ability and to be more confident in my work as I enter my second year of Media Studies...