30-1-12 Reflection: Day 1 of Semester 2

Film class of semester 2 is to be taught by Ms. Wong, and as she was away for our first semester, did not know what we've learnt and how we've progressed over the year. Our first task of the second half of there was, therefor, to reflect on our previous creations and select the piece we were most proud of and present it to the class and Ms. Wong in particular. This activity allowed me to reflect on what I've learnt this year and put the past events into perspective, as well as to refresh the theory and skills I've used and may have forgotten over the Chinese New Year break. Being in a class and listening to other people's comments also brought into light important aspects of film, skills, theory and terminology that may be useful in the future, and also mistakes to learn from.
Skills that were reviewed generally regarded the editing and shooting aspects of the film. Cutting on action to create smoother transitions, 360 shots, close-ups, racking focus... All these techniques and many more are sure to be useful in creating a professional looking film in our next unit, and any that come after. But Ms. Wong also reminded us that sound is a crucial part of the film and a huge job to undertake, and that we should never forget to check equipment, use earphones, record ambient sound, and all the basics that we might overlook while focusing on editing and cinematography.
Ms. Wong picked up on how a few students commented on the lack of time, having to think on people's feet, having back up plans and other organizational skills, and explained what employers would think when they saw a degree in film. Film has so many factors and aspects that need to be examined by different divisions in the film, and the communication that connects them to each other must be bullet proof. The fact that there are so many things that need to be looked at, so many things that could go wrong, all mean that one needs to be able to think on their feet, manage people, and ultimately manage time. This, Ms. Wong said, is what employers will understand when they see you have a film degree, which is why a film degree doesn't necessarily mean you'll become a film-maker, but possibly others too. This really opened my eyes to different paths you can take down the road if studying film in IB, and even in college.