In this project, we partnered up and were tasked with creating a story, between 60 and 90 seconds, which accurately conveyed a word (which was assigned by the teacher) to the audience. Our assigned word was "Relieved". Dialogue was not allowed to be used, as we were being assessed on our ability to tell stories through shots/angles/composition/movement and editing. We were also able to include instrumental music and sound effects in our projects.
Before filming, we had to complete a brainstorming sheet. During the brainstorming process, my partner and I decided there could not be a feeling of relief without the building of tension and stress. As a result, we chose to tell the story of a distressed student who forgot to study for a test because they were too busy playing video games the night before. However, when they arrived at class, they discovered that test had been cancelled, which created the feeling of relief. The brainstorming process also helped give an idea of what editing techniques would work best in the film. For example, I decided that insert shots of the student playing videogames the night before the test would work well.
Additionally, with the help of creating a storyboard, my partner and I were truly able to bring our story to life in our heads and get an idea of what shots were practical, and which made sense in the context of the film. Beyond that, when it got to the actual filming process, we discovered many other ideas for shots that would work well, beyond what we included in our storyboard. To illustrate, I had intended to use a reverse zoom to capture the overwhelming rush of emotion the protagonist felt when he remembered there was a test tomorrow. However, when attempting to create the reverse zoom, I discovered it was far more complex than I had imagined. Running low on time, I decided to settle for a close up of the protagonist's face, where it was very evident that the protagonist had realized something and was clearly freaking out over it. Our storyboard helped get us in the mindset of and immerse us in the story we created, so we were better able to communicate the story to an audience.
I utilized Adobe Premiere Pro to edit the project, which I had absolutely no experience using beforehand. It was definitely a time-consuming process, but I now feel that I have a far better understanding of the program's capabilities and how to make use of them.
Overall, I believe that my partner and I did well at accurately conveying the word to the audience and developing tone through technique and character movement. I also believe that I did well at editing the footage in an appropriate manner, and I am happy to have learned so much and familiarized myself with Adobe Premiere Pro. However, being unconfident in my ability to use music and sound effects to contribute to the meaning of a film, I chose to keep the peace silent. For next time, I will be sure to make more confident decisions and do everything I can to contribute to a message and overarching theme of a project.
