Digital Filmmaking - A Calling?

Point and shoot. That was my initial perception of what I thought this class would be about. I thought that this was something I could do that involved making funny videos if I didn't get the chance to be a part of Creative Process. But, during the first week of this class, my previous perceptions of filmmaking, which was new to me, moviemaking, and video-editing were all shifted; this class had opened up a new path in multimedia for me. Learning how to shoot movies instead of videos was and still is very exciting.

From learning new and different techniques and methods to understanding a set, a crew, and all of the technicalities that go along with filmmaking and directing, this class has inspired me to further continue and pursue a hobby in filmmaking. I didn't think I would delve into the technical aspect of filmmaking that I did, but I strive to excel and succeed in whatever venture or tasks that I partake in. So, understanding the concepts and movie language of filmmaking is just as and even all the more important as the content being filmed. Thinking that I was mainly going to be filmed in this class instead of filming took me by surprise at first, but looking back on my first experiences in the class I'm glad that we were able to add each of our own individual and unique touches on what we thought film should be. In a sense, this class served as my own creative process.

Drawing on inspiration from iconic cities such as New York City to the more locally accessible town of Hoboken and even to NJPAC located within walking distance of our school, there was always room for creativity. Besides learning many different aspects of filmmaking, this class has instilled in me a sense of creative pride, to be different and stand out among others. Adding my own touch and controlling the outcome of my own films, having that kind of control in a group project, can be creatively overwhelming, but I think that's necessary in this department of multimedia. When I watch videos or movies now, I consider how difficult certain scenes probably were to take and the amount of time and effort it took to make those scenes turn into films and movies. It is still surprisingly fresh and new and still very interesting.

Working with my group has been fun. For the most part, we all get along and are able to combine our own individual tastes to create films that we all like. There were times when I didn't agree with a certain style or method that was presented but being able to deal with others' views and opinions of how films should look and/or sound is something that all directors have to learn to deal with. All in all, this class has been and will continue to be the foundation of any potential further development in making filmmaking a hobby or even career. Being able to capture people on camera, performing or acting to entertain, and representing that on-screen to an audience is a rewarding experience to me. Becoming more proficient and building a unique skill-set in doing so is something that I definitely want to continue pursuing.