this semester has been a whirlwind of activity and it has been quite a trip trying to keep up with its intense pacing. However, it has proven to be quite a learning experience, despite the many disappointments with my abilities and my shortcomings.

Solo

What i had learnt from my solo was the need to discipline myself in the screenwriting process.
that is, to not simply focus on getting that one single perfect idea, but instead to develop, that is,
to put down on paper the idea and push it through several possibilities, instead of simply going from one idea to the next.

Also, during production, i realised that even in a non-dialogue piece, rehearsing is still necessary, since character emotion and expressions become even further enhanced due to this. My ability to direct this piece had been severely hindered due to this fact and hence the overall quality of my film suffered.

Another thing that I've learnt from this assignment is to hold my shots for a longer period of time allowing me much more freedom to cut in post. in addition to this, the pacing of action within the shots and among each other in the edit is also something that needs to be taken into consideration.

Kill Bill

i had opted to be an art director for the kill bill exercise in group 2. overall it was a good hands on experience. i've learnt the importance of colour with regards to set design, so as to create an overall integrated look. that art is pretty much akin to painting a picture except one done with set pieces instead.

Also, i've learnt the importance of the art director working with the Director of photography as the overlap between art and cinematography is quite significant. the use of lighting for example. i had used table lamps and clouded plastic in conjunction with set lighting to create a desired mood to the overall image.

it also taught me to be resourceful in the sourcing for props, formulating an organised approach in the acquisition of set pieces and the need to be organised in the handling of props and set pieces due to both their costs and quantity.

FLW

For flw, i had worked as art director and sound. Being my second time as art director, i more or less had an understanding of how to handle the role. However, with Artison's help, art direction became more dynamic. i realised the importance of improvisation in set design, such as a wooden block as a base to cover up, thereby making it into a makeshift table.

For sound, Nigel introduced the use of Shotgun mics in a studio environment, thereby creating greater depth of sound and a much more dynamic soundscape to work with. this had also taught me the importance of the distance of the boom from the subject, in order to create a credible sound which works in tandem with the picture.

in post sound, i had failed to achieve my desired sound edit. However, it did teach me the importance of ambience recordings and also the use of protools has left me alot more accustomed to its interface.

Besides these, i believe that Emilios editing classes gave a much more in-depth technical view of final cut pro that was much needed. to finally be able to delve deeper into the workings of the application was eye-opening and refreshing.

Conclusion
overall the entire semester has left me with a better understanding of film as a whole, especially the production process. Also, i have realised that i really need to manage my time better and to be more organised as this is a necessary trait no matter what role one is given, which is what i intend to work on in my subsequent projects.
(5:57 AM)

I am too easily distracted to do any work in front of my computer...
unless its opening a program, like Final Cut and so on.....
So I shall make it a point to do reading and planning outside my room.
(8:38 AM)

I feel myself turning into some kind of filmmaking monk...
I start the day at work.... working in post-production...
outside...I think about story ideas....
what colours make up the morning....
How would I shoot that...
how would I capture so and so emotion...
kinda disturbing...
there goes my life...
yet I'm not really complaining..
just taking note of it....
and no I'm still not really good at filmmaking...
heh...
so many things to learn..
so many battles to fight...
but at least I can...
say with 100% confidence..
that I know what I wanna do with my life..
(1:00 AM)

Sometimes its really fucking daunting...
I realise....
to be good at my future industry....
needing technical skills...
social skills...
and an artistic ingenuity at the same time...
and I guess I need to learn chinese/cantonese/hokkien too...
and the power to use your ego at the right times....
but I guess the only way to do this...
is to learn things a chunk at a time..
not to panic..and just take advantage of whatever pops my way..
like the internship at blackmagic....
which seemed quite bad for the first weeks..
but now is suprisingly...pretty alright...
so as always..
God give me strength...
(7:24 PM)

I pray that I do not fail in the life given to me,
and that I do not fail the people given to me.

Its the last 3 weeks before school,
and it feels exactly like the last 3 weeks before school ended...
Rushing to finish stuff....
getting stressed over it....
and feeling so drained and uninspired...
Elohim shebashamyim, ten li ko'ach
(God in heaven, give me strength)
(5:52 AM)

It struck me,
listening to music on my ipod,
how easily duped I am as a human being.
The sounds coming from my ipod,
being a replication which, to my ears,
seems to sound like the artist singing,
but its not.
Its a system of binary 1s and 0s digitally deciding what I hear.
Creating a replication of reality.
1s and 0s,
like DNA.
A whole digital film is composed of 1s and 0s...
a visual reality.
The artificiality of candied products..
the so-called strawberry flavoured sweet,
reconstituted sugar..and other flavourings..
I am duped once again..
Its just like reality is within your grasp...
but your grasp cannot discern its true nature.
We are blinded...
and once we become accustomed to it...
we become its slaves,
defining it as the standard....
sheltered within our neat tidy little civilisations...
without care for much else...
till we die...
(8:03 AM)

I think life sucks when,
you can't do your work because the editing computer is taken up by another editor...
and when you come home,
you can't even use your own comp cos your father is playing cabal online....
F
M
L
(8:01 AM)