The first thing which I have realised and learned since September is that I have to be organised with what I do to succeed and more specifically, planning before I set out for a video shoot. Without creating a storyboard prior to collecting your footage You will always forget something, like what angle or zoom level a certain shot should be at, or forget the shot altogether. It is also important because if you have to spend time planning your shots at the location there are many things which can go wrong, like the weather changing spontaneously, or your camera running out of battery. Also since this was a group task, I had to not only keep myself organised, but make sure that everyone else is available on the same day so we can record together.
The understanding of different film genres is something which I think comes with experience as a spectator. I used to watch on average 3 films a week which I believe is a normal amount for someone my age. Since the start of my AS Media course I became a lot more passionate about films and I now watch about 5 every week, which I believe gives me a great advantage when learning about genres. I now know that different genres have different codes and conventions which need to be followed for the film to be considered a part of that genre. To list all the differences between genres would take me too long for this evaluation as there are so many different variations of genres as they link with each other to make a new type, like the sports-drama genre for example.
As far as my camera skills go, I remember being completely clueless when recording my preliminary task. I knew that this was my weakest area, however since then I have become the main camera man for our group. The quality of my shots has improved a great amount, I learnt that the tripod is a crucial part of a good shot as keeping your hand still for longer periods of time is almost impossible and a shaking shot is probably the most unprofessional thing out there. I have already talked about this more in-depth in one of the other questions where I talk about manual zoom etc.
I was always really good at using technology and different computer programs to my advantage. Final cut X was a completely new program for me, and during the preliminary task editing period, because of my zero experience I was having a hard time using it. I didn't even realise that the program saves everything automatically for you, so I sat there trying to figure out how to save your project manually, not knowing that this option doesn't exist. As the year went on, I learnt new tricks and ways to edit using the Final cut X program, like how to cut audio and video into smaller pieces aswell as adding sound effects and visual effects to your film.
The importance of a soundtrack in a movie can't be stressed enough, if the soundtrack isn't right then your shots will look/be received completely different. My preliminary task didn't feature a soundtrack I believe, however back then I did not realise how important it is to have one. In one of my media lessons I remember watching the opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan", when the US troops infiltrate the beach controlled by the Germans. The scene was played two times, once with the original soundtrack and once with the soundtrack cut out. The difference was astounding. The soundtrack brings out emotions in people when paired with what's on the screen, it is just as important as the shot itself when it comes to the way in which you want your audience to interpret your movie.
As far as understanding Journalism (what I wish to study later on and do in life), I don't believe that this AS course helped me all that much. I learnt a great amount about Movie making and things like Synergy which I will benefit from as it is linked to all different aspects of Media, Journalism included.
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