CCR Question 3

 How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

Q: How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

A: To be fair, I never had any production skills before this. I've never involved myself in making a film that wasn't animated or more than thirty seconds, or even taken a class that included media creation. Now I have…some skills. 

Q: Just a fraction

A: Yeah just a few

A: I would say I improved with my cinematography skills. I had some previous knowledge on composition because, well, I’m an art kid, but I still feel like I got better at it during the project, especially when developing the meaning of each shot. Like with the positioning of the walking scene with all The Treblemakers, each persons’ position shows the relationship with each other and the band. Another one of my favorite shots is the two shot with the band and the crowd. I wanted it to feel like a sort of battle, and the band is “outnumbered.” It honestly feels like foreshadowing that this performance will not go well.

A: I overall learned how to act on a set. I was able to create a comfortable environment during filming days where we got work done and had fun while doing it. A good example would be on our second filming day, where we had a tight time limit yet we were efficient and got all the filming done in less than 45 minutes. AND still had a good time. It was an enjoyable balance. 

I also learned the gravity of working with a team that doesn't just consist of me myself and I. As an artist, I am used to working alone creatively, often asking for feedback from others but never receiving, or really, accepting, any outside help. Working with many actors and a co-director/editor/producer etc., was not something I felt comfortable with, like I was being thrown into the deep end because I can't just play eight roles.

I learned the struggle of working with others, which will always happen on any real movie set, because that's how production works. And it's fun, when everyone knows their job and is good at it. This team was full of exclusively amateurs, and my friendships honestly became strained during this project because of how much stress I felt.

Production skills aren't exclusively technical, it entails working with others, creatively; handling stress; managing your time; making everyone's schedules work; being understanding; sympathizing with others plus their own needs; and not being crushed by the weight.