Swamped!

So today I recorded a lecture and helped a friend with a film project, while yesterday I spent most of my evening on an audio project. Then I have several editing projects to do over the course of the next several weeks all while working on a film all this weekend.

Ah, it's good to be a film major.
T.H. Excellence

Wrestling with Stupidity

I'm beat.

I spent the last three hours in the production center at school trying to import footage from a lecture I've been assigned to cut together. I only needed the footage from one tape. Capturing it should have taken just under an hour. But then I screwed things up trying to make them better and ended up staying much longer than I planned, importing and re-importing. It was pretty crazy.

But fortunately, everything is once again as it should be. I only hope I don't mess up again.
T.H. Excellence

When I Grow Up...

Whenever someone asks me what I'm majoring in, I know just what to tell them. "I'm a film major," I reply. Easy enough. However, if the conversation goes further and I'm asked about what I want to to in film, I usually have no answer other than, "I don't know." I've had a little experience in film, and I've enjoyed it enough to know I'd like to make a career out of it, but I haven't been able to nail down the specific role I desire to play in the filmmaking process.

That changed last night.

My dad and I watched "To Kill a Mockingbird", a film I had not yet viewed. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is considered a classic, and for many reasons. The script is excellent, and actually won an Academy Award. Gregory Peck excellent portrays his character "Atticus Finch", and is listed as such on the American Film Institute as the number one film hero.
However, my reason for enjoying the film was a bit more subtle, and most people may not even acknowledge it. I found the cinematography to be EXCELLENT!

Wow, that's a big word. Some readers may not even know specifically what that is. That being the case, I'll define it: the cinematographer (also known as the director of photography) is in charge of the photography that will take place during the shoot. In other words, he arranges the lights, establishes the composition, and sets up the frame. Essentially, a cinematographer is basically just a photographer, except he's involved with projects of a much larger scale and is dealing with moving pictures instead of stills.
And I'm thoroughly convinced that the cinematographer for "To Kill a Mockingbird" was a genius. Each and every scene was very well done. The lighting excellently reflected the mood, and the frame was composed fantastically. Even when the film was over, I couldn't get over how spectacular, yet subtle, the imagery was.

Then it hit me. I love photography. I'm fascinated by any movie with good cinematography. And I'm a film major. All those spell "cinematography career"!

So now I know what I want to be when I grow up, at least for the time being. I'm definitely going to have to watch for any chances to be a director of photography for any student films on campus, and I'm going to have to study up on cinematography techniques.

Even so, at least I've got a bit of direction now.
T.H. Excellence

It Is Finished...

...or at least the semester is, anyway. Yep, I completed my last final on Friday (despite the fact that finals week doesn't even start until Monday) and celebrated the end of the first half of my first year at school. Now I have a big long winter break to look forward to, which is actually extended by a week since I finished my finals early.

So what am I gonna do now? Well, that's what I'm contemplating. I could just laze around the house all day for seven weeks, watch TV and surf the web, occasionally getting up go work that job I'm applying for. But since that would be a waste of a break (minus the paycheck from the job), I think I'd better try for something else.
Let's see, I've still got my new camera, so I could go out to some scenic places for some shots.

Or maybe I could do a bit of creative writing - haven't done any of that in a little while.

Or maybe I could even get together with some friends from school and do a film shoot.

Gosh, there's a lot of possibilities to pursue. As to what I'll do, who knows? But you can be sure you'll read about it here.

Stay tuned!
T.H. Excellence