Context
Type of Project: Short Film
Done for: Course Assignment
Programs/Skills: Adobe After Effects + Adobe Premiere
Timeframe: November 2021
Project Role: Individual Project
Actors
– Chris Bradley
– Kelly Chia
Watch the full film here
Process
As an assignment for a course, I had to make a short film based off something mundane in life. This was a course assigned just after we started to be able to go back to the campus after the COVID19 lockdowns had ended, so it was still pretty empty and we weren’t allowed large gatherings, so me and a few of my friends went out into the woods to film the movie. I wrote the script and was behind the camera, while my friends were the two characters shown in the film.
I however tend to lean towards the more fantastical when I write stories, so I tried to combine this with the required “mundane” topic of the assignment. I ultimately decided on finding a sword in the woods and playing with it, only for it to be revealed to be a large stick. I liked this idea as it takes from a feeling many people have had when hiking in the woods and finding a large stick.
Initially I was reluctant to get people over to film, especially because I would want people to not wear masks so we can see their facial expressions. I tried a version of the film where I played the main character while my sister played the side character. This ultimately was pretty boring as I was required, as the guidelines of the assignment, that I was the one behind the camera every time. Therefore I couldn’t use interesting camera movement and the entire thing was pretty stale
Reflection
I really enjoyed the final product of this assignment. I think the different shots with different lighting, camera angles, and camera movement really add to the flow of the film and allow it to be both more interesting and more fluid when watching.