End of Year Reflection

Researching topics this year was hit and miss. For some assignments, like the independent research script, I managed to find a lot of information on at least one of the films involved, and found adequate sources. For my short films, research was much spottier. Some films had no research attached to them, others had only a little, and there were hardly any posts, and the rest had just enough information and research. I suppose the problem for me is finding the information in the first place. One thing I'll really need help with is figuring out how to find the correct information on the internet reliably, without having to sift through piles of junk because I don't know the key words to search for. Next year, what might help new students is a bit more practice using tools like Ebscohost, and more importantly how to find reliable information without it, so it doesn't become a crutch.

The oral presentation for Psycho was tricky. On one hand, I was able to actually do the presentation well enough, without tripping over too many words, and managed to cover nearly every subject. On the other hand, my research was very last minute, and I'm not going to deny it. Next year, I plan on taking a much more active approach in finding information for my oral presentation, and making sure I know what I'm talking about. Something that might help is some instruction on how to use film language correctly and in a context that doesn't make it sound forced, which is how I sometimes felt during the oral presentation.

I would not be able to accurately sum up just how well I did in every short film, because that performance varies greatly. I found that I was much more comfortable directing and/or writing during the film process, although I really need to narrow down my concepts. I love cinematography, but until I get enough experience (or a camera that's easier for me to use, personally) I won't be able to feel comfortable being that role. Editing is something I really need to know how to do efficiently  since I don't think I've been able to edit for any of the films this year, except maybe my trailer for Come Back, which was very last minute. Next year, having a bit more advice on how to edit correctly might be necessary if I'm going to edit well at all.