Second week

My second week at the School of Digital Filmmaking in Hawaii has ended. It has been an intense week and the theme has been basic cinematography and sound. Teachers have been mainly staff from the school, going through camera operation, lenses, composition, image continuity and microphone operation. Things I am quite aqainted with already, but the school goes quickly forward and expects us to have a very fast learning curve, which I like.

We have also had several assignments with the equipment. We use video cameras that shoot in "high definition", and the goal is to achieve images that resemble the "film look" of the bigger 35 mm cameras. Something I have appreciated more is practicing working with a "dolly", which is a sled that filmmakers use to make smooth moving shots with the camera.

We have also handed in our first short film synopsis, and I am eager to get some feedback on mine. Next week we are going to be taught screenwriting, also something I have studied before, but I am sure I will continue to learn new things. We are also watching two feature films a week and have to write an essay on one of them.

Filmmaking is teamwork, and I will definitely gain more experience in working in groups during this school.

Prayer requests are my finance and general inspiration and strength. Thanks for your involvement and interest!

Urban