I took Film 10 as a personal choice, not because I was simply in desperate need for another subject under the Arts and Humanities domain but because of my genuine fondness for movies (with the exception of horror films). I would have to say that the most significant lesson I have learned from our Film class is evidently the utmost appreciation for any category of motion picture, most especially the reception to its aesthetics and technicalities.
I profoundly realize how challenging it is to make or produce a movie, may it be a short film or a feature presentation either locally or internationally. Ever since, I have had difficulties writing reaction papers for motion pictures because there were a very few number of things I attended to while watching a certain movie. I am not entirely confident if I have improved in a lot of ways but being a part of this critiquing and production course gave me several different insights to work with and helped me develop analytical thinking in receiving the comprehensive variety of film morals. I discovered that I should not only discern the cast or the genre because those are not the only factors that determine if a movie is beautiful or not. The cinematography and technical aspects must also be given grave responsiveness in view of the fact that film-watching should unquestionably be an audiovisual experience, given our technology nowadays.
The practical guidelines for beginning filmmakers were a big advantage to me since it was the first instance I was capable to make a movie of my own, which was only made possible by becoming a member of this class. On the other hand, the lessons I would have really wanted to gain knowledge of are the basics of how to make a simple motion picture in terms of the technicalities. This comprises the utilization of various film techniques or which video editing and/or movie making software is the paramount one. I am a true novice in this field, so I definitely struggled during the post-production of my final video project. When I became conscious of this, my very high enthusiasm to shift to BA Film gradually depleted. Nevertheless, this made my already high regard for the work of the people in the film industry increase.
From the first movie we watched at the beginning of the semester, it is already an unforgettable one (in a good way). The moment I arrived back home, I immediately narrated to my father the impressiveness of “Natural Born Killers,” and I was full of self-esteem being able to share a truly stupefying crime film about mass murderers that he–who is also a huge film enthusiast–had never heard of.
The only time that I did not enjoy the class was when we were required to watch “Oktober: Ten Days that Shook the World” since I suppose a historical silent black-and-white movie was too advanced for non-Film majors like me to handle. To be perfectly straightforward, it was a very serious demand for us to finish the old motion picture but it was absolutely a tougher challenge to write a reaction paper about it.
The requirements of this GE course were appropriate. Even the reportorial system was fitting for the class because good communication was also enabled and anyone can easily participate. It was also a relief not having any quizzes or written examinations. Making reaction papers and movies were the true trials in assessing how much we understood and learned from this subject. In spite of the absence of objective tests, I did not discontinue copying the lectures since I know that they would be thoroughly functional in making future videos both for my personal and academic life. In fact, I was recently requested to make an audiovisual presentation for my friend’s debut because she saw the film I made for this course.
I was a little surprised that we were not asked to watch a movie being shown in the UP Film Institute, though I was also calmed since the movies were apparently mostly in other languages. It was a good initiative to let us watch the short films made by UPFI’s former and current undergraduates. Their motion pictures served as inspiration for ideas on our group presentations and final video projects especially in choosing which format to use. I was amazed how a film’s very condensed duration can evoke plenty of feedback from and interaction of my classmates. It was effective in noticing small but influential fine points of the film.
On the whole, our Film 10 class is a very worthwhile and recommended subject to take. The professor is the cherry on top. Her wittiness and great knowledge made the class active and full of life. It was a whole new experience different from all the other general education courses offered by the university. It is not all about reading books and memorizing facts but being opinionated and working really hard both mentally and physically for an output. This GE is where I exerted my effort the most and enjoyed it as well. I am positive that I not only speak for myself but for the whole class when I say that Film 10 has opened our eyes in the adventure of movie-watching.
(written March 2010 for Film 10 under Prof. Libay Cantor)
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