June 8, 2010

Today was our last class of film for the year and we spent it watching each person's presentation on a music video of their choice. Unfortunately, I was not prepared for this class for two reasons. Firstly, I thought that the presentation was supposed to be on one of the music videos made in class so I assumed I wouldn't be able to begin work on it until after Monday's lesson when we watched them, and also on Monday night I was very busy as I had to go to the Film Premiere of the documentary Sharkwater in Tsim Sha Tsui and didn't get home until late.
Regarding the film Sharkwater, it was amazing and I highly suggest anyone to go watch it. It is a documentary based around the issue of shark finning by a young Canadian called Rob Stewart. I particularly liked the films amazing cinematography and the content and way it was presented. As it was about sharks, a lot of the filming was underwater in amazing clarity, in some frames there were about 30 hammer head sharks swimming around, it was absolutely amazing. The story itself is also amazing. It started with Rob Stewart simply wanting to make an underwater film about sharks in general, until he found out about the seriousness of shark finning and how endagered they were in our world. For example, there are estimated to only be 3,500 great white sharks left in the world. And by 2050, there will be no sharks left at all if nothing is done. I can not express how amazing this film is, it has won 35 awards from all around the world over the past two  years.

Regarding the class, the presentations were all very interesting. I particularly liked the music videos with stories behind them, such as the one of Nathaniel's choice - Here comes goodbye. I must admit, I didn't like the actual song, but the music video was very effective in not only incorporating music video conventions but also amazing cinematography and editing with a strong narrative.

I've really enjoyed film this term and have learned a lot about cinematography, editing, and film in general, as I had never taken it before. Although there have been its challenges, overall it's been really enjoyable and am looking forward to working with film in the future!