Letter to Self

Look back at your experience over the last year in Film/Video Production.  Reflect on what you've learned, and accomplished, and the friends you've made, and compose a letter to yourself on the first day of class in the beginning class.  Imagine that this letter is delivered to you on that day, and he/she could read it.

What advice would you give your past self?

Would you tell them they are going to have a great experience?

What would you warn them about?

    Dear Kyle Repman,

    It's your first day of school! Exciting right? I know things may feel a little daunting right now; you only know one person in this class and you've never even considered filmmaking before this. A lot of things are different this year and there's going to be even more that changes as the year unfolds. The people you'll end up being closest to won't be who you expect; you'll make and lose so many friends and you'd be surprised by how much things will have changed. But I want to assure you, you're doing the right thing. You'll make some incredible work this year and have a blast doing so. Acting and filmmaking is so much more rewarding than you might ever think.

    However, I made some mistakes that I could've avoided. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to get your work done. This is what will hold you back this school year and you won't be able to scrape by without putting in the work as you've done in previous years. Keep track of your assignments and start working on things as soon as you can; not putting things off till the last minute. As much as you don't want to, it'll set you up for the best chances if you do so and you should learn these skills to prepare you for when it matters more.

    That being said, still enjoy this year, because it's one of the most fun you'll have so far. The roles you play in theater, the friends you get to spend time with, and the projects that you'll work on are incredibly enjoyable. I've had such an incredible time doing these things and I'm excited for what's in store for next year. Don't get too caught up on your failures, it's important to prioritize your health.

    Sincerely,

    Your future self

Favorite Unit

What unit did you enjoy the most?  Why?  What are three things that you learned from the unit?  What are two things that you'd like to know more about?  How could this unit be improved?  Please give detailed input.

    Out of all the units over this year, I feel that I enjoyed the sound unit the most; with the camera unit at a close second. I believe the reason for this is because these are the two most technical units that were the most hands on. They also both had very entertaining projects that allowed for a lot of fun during the production process and while grading. Three things that I learned from the unit was the ways that different sound equipment worked and what makes them good for different occasions, how to record good quality sound, and a good start for editing sound. The unit helped me gain an understanding of the different types of microphones (handheld, lav, shotgun, dynamic, condenser, and ribbon mics), when they are best used, and the settings that are needed for each one when recording. I learned how to properly operate a boom mic, how to minimize unwanted sounds such as wind, and properly place a lav mic in order to get higher quality sound. The guides at the end of the video helped to make sound editing a little less daunting and helped introduce some of the tools that we can use to improve our sound. That being said, sound editing is an area that I want to learn more about as we've only skimmed the surface. Another area that I want to learn more about is folley and making sound effects as I find that somewhat interesting. This unit could be improved through potentially having a technical assignment to practice these skills on top of the music video. Although the music video project is incredibly fun and can help with sound skills in regards to editing, I didn't feel like it captured much of the recording and editing the recording. Perhaps having an exercise akin to the camera scavenger hunt, edit a story, and continuity edit would help. This could be having pairs record each other saying a line or a conversation then editing it to sound better. Not sure how well that might work and if the time constraints would prevent such an assignment from being added on top of the other projects.