2. What have you learnt from participating in each of the prelim tasks 1, 2, 3, and 5?

Task 1: Complete an Audition Video

I auditioned for Cool Kid 7 or 8, and ended up getting the part of Cool Kid 7. I found this task particularly challenging, as it was very embarrassing and I'm not a very good singer, so it was very strange for me to record myself singing. I ended up making most of my video alone, with Jack helping so that I had more confidence, and the other parts with Sian, Meera, and Aysha. I think I could have made a much better video, but I had a lot of fun editing it, as it didn't need to look professional and I could just make it a bit silly. I think this task was the most helpful in teaching me how to be confident in front of camera, and it set me up well for the task of learning and practising my performance...

Task 2: Learn and Practise Your Performance

Me practising and performing.

We spent 2 weeks practising our performances with Jasmine during and after school. I found these really fun, but it was very difficult in some of the rehearsals to not be anxious and laugh in front of the camera. I have done acting in front of camera before in a workshop when I was younger, but this was the first time I had ever done it with industry standard equipment with light, a director, and lots of people watching me, so it was a very different experience. The most important thing I learnt during this process was how to work in front of a camera, and to just get past nerves in order to get a good performance.

Task 3: Help to Plan and Organise Your Costume

We had a class costume meeting during one of our lessons to discuss costumes and props with our teachers to make sure we would be ready for the shoot day. We decided that my costume would be a 'hippy top' and some denim shorts, with white trainers and white trainer socks.I bought some denim shorts from Primark, and other people brought in tops for me to try (I ended up wearing Emilio's mum's top). Also, I already own white trainers and white trainer socks, so I wore those to the shoot. I think the biggest thing I learnt during this task was how important costumes and props are in portraying a character/ style. I think this will be very useful in our music video project next term, as it will help me to think about the artist I create, and it will help me portray their personality and identity better.

Task 5: Complete the Remake Edit


I made my remake edit with Jack. I really enjoyed this part of the project, especially when grading the shots to look similar. My favourite part was seeing the before and after for all of my grading. I learnt a lot in this task, because I was able to learn new techniques on how to make the grading look better and more professional, as I could compare it with the actual product. However, in the film opening project, I found grading more difficult, as there was no finite end point, so I found it tricky to know what sort of style I wanted from a particular shot. Additionally, I learnt the importance of editing in the conventional beauty shots to show off the artist. For example, the close-ups of Sian singing are edited in a very pink light, to emphasise her femininity and beauty and sell her to the audience.