Preliminary Task - Soundscape #6

 

Soundscape

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The soundscape follows a suspenseful moment where someone is searching for another person who is hiding. As the seeker walks through a quiet space, the tension builds. They stop to listen carefully, then suddenly take off running after hearing a sound and spotting the hider. The story is meant to make the listener feel tense, like something is about to happen at any moment.

 To create this soundscape, I recorded all my own sounds. The walking sound was made by tapping a light shoe on a wooden surface heavily to make it sound realistic, moving it as if it really were someone walking.

 One of my favorite sounds was the sudden rustle that happens when the hider is found. I made that by the sounds of rubbing a wooden desk with a paper towel and editing it by raising the volume of the clip itself, making it sound more intense. I also added a quiet but thrilling background music to build suspense throughout the piece.

The most challenging part of this project was getting the timing right, especially making sure the sounds changed smoothly from walking to stopping and then running. I really enjoyed experimenting with different objects to create sounds, and it was cool to see how everyday things could be used in creative ways. 

I learned that sound alone can tell a full story and create emotion, even without visually seeing it. This project helped me understand how important sound is in storytelling and how it can bring scenes to life. Therefore, what I learned can be applied to future assignments to improve and better the quality of my work.

Preliminary Task - Promoting My 30-Second Story #5

Promoting 30-Second Story

The tagline I chose suggests to the audience that the story is about guilt and consequences, hinting that something bad has happened and someone has to deal with it.

 The poster shows the genre of my 30-second story by creating an unsettling, tense feeling. The dark colors and serious expression help set the mood and show that it’s a psychological thriller. 

My color scheme fits the mood because I used darker, muted tones to show that this isn’t a happy or light-hearted story. The mise-en-scene in my video connects to the poster through the use of low lighting, a simple setting, and close-up shots that focus on the character’s emotions. It keeps everything feeling serious and intense.


The sound in my story, like the quiet and then suspenseful background music, helps build tension and matches the poster’s mood. To improve, I could add more contrast in the sound (like silence before a loud moment) to make it more dramatic.

This helps with my Cambridge project because it teaches me how to make sure my poster, video, and sounds all work together and clearly show the story's mood and genre. This then allows me to apply and be aware of how these all work together for future assignments.

Preliminary Task - 30-Second Video Reflection #4

Video:
https://youtu.be/aNsJfQMpXMU



The video consists of the consequences of choosing violence when it comes to conflict. It demonstrates how the choices you make can take an unexpected turn, leading to a worse outcome. The purpose of the assignment is to practice using technical elements such as camera shots, angles, composition, and movement to create meaning.

I chose to use a dutch angle in order to have the viewer feel disoriented to connect with how the character feels. A challenge I faced during filming was thinking of what certain angles I’d like to use for the short film to really portray the message. I’m most proud of the angles I ended up choosing as they go well together and match the film itself. I wouldn’t change much about the movement or angles and shots as they come together to create the meaning of the film.

Experimenting with these shots and angles helps me practice for when it’s time to do my 2-minute video as it is constant practice that is going to improve over time. It helped me gain skills in planning and production as before filming, ideas were being brainstormed and put together to prepare for the actual production. It overall helped me understand the importance of technical elements to create meaning by showcasing how it goes together to form its message. 

Overall, this assignment taught me that the camera angles and shots you choose impact how your film turns out with meaning. It could be the point of view of the character or portray how the character is feeling as it heavily influences its meaning. Practicing these elements made me feel more prepared for my Cambridge project as it gave me a gist of what to look out for, consider, and apply when doing the project.