Classmate Critique

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ My Review of My Classmates' Blogs ‧₊˚✩彡 

    Welcome back everyone to my lovely blog!

Today, I will be reviewing TWO of my classmates' camera shots and angles:

Yiqi Zhou

    For the first shot, I reviewed my friend Yiqi Zhou's camera shots and angles and her incredible usage of them! I found her close-up shot to be exemplary as it portrayed gorgeous flowers that reminded me of a slowly fading out sunset, casting the world in its warm reds and oranges. I could tell she used a close-up shot to demonstrate to the audience the IMPORTANCE of these flowers to the story she is telling, which also makes the viewer question what she is going to do with these flowers going forward. Using color language, the reds and oranges told a story of love, passion, and optimism with the close-up further enhancing the effect of these emotions as the flower is the ONLY thing in the frame! 

    Moving on, Yiqi's second shot was a POV (Point of View) shot that piqued my interest when I first saw it! I love stepping into the character's shoes for a moment and experiencing what they were going through to understand even just a little bit more. The main character's hand picking up the mysterious RED bracelet totally had me engaged the entire I was watching it! It made me wonder questions such as "What is going to happen next?" and "Is this something of importance for later?" I really appreciate directors who go the extra mile to perfectly curate the viewers' experience to the T, and this was done just so excellently!

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Thomson Tang

    My next friend I will be reviewing is Thomson Tang! His usage of camera shots and angles was JUST as well done. I could really tell he had an eye for detail through his use of these specific shots and angles during each scene. Thomson's first shot was an extreme close-up shot of an eye that allowed the viewer to really peer into the character's head at that moment (as the eyes reveal all)! The excruciating details allowed the audience to understand the pivotal moment that happened and exactly how much it truly affected the character. Thus, leading the viewer to have a deeper attachment and understanding of the character on screen. Essential for any type of storytelling! 

    Furthermore, Thomson's second shot was an establishing shot. This shot was used excellently as it allowed me to get a general idea of where the story was taking place. As a result, I felt excited and anticipated what was going to happen in the prison-like school setting. It put me on the edge of my seat as I patiently waited for the real story to begin! An amazing start to ANY story!

    Overall, I think BOTH of them did an exemplary job in showcasing just how knowledgeable they are in their usage of camera shots and angles! Thank you, guys, for reading, and look forward to my next one!

Camera Shots and Angles

 ⋆˙⟡ My Shots and Angles ✶⋆.˚

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    Welcome to another blog from yours truly! 

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Today, I will be showing you what I learned about camera shots and angles:

Wide Shot

    Description: This shot was pretty easy (no technical difficulties at all) to make as it is quite simple as one just has to capture the full body of the subject while making sure the background is the predominant feature of the video. This led to me filming it quickly as opposed to the other shots down the line which took MULTIPLE takes. I was trying to demonstrate the relationship of the subject to the background as it fully encompasses the subject and swallows them up, showing the viewer where the subject is and allowing the audience to have a FULL context for what is about to happen.

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Close-Up

    Description: Originally, I wanted to do a close-up of the flower the dragonfly was sitting on, but when it flew over to the plant of the flower I was at, I KNEW I had to film it (as it is more interesting than a flower). The close-up emphasizes the importance of the dragonfly in proportion to its environment and also shows the intricate details of it.

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Extreme Close-Up

    Description: My ONLY struggle with filming an extreme close-up of my eye is that it was difficult to hold the camera that close to my face, but otherwise this was a relatively easy shot. The extreme close-up of my eye tells the story of my internal thoughts as they always say that "eyes are the windows to your soul," and my frantic eye movement tells the viewer that I am surprised by something that I MAY have just found out.

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Medium Shot

    Description: Medium shot is another simple shot to film as the ONLY requirements are that the torso and head must be the only ones in the frame. I think the only hard part about it is setting the camera down at the correct angle to get what you want in the frame (it took me a while to get it right). The purpose of the medium shot was to show my body language and hand gestures that I make toward the camera which perfectly portrays the emotions that I am feeling at the moment to the viewer.

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Point of View Shot

    Description: For my point-of-view shot, I did NOT want to overcomplicate things and make it confusing for the viewer and difficult for me to film. Thus, I decided to show myself searching for something on YouTube as the audience can clearly see me typing into the search box for what I want to watch (a pretty easy thing to do and show). From this NEW perspective, the viewer can see what I am doing and get into my head for a little bit, allowing them to realize things they may not have before from my perspective as I show the viewer a glimpse of what I do daily.

    Stay tuned in for my next blog, and thank you for reading!

Introductions

  *ੈ✩‧₊˚ Hello, My Name Is! ‧₊˚✩彡 

    Hello everyone to my very first blog!

Today, I will be introducing myself:

About Me

    My name is Davina Lin, and I am currently a junior at Everglades High School. I was born in Miami, Florida, but my ethnicity is Taiwanese as both of my parents are from there. My common hobbies include reading fantasy novels and webcomics, listening to music (preferably songs with a melancholy theme or at least hints of it), and playing video games such as Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail. I am not usually a sociable person, but I LOVE chatting with my family and friends as they mean the WORLD to me. In addition, my FAVORITE color is purple! If you have ever seen me, you may notice that most items that I own include that gorgeous tone. All shades of it are enjoyable, but the ones at the TOP of my list are definitely lavender or violet (blueish-purple)! Lastly, I have a keen interest in all things tech and art-related.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Why Did I Choose AICE Media Studies?

    The reason why I chose to take AICE Media Studies relates to my previous statement. As it is because of my interest that I thoroughly enjoy film analysis or just about any type of analysis of any form of art. Furthermore, I need one more AICE credit to complete my AICE diploma—I am taking three AICE classes total this year—so I might as well pursue an elective I am interested in rather than something boring like biology. Additionally, this course is a pretty "chill" and "laid-back" class (as other peers have told me) and I do not want my year to go as stressful as it did last year... Moreover, I have friends taking this course and as you know from the first paragraph I cherish them immensely. Since this course includes a group project for Component 1, I know that my friends and me will have plenty of fun while taking this class. Of course, I am not going to be "goofing off" in class or on any assignments, but I will have my fun when I can. Who says that school and anything associated with it has to be miserable?

    Thank you guys for reading, and see you guys on my next blog!