Welcome! Come one, come all to the first screening of our final task! It is with great pride and joy that I announce that said project is complete! After having put in so much time (almost two and a half months), work, and effort in, I'm glad to see that everything has fallen into place. To be entirely honest, I'm probably the most excited to be able to share our final project of the year with you! Before I do that, however, since I consider this to be the last time we'll officially "speak" (or rather you'll read anything of substance from me), I think now’s the time, more than ever, for a heartfelt and pensive message.
I've developed so much in terms of myself as a person, along with my skills as a fully-fledged cinematographer and self-proclaimed director, and I owe it all to this course. I fully believe that I've attested to my hopes of making "...my portfolio worth your while(!)," the very thing I set out to do all the way back on day one in my "Introductory Blog." There were times when I'd be stressed out and feel like I was on the brink of quitting, but each time when I would meet with my team and we'd finish a successful day of filming, those thoughts were quickly forgotten and replaced with feelings of gratification and fulfillment. That made me realize two things. The first of which is that "Patience is a virtue" (William Langland) and can truly make or break success, and the second of which is something that, despite being such a commonplace platitude, so often thrown around, it is not often understood. To put it in a way that will resonate with many, I'll use the words of the Puerto Rican sensation, Marc Anthony, "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." That basic concept is something I understood when filming and editing, that because I enjoyed what I was doing, even though it was a time-consuming and difficult process now and again, it was all worth it in the end knowing that the work I had produced was my own and the best that it could be.
As much as filmmaking is a huge part of self-discovery and the creation of one's identity by acting as a medium for their self-expression, I also see now that it acts as a way of joining people together. Every time my groupmates and I finished working on a film, the first people I would send it to are the ones whose ideas challenged my own, whose new perspectives brought light to flaws and imperfections in our projects, and whose opinions only serve to better our work in the end - my team. After I had ensured that they had all seen the video, I would then send it to the person who invested so much of their time, energy, and dedication to a project that wasn't even their own - our actor. I always do so with the intention that I might give them the opportunity to take pride in their work and learn something about themselves, sharing the passion I discovered with them. If that even has the possibility of sparking an interest in the realm of filmmaking and acting for them after having been immersed in the action in a major role in one of our projects, I'd say that it was worth it. And now, how could I ever overlook the people who gave me complimentary car rides, prepared delicious lunches for my team and I, went on last-minute store runs for forgotten props, and most importantly, always gave me their unwavering support, advice, love, and constructive criticism - my family. Without my family by my side, none of this would have ever been possible, so I cannot emphasize enough how important they are to me. Last, but not certainly least, I always ensure that my close friends get the opportunity to watch my films. Near or far, even my best friend, who has long since moved out of state, gets to watch my team and I's films, and every time she calls me to express how much she enjoyed them, I begin to wonder if maybe filmmaking is the calling I've been searching to pursue for so long.
Going past that, I feel like being given the chance to explore such a versatile genre, that being the science-fiction thriller, allowed my team and I to improve and move past the conventions of the genre, replacing them with our own innovative ideas. While we did stumble a few times along the way, we always dusted ourselves off and picked ourselves up, which led us to produce our amazing final task (if you've been keeping track and we wondering, we did meet the time limit).
Before I finally give you the chance to watch our opening sequence, I would like to thank my parents, my friends, our actors, and my teammates, once again, for making my final project possible and as great as it was! Most of all, I'd like to thank you! Thank you for accompanying me on this journey of self-discovery, for bearing witness to my frustrations and triumphs, and for coming to understand me as a whole.
Now, without further ado, I present to you my film, "Flicker," and as I have with previous projects, I apologize for the noticeable decrease in quality, but not much could be done given the large file size and need to send it across different platforms.
If you've just finished watching the film, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you haven't, don't forget to give it a watch, I can promise you that it was "out of this world" (see what I did there). Since today's blog deserves to end on a positive note (despite us being so close to parting ways, a saddening truth I'm currently grappling with), I think I earned the right to relish in its completion just a little, so I'd like to say that I believe our final task is "...unforgettable in every way..." (Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole 1991) (perhaps a bit irrelevant, but this is the song my dad and I danced to during my sweet sixteen).
And with that, it has been a pleasure writing to you, and if I haven't said it before, I'll see you in A-Level next year!
Yours truly,
Jordyn Minnis
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