Zahra Bagasrawala
This elective demonstrated a way of filmmaking that was much more subtle than what we had previously experienced. The course started by posing the question: What is cinema? Various elements of design were discussed, which help express a film's vision by generating a sense of time and space, as well as setting a mood, and sometimes suggesting a character's state of mind. This manifested in a few ways that lead to the discovery of a power that the editor bears upon deciding to hold a shot longer than expected. This at first creates a little unease in the audience, but once comfortable with the shot, it offers a moment to think and reflect. The course also introduced a cinematic technique called mise-en-scene; which is one long shot that conveys different stories overlapped in a way that creates the atmosphere for space through sound. The overlaps between reality and imagination which fold and unfold at various points of the movie are captured through this one-shot technique.
This elective allowed a better understanding of cinema, emphasising different ways of seeing it through editing, sound effects, production, and direction. It oriented the importance of standing back and observing, giving the audience time to receive the film.
