So I declared my major eventually. I assume you’ve figured out what it is. This decision was quite natural for me, not because I always wanted to major in MS (I have considered a number of things), but because it just got to a point where my MS classes were so enjoyable that I couldn’t imagine not taking a lot more MS classes. So MS it is! It is just where the water flows and I am a little happy boat enjoying my journey down the river.
Time to talk about the awesome MS classes I am taking this semester.
Media Sketchbook at Pitzer. According to its course description, the class
“is an intermediate-level video production class. Students are required to complete short (one to two minute) assignments every other week. The objectives of the class are to further refine the skills of shooting, editing, etc. and to develop a critical vocabulary to talk about your work and the work of others.”
The class is based on the idea of a “sketchbook” of short videos which we produce every other week in response to the prompts given by the professor. Before taking the class, I envisioned the class to be very technical. But now I am learning things so much beyond the technicalities. Having to screen all of my short films in class, I was both nervous and thrilled. How would others react? Would they like it? Did I successfully convey my message? Every time I screened my film, it was a step forward on the journey of creative self-discovery. Not because I care so much about what others think about my work. But because, the moment the classroom darkens and every eye focuses on the audio-visual world created by myself so honestly and so completely, I feel both the power and the beauty of filmmaking. And listening to others’ comments is always helpful. I also got to practice discussing others’ works, which I believe would be an important skill if I ever choose to go into media industry.
So show time! This video below is one of the short films I made for the class. The prompt asks us to make a short film discussing surveillance, the power of the gaze and modern technology (a very interesting and abstract topic). So watch it:
When formulating this idea, I was considering one question: If technology enabled us to record everything we see and experience and allowed us to playback every single memory we have, how would we see the world differently? The result is that you start to see the subtleties that you normally wouldn’t have noticed. You can thus more or less probe into the inner worlds of others. Until you never see the world the same way ever again. Even at normal speed and real life.
My classmates analyzed my film so cleverly that they picked up details that even I didn’t notice and provided insights that even I didn’t consider. And by the way, the class particularly praised the two actresses’ acting as “very natural and realistic.” They (Hannah and Yasmin) are both my sponsies. One of the perks of being a sponsor: free labor.
So I’ll probably talk about other classes in my next post. Before I end this post, let me explain a little bit about why the “Be the PINK dolphin” slogan in the card that my sponsies made me (see the photo above) means a lot to me. So according to The Telegraph, in 2009 “the world’s only pink Bottlenose dolphin” was discovered in an inland lake in Louisiana, USA. This beautiful creature, being the only pink dolphin of its kind, probably felt lonely and out of place. But if you had a chance to see the pink dolphin’s picture, you would understand how beautiful it really is. It takes courage to do something different and be special, just as it takes courage to be the only pink Bottlenose dolphin in the world. So with a major in hand, I hope I can continue my career at Pomona with that courage, the spirit of PINK dolphin, in the years to come.
-Peter