Name: Alisa Kim
Name of Production Team: Toronto Railway Museum
Role in the Production Team: Camera operator, production manager and administrator
Roles of the other Production Team members:
Alex Cotoc: Director
Jason: Editor and featured actor
Cesar: Actor, art director
1. How do you feel about the title you were given and how well you did your job in this project? Give specific examples of your experience.
Two of my greatest skills are being responsible and productive, so as the production manager and administrator I feel I carried out my job very well. I ensured to keep my group on task every day, by coming to class prepared and stating exactly what needed to be done for that work period. Also, I always made sure to give reminders of upcoming deadlines and props that needed to be purchased. This definitely helped my group to work more efficiently. In addition, I had consistent contact with my group members through Facebook and text. As the camera operator I was filled with mirth, for I enjoyed the companionship of my group members. I believe I did really well in my job in this project, for I had good communication skills and showed diplomacy when working with the production team. I was able to take direction and work as part of a team, particularly on multi-camera shots. Moreover, I was able to carry out instructions with accuracy and perform camera moves with precision and speed. For instance when I was filming the project, I was always collaborating with the production team, especially the director. In this way, I knew exactly where to position the camera, how to frame shots, and move the camera during the recording. I was very productive, for I was able to translate these instructions into carefully framed and composed shots. Overall, I believe I did well in my job, for I was organized, responsible and attentive to detail.
2. How did you contribute to this project? Give at least 2 specific examples.
Before beginning the project, I took the time to ensure that each member of the team and especially myself-understand the scope of the project and the desired end goal. For example, one of my group members were confused on their specific task, so I assisted this group member by clarifying what their role is and what they needed to complete. By making sure that every group member understands the end goal, I found that I was able to make better individual decisions and reduce confusion. In addition, I contributed to this project by being a full and active participant in meetings and discussions. For instance, when we were brainstorming places for our hidden gem, I always shared my ideas and was encouraging and supportive to my group members. Any group discussions that we had, I always gave my input. Furthermore, I was able to recognize interdependencies between myself and others in the group. As the camera operator I ensured to gather all the equipment that was needed by a specific date. This ensured that we were organized, for we had all the necessary equipment’s that was needed to film. Also, I collaborated with Alex (the director) so that I would have an idea of what each shot of the film would look like. Overall I was able to see that my work products, decisions and efforts affect many others in the group, so staying on track and encouraging other members to stay productive was definitely one of the vital ways I contributed to the group.
3. Participation. Comments about co-operation, diligence, support. To what degree partners contributed to the overall work and success of the project? Be specific to each team member.
As a group, I found that we were all encouraging and supportive of each other’s ideas. Everyone gave their input and constructive feedback in group discussions. I believe that since we all contributed to the project equally, we were able to be successful by achieving the desired end result. For instance, we always took the time to always communicate and collaborate. In this way, we knew that everyone was on track and knew exactly what they’re doing for the project. In addition, we always updated one another on our progress. As a team, we would give each other positive feedback and commented on each other’s work. For instance Alex (the director) would always be commenting on my work, letting me know that I’m doing a great job operating the camera. Overall, we equally gave all our input and discussed any issues out through communication.
4. When it comes to dealing with differences of opinion within your group:
When dealing with differences of opinions within my group, I would genuinely listen to their opinion until I fully understand it. In addition I would ask questions, and look for a compromise. I would discuss the facts of the difference of opinion calmly and openly. Furthermore, I would talk about how I feel about a certain opinion and endeavour to find a common ground, so that we could focus on the positive in our agreements.
5. In dealing with group members who were not fulfilling their responsibilities:
Everyone in the group did fulfill their responsibilities. Although there were days where we weren’t in class because of extra-curricular activities, we ensured to fulfill our responsibilities by sticking to the deadlines we discussed as a group. For example, with Jason and Alex missing class for soccer, they made sure to stay responsible by completing any work that needed to be done by a specific date. This was one of the reasons why our group was successful, for we never wasted a work period or fell behind, we were always on top of things.
6. What aspects were most successful? Least? What I would do differently?
The film was the most successful aspect, for we worked efficiently and effectively as a group to achieve the desired outcome. We were organized and knew exactly what we wanted for each scene, which definitely helped us to achieve success. I think that the scene where Jason was featured was not so successful, for we wanted a little boy to be the actor in that scene. Unfortunately I was not able to get a little boy to be featured in that scene. I find that the story would’ve been conveyed to the audience a lot clearer with the little boy, instead of Jason. In addition the props for the film were not too successful, for our group wanted a more realistic image of Cesar’s transition from a young solider to a grandfather. If I were to do this project again, I would want to spend more time on getting better props for the film. I would want to go shopping with Cesar for his props, for he did have a difficult time finding a military costume that was not too pricey.
7. How successful is your project? Give specific examples for your reasons.
Our project is very successful for we did careful planning, paid attention to detail and consistently had effective communication. Within the team, we kept open communication and resolved any conflicts through communication. In addition we all understood the project expectations, such as knowing exactly what the end goal of the project is, due date and etc. Furthermore, we created a functional group structure, where we took the time to identify how the group will work well together and what each individual will be responsible for. Also, we were all compassionate and understanding, knowing that we were all involved in extra-curricular activities; we understood each other’s situations and time. Although we were busy, we ensured to keep our deadlines so that we don’t fall behind schedule.
8. What I enjoyed most about this project:
I enjoyed filming the hidden gem, for I had a lot of fun laughing and bonding with my group members. I’ve also never done a project like this before, so working on it was a new experience for me. It was also my first time being a camera operator, so Jason who was a bit more experienced than me, did help me out in certain shots. Overall, I was able to learn quickly and apply the techniques and effects that I did not know how to do before to the recordings. In addition I loved hearing so many creative ideas from my group members. As a group when we shared our ideas, it was difficult for us to choose a story for everyone’s story was so creative and good. Overall, I enjoyed everything about this project for it was an interesting and enjoyable project to work on.
9. What skills I acquired:
The skills I have acquired from this project are being able to conceptualize and adapt to change. I can now conceive and internally develop concepts and ideas. As the camera operator I had to make suitable changes a few times to the camera angles and shots, so that it would fit new conditions.
10. What difficulties I encountered:
When operating the camera, I did experience difficulties with the camera itself. For instance while filming, the screen of the camera would go black and turn on and off. As a result, I started to become frustrated and annoyed, for we had to re-film the scene from the beginning. Also, I had to adapt the position of the camera multiple times, either because there were people walking in the background or parts of a landscape that we did not want in the scene. In addition, it was quite cold when we went downtown to film and we weren’t able to get a tripod, so I had to stabilize and elevate the camera myself.
11. How I overcame them:
I overcame my difficulties by keeping a positive attitude and immediately re-framing it. Whenever I have a difficulty, I view it as a challenge and endeavour to start moving forward. This helps me to maintain a positive attitude and manage stress. Thus, I stayed positive and did the best I could without a tripod.
Ratings:
Overall, I would rate our group’s ability to remain on task as:
Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Very poor Non-existent
Overall, I would rate our group’s ability to be open, respectful and communicative as:
Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Very poor Non-existent
Overall, I would rate our group’s ability to use the strengths of all of our group members as:
Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Very poor Non-existent
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