I will need a 200 word essay. Once this is submitted, I will need two 100 word essays to respond to my peers. For this forum prompt, I want you to think about how you could turn a couple moments from your life into a movie scene. First, consider all of the storytelling tools filmmakers can use through editing and cinematography: shot composition (master/medium/close ups, high angle or low angle), speed of editing (quick, rapid cuts versus long, tranquil takes), parallel editing, montage, transitions (dissolves or jump cuts or fade-ins and fade-outs), and more. Ask yourself what each choice might mean psychologically for the characters and the viewer. Now choose TWO moments from your life that might be fun to visually dramatize. It will help if the two moments feel different or opposite: the birth of a child, perhaps, contrasted with being pulled over by a police car. Or an awkward blind date compared to an argument with a boss. For this prompt, please write and post a response (200+ words) explaining which editing and cinematography techniques you would use to visualize each of the two scene moments and why the choices are appropriate. You are welcome to embellish – maybe the boss`s nostrils flare in a close-up of his face turning red – but please incorporate specific choices to tell the story. For example, does quick cutting work better for one scene than for the other? Can you build suspense by inserting reaction shots of the boss growing steadily more angry? Be creative and understand that this project is subjective: there is no right or wrong. Just make sure you explain why the editing and shot choices are appropriate. Also, please choose moments that you are comfortable sharing with the group.
