Reflection

Overall I was really happy with the outcome of my video essay. There were definitely some aspects I would have improved, however, if given an extended amount of time to do so. I think the main thing I would have done differently would have been to interview more people about the most ordinary object in their room and their room and their idea of ordinary. Though the input from my suitemates was insightful, I could have probably gathered a more in depth view by interviewing a greater range of different kinds of people. I also might have cut down some of my shots a little bit more. I intentionally focused on the ordinary objects for long enough for them to appear mundane and make the viewer bored with them, but I think this could have been achieved without showing the objects for quite as long. I struggled a lot with the idea or the toothbrush and would have liked to spend more time on that, as I believe I showed a clearer distinction between ordinary and extraordinary with the other two objects. There were also some clips that I found that I would have worked into my film had the time constraints been different.

I feel that my film has some very strong points as well. I was very happy with how my film was structured because I felt that I was able to structure it like a true essay. I stated my question at the beginning (What is Ordinary). I then proceeded to interview and collect data as I explored ordinary objects and how they could become extraordinary. Finally, the questions about what ordinary in served as almost a conclusion to my essay. I was also happy with the flow of my essay. I felt that it flowed logically and coherently, very easy to follow. I, personally, felt that the idea was presented clearly and concisely. My use of editing techniques were strong as well. The transitions utilized between shots helped the movie move along smoothly. My reverse motion with the tissue contributed a lot in making the tissue appear extraordinary as did the fast motion with the origami tissue paper crane. I have learned a lot about how much time and effort goes into making movies. We often take for granted the crazy camera shots and special effects we see in movies today and do not realize how much time and meticulous planning goes into the filming and editing process of every film, but this process showed me how much it takes.