Critical Reflection

This whole project was honestly one of the most intense but also rewarding things I’ve done this year. When I first started Media Studies, I didn’t really know what to expect. I just knew I liked movies, especially horror, and I had so many ideas in my head, but turning one into an actual film opening? That felt really hard for me.

Looking back, I feel like I learned so much: from planning, to filming, to editing, to writing all these blog posts documenting the process. At the beginning, it felt kind of overwhelming, like, “how am I supposed to do all of this?” But the more I worked on it, the more I got into it. Even though there were times I felt like giving up or thought it wouldn’t turn out good enough, I’m actually proud of how everything came together in the end.

One of the biggest challenges for me was organizing everything. With Spark School and my other deadlines, sometimes it was hard to stay on track with the blog posts and actual filming. There were also moments where I wasn’t sure if my idea was good enough, or if it would even work visually. Stalker changed a bit from the original idea, but I think that’s okay, it actually evolved into something better. I wanted it to feel suspenseful and psychological, and I think I managed to do that with the editing, music, and camera angles.

Another struggle was being limited with equipment. I used my Iphone, which I love, but it’s not the most modern camera, and sometimes the lighting or focus didn’t come out the way I imagined.

But I worked around it and edited a lot to create the atmosphere I wanted. I also learned how to use sound design to make things creepier, honestly, the sound was one of my favorite parts to work on.

Filming was weird at first because I’m not used to being behind the camera in this way. It’s so different than just taking pictures or making TikToks. You have to think about why you’re showing something, how to make it look a certain way, how to build tension. But once I got into that mindset, it was actually kind of fun. I liked figuring out how to use simple shots to tell a story and build suspense.

If I could change something, I’d maybe give myself more time to film and test different shots, sometimes I rushed because of weather or light, or I had other things to do. But honestly, considering all the things going on in my life, I’m happy I pulled through and made something I’m proud of.

In the end, this project made me realize I’m way more creative than I thought. I used to think making a film was something only professionals could do, but now I’ve done it. And even though it’s just a two minute opening, it’s my work. It’s something I built from the ground up, and that feels really rewarding.