Doing the exercise of a Pecha Kucha video was my introduction to editing and the first time I used premier. It allowed me to find scenes within the movie Scream that could go together to show what the movie was about with an audio that doesn’t necessarily belong with the specific clips. This was a nice introduction to editing because it wasn’t a complicated assignment and allowed me to begin with the basics of capturing a specific scene and place them in the order I wanted. Similarly with sound I was shown how changing the audio could change the mood of the scene and this exercise reminds me of creating a trailer that showcases what the movie is about without giving up the major plot points. I really enjoyed this exercise because although it was simple it showed me the different aspects of editing and what could be done to create an interesting video.

The deformation exercise was one I really enjoyed completing because it really highlighted how certain film elements (audio, staging, etc) are detrimental in creating the final shot. The idea of having all the kill scenes together was interesting to see because it demonstrates how some kills were more personal while others seemed more to be driven to induce fear or they stood in the way of getting to who Ghostface really wanted. Something I noticed is that his kill is drawn out, almost as if Ghostface has fun when instilling fear. Since this exercise was completed later in the semester I felt more comfortable using premier and it’s one of the videos I like more than other one’s previously done. It really showed me how repeated practice is essential for grasping a new skill and creating projects that don’t turn out how you desire isn’t a bad thing cause things don’t always come out as we envisioned. 

The desktop video was the most challenging for me and I’m not sure if I like or hate this technique. I found it challenging because I had to plan everything out so when I went to complete the action it seemed seamless. It took me multiple tries to get the clip correct because sometimes I felt like I took too long when searching for the content I wanted to show or when it came to text sometimes I went too slow and other times it felt like I didn’t have enough information to support the content I showed. It’s a lot more personal because you are the one dictating what is being searched/shown and that kind of establishes the connection between the creator and the audience. I think I would use the technique again because it’s different from the typical video essay and it’s an interesting technique to use.

When I watched the video “Queering the Slasher: Scream” I found it fascinating how there is such a connection between queerness and horror movies. Especially with older movies and the queer-coding they included within the characters because there was a lot of stigma around queerness and it being shown in films. So going back and watching Scream after learning of the connection between queerness and horror I could see how the relationship between the protagonists Billy and Stu could be taken as gay love story. However, Scream wasn’t a film I could see as a gay love story because of the actions taken by Billy, and so my analysis focused on how it was unrequited love.

In my video I use some scenes of them individually, to demonstrate their characteristics, but mostly focus on the scene of them together which best represents the love Stu had for Billy that wasn’t returned. The queerness of the characters was never in question, and I did agree with some of the points made in “Queering the Slasher”. And using voiceover allowed me to fully explain my thought process and explain why the actions committed in the scene did not line up with requited love. 

Since the first time I watched Casablanca I thought the narrative and filming style were incredible. It’s extremely engaging, with ever-evolving characters, and it’s a movie that’s left an impact in film history. It spoke to me because it follows a love story that doesn’t adhere to the traditional narrative of meeting, falling in love, overcoming a hardship and having a happy ending. It’s a lot more real and possibly reflective of relationships during the time of war. The ending is the most impactful as it’s bittersweet because the love interest don’t actually end up having a future together. When creating the video essay I used voice over and scenes that showed the evolution of their relationship. In doing so I was able to express why it spoke to me and the connection I have with the film. I like how this turned out because it’s a very casual tone and I think it’s able to capture the importance of the film to me.