To begin with storytelling is an imaginative process between the composer and responder that invites us to engage vicariously with the experience of others. While growing up it was a huge part of my life because I wanted to be a writer and for that, I assumed all I needed was a pen, paper, and an audience. Nowadays, storytelling has shifted from conservative to multiple avenues, primarily being film-making and videography. Thus, it is safe to say that technology truly has grown alongside me. I am not just referring to modern-day technology which changes rapidly, but also about my own personal experience with it, and how it helped me realize my passion for storytelling. The progression of technology was made evident through the special effects in movies constantly improving, making the story explicit and intriguing.
Video editing has gone a long way from just putting pieces of a film together, to adding sound effects, filters, captions, or pictures into the film to make it immensely captivating. I love to see raw images and clips come together to form a story, making it a crucial part of film production. It explains the story and moves the masses making them feel the emotions being conveyed in the story. For example, a single sound effect changes the whole concept of a scene, such as the “tick-tock” of a clock adds suspense.
Once I entered into A-levels I took Media Studies as a subject which made me aware of the different kinds of content production. Video editing grasped my attention the most due to its ability to maneuver the plot and therefore I explored further into it. The first time I was given a video to edit, I felt under-qualified, and confused, however, I was determined to give it my best shot and explore this new venture. While editing the video, time passed by and I explored different apps and features on my own. Soon without realizing it, I began to see things around me in a different light. I understood the art of film-making, but most of all I fell in love with it. It no longer felt like a task, but instead, it felt like an escape from reality.
I was taught new techniques by my teacher and over time I learned how to use the software, Adobe Premiere Pro for editing. I used mind maps to collect my thoughts and bring my vision to actuality. I mainly learned through editing different types of videos. This made me realize that editing has the power to captivate an audience and as an editor(storyteller) that is all I needed.
Here is the link to my AS level blog
“We don’t make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies.”
Walt Disney
After the pandemic started, the art of storytelling evolved further through applications such as Tik Tok which took the internet by storm and changed the style of content creation. Trends, such as “meme-worthy” and “flashy” content, were popularised over the quarantine period and it inspired me to make multiple edits that pleased my target audience. Although at-times as a content creator I feel that I might be lacking in certain aspects. However, as time has passed the internet through numerous websites and videos, sheer dedication and grit have helped me improve my skills extensively.
To conclude, I attribute a significant part of my social, emotional, and academic evolution to storytelling, primarily video editing. It constantly captivates and helps me grow in ways I never imagined. To me the art of storytelling is more than just a hobby, passion, or career, it is about cultivating one’s ethical sense, abilities, and nurturing the drive to manifest our aspirations into reality. Thus, while working on projects time no longer seems to hold any restriction, due to my level of indulgence making me feel as if I have entered a parallel universe, away from all my sorrows and distractions. Moreover AS level showed me parts of the stage hidden behind the lens of a camera and the screen of a cinema house. With careful guidance from our instructors and the help of a variety of resources, it is a shortcoming to say that I am apprehensive about how much research and planning goes into a 2 minute starting lineup. Which is why i am rather excited about A2 and all i will get to learn from it.
alizayA2blog 