Mixed Media & Short Film: Crafting a Creative Vision

My project began with a deep dive into cinematography, driven by a curiosity to understand how the technical elements of filmmaking create viewer emotion. I researched the technical processes in depth, learning the details of camera angles, lighting, and blocking to fully grasp how these deliberate choices construct a mood and propel a narrative. Once I had a solid foundation, I moved on to practical application by dissecting and critiquing films across genres, seeking to appreciate the specific techniques, aesthetic preferences, and overall cinematics that contribute to inspiring and cohesive storytelling.

In the next phase of my project I started creating and filming my own short films. It was during the editing process that I discovered mixed media film, a technique that replicates stop-motion animation. This became the defining, most challenging, and most rewarding aspect of my work. The process required me to manually design and manipulate each individual frame of a video. To do this, I integrated traditional and digital art forms, including painting, drawing, fabric and fibers, digital art, and collages. This gave my films a tangible aesthetic. 

The culmination of my Capstone is a portfolio of more than five short films that showcase my understanding of both technical logistics and artistic expression. I learned the tools and techniques necessary for storytelling, and how to convey specific emotions and ideas through the use of lighting, editing, blocking, and audio. While I initially struggled with the time management required for such a detailed, frame-by-frame process, I ultimately developed the necessary discipline, allowing me to translate my personal passion into a concrete body of artistic and technical work, my visual statement.