Basic Film Production - Back to the basics of film!

I thought I would tell you about each of my classes at KU in more detail - the highlights, the stressful parts and the overall journey of the courses themselves.


As I said before, I took Basic Film Production which was taught by Professor Small. I took the class hoping it would give me an introduction to film production, including working collaboratively to make a short film.

Bell and Howell 70

This wasn't what the class was about.

The basic part didn't mean easy (like I had hoped), it meant back to the basics of film. We learned how to use a 1930s camera, 16mm film and how to edit using a splice. Basically we learned how people made films in the olden days by doing it ourselves.


Having no experience in photography myself made the class especially difficult, especially as there were many ways that things could go wrong or you could make a mistake with. We had to take special care as the equipment we were using was ancient (probably from the 30s) and it was very expensive and difficult to replace.

Professor Small had an unusual grading system. He had an 'A' option and 'B' option which meant you had to make 2 films to get an A. Even if you sat the exam and did well in it and/or if you're first film was good - it was impossible to get an A unless you made two films. At first this seemed fair because working in film or media industries means you have to meet deadlines. But after undertaking the course this was actually very difficult - especially as aspects of the course were time consuming. Things were slightly more difficult for me as an exchange student because I was still adjusting to living the US in general and this created problems for me in this course.

First we had to learn how to use the camera- which is very difficult (at least it is for me). The cameras we used were not like analogue or digital cameras you could just switch on. We had to learn how to load the film into it (which got easier with practice) and it was important to do this correctly, otherwise we could damage the film and waste it. We had to learn how to set exposure with a light meter (which could very easily go wrong) and we had to learn about the focal lengths of the lens and how to set this correctly (otherwise the picture would be blurry). Although professional photographers probably use this on a day-to-day basis - most digital cameras do these things for you and you only have to fix the lighting conditions. With 16mm film, you didn't know whether you did it right until you're film was processed - and this took a lot of time.

First we had to order the film. That wasn't too bad as we were told which film to purchase, but it took a while to be delivered. Then when I finally had it I had to book the camera equipment. This actually wasn't too difficult either. However, as I couldn't drive or have a car I couldn't get around easily with the camera. Thankfully, a guy in my class suggested that we film on the same day and offered to drive me around.

Being naive, I trusted that he was doing me a favour and took the offer. Little did I know I was about to be betrayed (whether it was intentional or not). The weekend came and we agreed to film. I waited to be picked up from Jayhawker Towers. Fifteen minutes passed and he still hadn't came. So I phoned him.

No response.

Half an hour passed and still no sign of him. I phoned again. No response. I phoned and phoned and phoned but he didn't answer. I didn't know what was going on. I assumed that if he couldn't take me anymore that he would have let me know. So I went upstairs to check my email. My inbox was empty. He just never showed up without an apology or reason...

...until around 9pm that night. He told me that he had been drinking the night before and that he was sleeping because he was hungover, so that's why he didn't answer his phone and so he apologised. Although I was pissed off, I forgave him and asked him if he could take me tomorrow instead. He said, "Yeah, of course! I still want to help you out and you can help me out with mine."

I should have known by then not to trust him but he seemed like he genuinely wanted to do it with me like we agreed, so I waited for him again the next day. Of course -  he didn't show up. I was so annoyed and extremely stressed out. If I could have got my filming done on that weekend then I wouldn't have ended up so far behind!

My roommates didn't seem to get why I was so pissed off the situation. I planned to do my filming on Mass St to film traffic lights, so they asked why I didn't just get the bus. I explained because the equipment was old and expensive that I didn't want to carry it on the bus, plus I needed a buddy to look after it while I was filming and it made sense to do it with someone from the class. None of them offered to help me, but then again - I didn't ask. I didn't want to drag them with me if they didn't want to go and most of them had other arrangements and studying to do by this point. So I basically grovelled on Facebook that I was fucked.

Thankfully, Cheryl seen the grovelling and offered to help me - including driving me around Mass St and helping me out in general. It was really unexpected and I was so happy when she offered. Eventually I managed to get my filming done just in time because of her!

At home I'm pretty independent and have always been self-reliant. Of course I like to take help if someone offers but I don't necessarily like to ask for it. In the States, I learned that if you need help - you have to ask for it. Americans generally will try and help you out if they can and ask for nothing back. I always felt that back home, people will only help if there's something in it for them and if you give them a favour in return.

This is the ethic I've always followed, if someone helps me out I have to do something for them. But in this situation, I knew there wasn't much I could offer in return which is why I didn't ask my roommates to help me. Also, it made sense to do it with my classmate and I could help him with his film too.

Oh well, it got done in the end - thanks to Cheryl. Filming was only half the battle. Then we had to send off our film for processing. This would have been okay if I was more familiar with the US Post Office system at this point. In the UK, if you stick a 1st class stamp on it you can send it anywhere in Britain. However, as this was a package, I needed several stamps on it to be sent to Massachusetts.

My film ended up being sent back to Oldfather Studios and I had to resend it again, which delayed the film processing. Then when it got back, we had to spend a lot of our free time editing it. This took for ages as we had to learn how to use the splice and viewer and editing itself takes a while. I finished the film with only a couple of weeks left at the end of the course, in which we had to make our second film. I spent so much time on the first film that I knew I would never be able to get the 2nd film done. Perhaps if the 2nd film had been a group project then we could have done it. Only the graduate students in the class managed to do the 2nd film, which meant everyone in the class either got a B, C or failed.

Professor Small decided to give me a B-. Thanks for that Small!

If the teaching assistant, Julie Pitzer, hadn't been in the class - I wouldn't have passed the class at all. It was only after she explained how to use the equipment that the class understood what was going on. Small just assumes that we know what he's talking about before he's even taught us anything. Small liked me though, even though he couldn't understand me. I think its because his mother was Scottish - which he told me randomly several times.

Although the class was challenging, there were good times to be experienced. At first I didn't like Small because I didn't get him. But the more I got used to him the funnier he became (usually when he wasn't trying). One time he randomly jumped on his desk. It was so bizarre that it was just funny. He always ate a banana because he had Attention Deficit Disorder. He always closed his eyes when he explained something and one time when we was showing us how to shoot movement he pretended his banana was a gun and kicked over the bin. I was in stitches because any time something crazy happened it was completely random.

I remember one time I was in Oldfather Studios and the walls had just been painted white (although they were already white). Which is fair enough, except there were no wet paint signs. So a guy in my class learnt on the wall and got paint all over his clothes. I felt so sorry for him but had to laugh at the stupidity of the situation. Why didn't they tell anyone the paint was wet??? Crazy stuff!

Would I recommend anyone at KU to take this class?? I'd say you're best to avoid it if you can. Unless you like Professor Small and like a challenge...and Julie Pitzer's the assistant...and if you want to work on your own...and if you want to learn how films were made in the olden days. Don't take it if you want a class thats relevant to the digital age of film and technology.

Find out more about my International Women Filmmakers class next week! Comments/questions are always welcome!

Hello Kansas! International Orientation Week (Day 4)

Today was the last day of the orientation week (not really a week if its only four days though, eh?)...

However, today was our last day and Hashinger Halls and the night we moved to Jayhawker Towers!

The day before we found out who our roommates would be. To our mutual surprise, me and the Scottish girls found out that we would be roommates together! I wasn't sure whether to be glad or dissappointed by this and I think they felt the same way. To be honest - I felt both! I was dissappointed that my roommates weren't American or from somewhere else because it meant I wouldn't meet new people (by living with them) but then I was glad to be with the Scottish girls because we were from a similar cultural background and I had already met them and knew they were nice! Although we all agreed that this meant we should make an extra effort to make other friends.

Nothing particularly memorable happened earlier that day. Although I did go to a meeting about staying legal on my visa as I had a J-1 type. I had to ensure that I had taken over 12 units, not to take paid employment unless it was for KU and ensure that I follow the law generally I think. Also, if we wanted to leave the US to take a trip somewhere, then we had to make sure that our visa stated that we could enter the US multiple times within the time period and that we got our DS 2019 form signed by the International Office at KU.

After meeting some new people from places including France, Germany, Canada, Sweden, England and Australia - a group of us went down to Mass St for dinner together. I think we went to a place called Joe Schmoes...after about an hour trying to decide.

The interesting part was when the waiter came and asked us what drinks we wanted. We were silent, wondering whether one of us would risk ordering an alcoholic drink - until one of the English guys turned round and ordered a Sprite. After that we all ordered soft drinks to be on the safe side.

The dinner was good and the chat was friendly. But we knew as soon as we got back we would have to finally move out of Hashinger.

I can't remember if it was because I hadn't prepared earlier in the day, but I remember moving out was stressful. Especially as over 100 students were doing it at once and none of our suitcases were small. I remember struggling to get it all downstairs at first, because they were heavy. Then when they were finally down, I had to leave them all in the foyer to sign out and check in to Jayhawker Towers.

It was so frustrating, it was late and I just wanted to move in already! Two of my roommates (who hadn't came for dinner) already had moved in and seen the apartment. They said it was pretty basic but looked nice. They also mentioned that it was completely empty! 

Finally, I got checked in and our cases got driven down to the apartment for us. They were right, there was absolutely nothing in the apartment except from two beds and two desks in each bedroom. When we had finally all moved in and were ready we sat on the living room floor together. Now we had to decide who became roommates with whom.

I can't remember how exactly we managed to decide who shared with whom, although I remember flipping coins and then doing numbers several times. I think the numbers decided. Although I wouldn't have minded sharing with any of them, I was quite pleased with my roommate chosen because she seemed pretty neat and tidy, like me! Also we were both film students so we had that in common which was cool.

Finally I had moved in to Jayhawk Towers, Tower B on the 6th floor. Now we had time to get settled and explore for ourselves. Find out how my first day in Jayhawk Towers went by checking out the blog tommorow!

Hello Kansas - International Orientation Week (Day 1)

The International Orientation Week was an interesting one...

The week mainly consisted of group meetings and information sessions - hence helping us international students get settled.

In our smaller groups I got split up from the Scottish girls and the other people I had already met. I was put in the 'Tornadoes' group! One of the other girls I met was in the 'Stairs' group..."This can't be a real group," she joked. We laughed...it did seem like a bit of a weird concept. Everyone else was in groups that were named in reference to Kansas and KU. It was like they had ran out of more obvious references like 'Tornadoes' and 'Jayhawks' that they came up with 'Steps'. Turns out though...KU does have a lot of stairs! Kansas is a pretty flat state, but they decide to build the University of Kansas on a hill so you have to walk up and down hills to get to classes. Convenient.

The good thing about the hills though were the views! You could see almost the whole university from the Hashinger Halls of residence. Beautiful place.

However, the hills were a bit of a nuisance when walking around campus in 100F heat. Which we did when we had our first official Campus Tour. I met a girl from Ghana who was really nice. She had lived in the States for a couple of years and so her English was perfect - although she did have difficulty understanding me with the accent and everything. Nearly most of my group had difficulty understanding me as they were mainly Asian. The tour was cool was absolutely exhausting with the heat and the hills! 

Hill yes...it was.

Then I had my first visit to the Kansas Union for an intro-meeting. I could not believe it was a student's union. Not only did it have five floors - it had a bowling alley, food court with a pizza hut, its own bookstore, a newsagent, smoothie place (which I went to a lot), coffee shop and then lots of conference/meeting rooms. I could not believe it! Stirling Union has a couple of pubs, restaurant and...that's about it I think.

The introduction meeting was rather interesting...they did the obvious stuff and explained the orientation week etc. But then they asked us all to stand up when our country was called out...I was curious whether they would say Scotland or Britain, but it turns out they divided all the British countries. There were tons of students from China. England had a good few. One girl from Ireland and one girl from Sweden. As soon as they called out Scotland I stood up like the proud Scot I am...it turned out there was only four of us - me and the girls I had already met. Then the KU Student Volunteers sang the Rock Chalk Chant...I think we were all a bit creeped out, it sounded a bit like a death march. (I'm only joking it was a pretty cool tune).

That night we had our first visit to Downtown Lawrence on Massachusetts St as we got a free dinner sponsored by US Bank. Me and the Scottish girls stuck together...there were a lot of options of places to eat so we tried to decide. In the end we went to El Mezcal - a Mexican place with humungous portions. None of us could finish it. 

The sun was setting and we chilled out with our free food, it was a lovely night. As you do, the conversation turned to alcohol. None of us were 21 at the time and we wondered whether we'd be able to get it. The waiters at the restaurant were very nice, realized we were foreign and asked where we were from. We were also asked what language we speak in Scotland.

It was pretty funny, but it was the first of a stupid series of questions I would get asked whilst living in the US. It was funny at first but soon it got really irritating...

Find out how the rest of the Orientation Week went by checking out the blog tomorrow!