The Heist

This project was from my Applied Aesthetics course, which thankfully generated many projects that I am now able to share on here. However, this project was one I struggled with greatly. To start, we were required to use generative AI to write the script. This was especially a struggle for me as writing is one of my passions, and what the prompt churned out ended up being soulless and derivative. It was up to my classmates and I to create something original in the production and post-production stages.

Our professor had us randomly assigned to production and crew roles, which was another hurdle I had to overcome. I was assigned as the Cinematographer and the Camera Operator. If there is one aspect of filmmaking I am absolutely lacking in experience and skill, it is successfully operating any type of camera. I do find myself having an eye for cinematography, however, but once it comes to executing it I am for some reason unable to do so. I truly appreciate my crewmates for being patient enough with me as I figured out how to operate the camera.

Post-Production was much less regimented. All we were told to do was to edit in groups of 3 to 4. My smaller group was not very well-versed in Premiere Pro, so they left the editing job up for grabs. Can you guess who jumped at that opportunity?

A fun challenge that emerged in editing was that the AI wrote the script for a crew with a higher budget, and we had none. The script called for a painting to be removed from a glass case using a laser glass cutter (where would we get that even if we DID have money?), so the framing and editing required a bit of cheating. Luckily, from skills aquired from another class I was taking at the same time, I had been practicing applying foley in post production to make certain sounds more prominent. I scoured the internet for as many sound effects I could, and despite the circumstances, I think it was pretty believable.