Production 1
Planning for Production – Premier Pro Workshop
Attending the Premiere Pro workshop was honestly one of the most helpful experiences for me so far in Media Studies because it changed the way I think about filmmaking and editing. Before the workshop, I mostly saw editing as just cutting clips together, but after learning more about how films are actually constructed, I realised how much emotion and meaning can be created through editing choices, camera angles, colour, and pacing.
At the start of the workshop, we talked about the history of media and film and how filmmaking has developed over time. This part made me reflect more on my own film because it showed me that films are not only about telling a story, but also about making the audience feel something through visual techniques. It encouraged me to think more carefully about the atmosphere and emotions I want my own film opening to create rather than only focusing on the plot itself.
We then started learning the basics of Adobe Premiere Pro. We practiced simple editing techniques such as cropping clips, trimming footage, cutting scenes together, and layering audio. Although these seemed like small skills at first, I realised how important they are in making a film feel smooth and professional. Even changing the timing of a cut by a few seconds can completely affect the tension or emotion of a scene. Learning these skills made me feel more confident about editing my own coursework because I now understand how much control editors have over the audience’s experience.
One of the most interesting parts of the workshop was analysing scenes from real films, including Whiplash. Watching these clips helped me understand how directors use camera angles and editing to communicate emotion without directly explaining it through dialogue. In Whiplash, we looked closely at the use of close-up shots, especially during intense drumming scenes. The close-ups on the characters’ faces, hands, sweat, and expressions created a feeling of pressure and obsession, making the audience almost feel the stress and emotion alongside the character. This really stood out to me because it showed how powerful close-up shots can be in portraying emotion and tension. It made me think more deeply about how I could use similar techniques in my own film to make scenes feel more personal and emotionally engaging.
We also watched examples of different shot types and editing styles used in films, such as wide shots, tracking shots, and fast-paced cuts. Seeing these examples gave me more creative ideas for my own project because I started understanding how every camera angle has a purpose and can influence how the audience reacts to a scene.
Towards the end of the workshop, we were introduced to more advanced techniques like colour grading. I found this especially interesting because I had never realised how much colour affects the mood of a film. Watching scenes before and after colour grading showed me how darker blue tones can create suspense or isolation, while warmer colours can create comfort or nostalgia. This inspired me to think more carefully about the visual style of my own film opening and how colour can help represent the themes and emotions within it.
Overall, the workshop helped me see filmmaking in a much deeper and more creative way. It made me realise that editing is not just a technical process, but a way of shaping emotion, tension, and storytelling. Watching professional films and learning how these techniques are used has given me many ideas for my own coursework, and I now feel much more motivated and confident about creating a film that feels cinematic and emotionally meaningful.