Experimentation: Learning the Ropes and Being Creative

 Before the semester started, I purchased a DSLR camera with the help of my younger sister by splitting the cost 60/40. This purchase was with the intent of learning how to handle a professional camera. (And, we both wanted to branch out on a new hobby) I was frustrated that, despite being already in my senior year in the Communication program, I still hadn’t learned how to work around a DSLR. 

Numerous production classes that I have enrolled in often require outputs done in rushed and, in my opinion, close-set deadlines. Although this meant to train us for actual prod work, this resulted in tasks being assigned to the most capable. Thus, I was often left to do planning and logistics, rather than actually learning how to handle equipment. 

Although I am slowly getting the hang of photography, filming via DSLR continues to baffle me. Unlike modern phones that have built-in stabilizers, noise suppression, and color correction, I find it hard to intuitively learn the camera controls in taking good videos without the use of a tripod or a gimbal. Yet, I persevered and, during the reading break, I decided to allot a day to try out the video recording feature, as well as shoot some cool photographs. 

Suffice it to say, I quickly learned two things: (1) Learn to adjust camera settings for video (wherever that is—but, I’m working on it), and (2) it truly is difficult to stabilize videos without external equipment.  

But, I tried to work around it during the editing process. Since Hukay-Ukay aims to be a TikTok video series, I attempted to make a TikTok-style video for the first time. I thought it appropriate to get the feel for editing a typical TikTok video before I tried anything experimental. Edited in the format of a typical “Day in the Life” reel, I used lo-fi music, spoke in a calm and ASMR-esque voice, and just fiddled with my camera. 

Thus, this is the result:

Before this personal experimentation, my group also made a reel during the lab portion of one of the 154 class sessions last month. Lasting about 30 seconds, this was made at the beginning of Martial Law Remembrance Week. The reel centered on showing clips and pictures that relate to Marcos’ Martial Law, using a song that was symbolically a sign of protest against this oppressive regime. The purpose was to give the reel a vibe that would emphasize the horrors brought by these historical events—events that are seemingly, forcefully, forgotten if the election of the late dictator’s son as president is proof. Through this exercise, we were able to get an idea of how to add sound and heat to pictures and videos to manipulate their ambiance.