The Creative Process...

In making a short, 20 second film based around the theme of panic, we had to come up with the idea entirely ourselves. To do this, we underwent a creative process in which various decisions were made about what we would need to do to form something appropriate.
Some of the decisions we made here were often split into two vague categories; the first being creative based, and the second being for more technical reasons. An example of these would be or decision to film on the field, as this was purely to make sure that if we were to talk loudly or scream, then we would not be disturbing any other workers. The other, more creatively based reasons were things such as the idea of no sound or dialogue in the first half of the video to add a sense of panic, or the idea of using mainly still camera shots for the duration.
It was these decisions that helped us produce our Panic video and I think, only with this balance and understanding that the creative process we go through is just as important as the final product can we make things that we are truly proud of and provide a source of inspiration.

On Creativity

Well? What is creativity? It's a hard word to define, yet we use it to describe many people and their ideas. Here is my definition: "Creativity is the ability to use your imagination and knowledge to make something innovative and different, expressing your own personal ideas from experiences and upbringing." That seems like a very roundabout, varied way to describe the term. But isn't that what creativity is in the first instance? Varied and unique to you?

Being creative to me can mean many things. It can take the form of a medium: art, music or perhaps film. Or it can take the form of academics by people taking and creative, thoughtful approach to things. Creativity isn't just confined to being artistic. Its about looking at things without a structured view or plan of undertaking them. It's letting your imagination and ideas take control and influence your choices.

I consider myself to be a very creative person. I'm not very good at art, however, nor am I an excellent actor. I enjoy writing creatively. I write song lyrics and stories. My creativity pours from my thoughts and inspiration into an expression of myself in a form I am truly passionate about. I tend to look at things in an imaginative way, always looping creative stories into events and scenarios: this is what I think being Creative is mostly about - expression. It doesn't have to necessarily mean the cliché of 'thinking outside the box'. Most things are already in the box anyway, so to speak. It just has to be your view and your way of looking at things, and the process of 'creating' being your own, with influences from all that inspires you.

The why and the what...

The main reason I chose Media Studies... it's hard to give a single reason. I love film and music and, above all, writing. Media is one thing that connects all of these things and influences us the most. I wanted to be able to look at these things, film in particular, in a different way, searching for the meaning behind a shot or even plot device. I want to learn about the things which are slowly shaping are world and lifestyle into something new, different and more connected. To understand the media is to understand how modern life is being formed.

I would define Media in one simple way; a way of connecting the modern world through new mediums. Included within this, we have films, photography, music, celebrity culture, print and, most notably, the internet. The media is a large part of our lives, shaping them and evolving us into free thinking people. It's a way of linking all the discoveries and creativity time is presenting and making all of this accessible to anyone.