Sophia Dimopoulos

I created these book covers and videos when I was in high school, still figuring out what i would rather do. Film editing or graphic design. both were extreme passions of mine at the time, and still is. The softwares I used to create these works were Adobe Photoshop and Sony Vegas Pro.

A media producer that inspires me as a media consumer is Cliqua. Cliqua is a director duo that has directed music videos for popular singers such as ‘The Weeknd, J Palvin, Bad Bunny and more. Their recent work for The Weeknd's music video ‘Save your tears.’ has inspired me as it was by far the most obscure music video I've ever seen. The music video was the embodiment of The Weeknd who conformed to Hollywood's expectations costing him his happiness and old self. I think this music video was a good representation of the music industry in America and how they ruin artists' lives to submit to these unrealistic expectations. There were 8 music videos created in total for The Weeknd’s album. All which are the beginning, middle and end of a story told through each music video showing that it has cost him everything to get to where he is now.I think this is a perfect representation because it isn't told through one music video it's told through 8 so it's gradually alluding to all the things that have made him go insane. Each music video is filled with metaphors leaving the audience in a trance. “In Your Eyes.” is about him going insane, he is chasing down a women, which forces her to decapitate him which exemplifies that she loves his fame and fortune rather than himself, the next video is ‘Too Late’ in which two girls find his decapitated head in the middle of the road and are wearing plastic surgery wraps around their head to hide their true personality. This exemplifies how ruthless the people in LA are and finally ‘Save Your Tears’ where he is reborn with a completely different face losing his old identity to conform to the music industry. I think Cliqua captured the story perfectly through the tone, mood and colours of the music video, making The Weeknd look clinically insane. The work that Cliqua did to tell this story through the music videos has left me compelled completely as the way it was all thought out and actually implemented was truly staggering to me. The concept was thought out clearly and perfectly, leaving me in awe of their work because telling a story through a music video isn't the easiest, but Clique's work on this music video made it flawlessly and I want to capture films and music videos the same way.

Warner Bros Entertainment Australia and Motion Pictures and Video Production Australia are two industries that excite me for possible avenues in employment after university as it is the production. Motion Pictures and Video Production is at the top of my list because it is the production of films and programs in Australia. My ideal job is to be a VFX editor for one of the main cinema of Australia distributors. Warner Bros Entertainment is also on my list as I’ve always wanted to work for its movie franchise by editing behind the scenes. I think these are realistic industry sectors as after I graduate I will have a clear understanding of what businesses are looking for and I'll have the experience. Visual effects editing in this industry is in high demand and it is my career goal. Internships in these industries will also be beneficial as it will allow me to learn about the environment. I plan on creating a portfolio to show companies what I’m capable of that will include short films, logos, commercials and other creative designs I have created.

Nolley, K. (2005) Fahrenheit 9/11: Documentary, truth telling and politics. Film & History : An interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studios. 12-16

My journey at university so far has shaped me significantly as it has taught me skills and given me experiences to confidently enter the workforce, knowing that this is truly the career I want to partake in. A class related moment that significantly impacted me was last semester in my ‘Screen Production : Filmmaking Across Genres’ class. Our tutor Iqbal brought up students to the stage to teach us about the different roles in production. He called up people to be the actors, a director, producer, cinematographer and production designer for a short scene. I was called up to the Cinematographer. This shifted my perspective on film production as it opened my eyes to see how a production is actually made. I was taught that the actors are to never move to suit the camera, but instead the camera moves to follow the actors. This class showed us all an insight into our future careers as we all got to see a glimpse of what happens in the filmmaking process. This experience shifted my thoughts on filmmaking as I didn't realise how much effort was put into each scene. Overall, it made me appreciate the complexities and true creativeness that goes into a production.

Since starting my degree I have built on many media production related skills, In particular my video editing skills have enhanced the most. Throughout this course I learned how to use different editing softwares such as Avid Media Composer, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Audition and Sony Vegas Pro. I learnt these skills through the classes I took each semester. Last semester I took ‘Screen Production : Filmmaking Across Genres’ where I worked in a group and we all adopted different roles to make a short film. My role as the editor, I learnt Avid Media Composer. This class introduced me to this software and I began doing my own research on it and learnt that most film industries use it. Learning the software that most industries use provided me with an insight along with skills to use in my future career. The short film we made is called ‘Limbo’ and the process of editing it in this class really assisted me and I got an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of what an editor will be.

I chose Screen Practice and Production as my major because all throughout my life I have always had a fascination with the way films and music videos were edited. The first time I was inspired to have a career in this industry was when I went to watch ‘X-Men First Class’ at the movies. It was the first time I had really grasped the concept of visual effects editing and I was mesmerised by it. I remember focusing more on the way it was edited, rather than the film itself. I felt like it was a reflection on the passions that I had but I wasn't sure how to make a career out of it at that time. That day, I left the movies with a dream of what career I wanted to pursue when I was older. I chose this major because I felt like it was very broad in the production film sphere and would give me more opportunities If I felt like leaning towards another position. This course has given me hands-on experience in this industry and what my future jobs will be like. Since starting university, my career goals haven't changed and I am looking forward to pursuing a career in editing in the film industry.