Green Screen Workshop Reflection

The green screen is a tool that can create the effect of virtually any desired background or location while stationed in one constant location. Important considerations in filming with a green screen include: standing in a consistent position, wearing proper colors that will stand out against the screen as opposed to blending in with the background, and creating a bright light facing toward the screen to create a clear image of the subject in contrast with the screen. Problems that can arise when trying to eliminate a green screen background include: shadows, green clothing, and a radioactive layer of green surrounding the subject. Premiere Pro was easier for me to use, however, After Effects produced a higher quality video due to the elimination of variation of green due the shadow.

Reflection on Holiday Greeting Video

1. After reviewing the comments I made concerning the videos presented by my classmates as well as the videos themselves, the theme was extremely positive. I was impressed by the overall product achieved in such a short amount of time comparatively to the cyberbullying video assignment. This satisfaction was parallel to the video Kenzie and I created. The concept of communicating back and fourth while both subjects were in perceivably different countries celebrating separate holidays was a motif I noticed throughout the videos including ours. The stories consisted of the highlights of each holiday including: country of origin, special traditions, and cultural significance. One unique aspect of our video was the addition of a cultural welcoming or greeting (Kenzie opened with Namaste which is a common greeting in Southern India). There were a few videos with a similar story as the story we chose to depict. Our story was basically about a person who was unaware of alternative cultures and holidays, and was only conditioned to be knowledgeable of the holiday they celebrate. I felt this was an important story to display because although it may seem like an ignorant dilemma to encounter, it is immensely common. I believe more than half of the class could not offer one piece of significant information regarding a holiday other than Christmas or whatever holiday they choose to celebrate, myself included. Therefore, I felt our story would be relatable and therefore would attract attention and interest to our video. We only chose one image for each of our settings due to technical difficulties, however, I felt this choice provided a less distracting effect and made the contrast of each location more clear and concise. I noticed several videos with the same background for each holiday, and I felt the outcome of our video was consistent with the outcome of theirs. The editing of our video was fairly short. Our objective was to create a short enough cut to capture the interest of our viewers, while informing them about our cultures and not leaving them with an unclear overall gist of what our holidays truly represented. We were pressed for time and unfortunately we did not include music in our video, but again, I felt this offered a less distracting and more focused and informative presentation. I felt our title was simple and easy to read. This is the point of a title, and our intent was not to add an overwhelming amount of bells and whistles to our project. Our intent was to highlight the beauty of our holidays and to treat the holidays and cultures as the bells and whistles. I was very pleased with our credits and copyright because the font was elegant and yet easy to comprehend, and the background consisted of a crisp white. This was a classic touch that I was very proud of, which is ironic considering it is one of the most simple and understated aspects of the assignment. Kenzie and I gave an immense effort to produce a quality video. We are our harshest critics, and we gave our greatest attempt to sprinkle the most festive holiday magic possible throughout our project. We both formed a connection to our holidays, and we hope each holiday and tradition is appreciated and respected if not celebrated.

2.
-I would have liked to have added a creative montage similar to the teleporting scene featured in Ryan and John's video. I chose this innovative element because I believe it would have provided a new perspective and a more complex level to the story in my video. I also felt this scene created a greater attention span of the audience and more intriguing video overall.
-I would have liked to have added an opening scene such as the opening featured in Skyler and Michaela A's video which included both of them. I felt this added a sense of unity to the video that I would have liked to have included in our video. This scene implied the concept that both subjects can communicate and can have common interests and personalities despite their location, culture or celebrated holiday. I also enjoyed the ending, "And here's Laphanda with the weather..." this was a tastefully comical and rare way to end a video. I enjoyed it very much.

3. I researched both holidays and I created the script. I transferred said script onto poster paper at home and brought it in on our designated day of filming. I uploaded our tape from the camera to the folder I created to house the files associated with our video. I edited the clips I uploaded in After Effects and in Premiere Pro.

4. I helped Kenzie by creating the script and the posters for the mock teleprompter. I also helped by completing an extensive amount of editing while she worked on her contributions to the video. Kenzie helped me by finding approved background images for our video, and she created the bibliography. We both supported each other and pushed each other to create the best video we could possibly produce. Kenzie also helped me by being consistently positive despite my frustration and progressively uprising stress level. She did not take my breakdowns personally, and she never gave up or agreed to settle for anything less than a quality video. I appreciated her presence and support system greatly.

5. If I had another chance to complete this project, I would have initially edited our film in After Effects. For some odd reason, I edited the film in Premiere Pro first and I felt I could actually produce a video that was up to par with those created in After Effects. I felt this way in part because I had already done so much work in Premiere Pro and I was going to have to start from scratch in After Effects. Therefore, my advice to myself concerning future projects would be to not kid myself, swallow my pride and admit I made an error. I should have just started over sooner, but I tried to convince myself I could further mend my seemingly radioactive footage in Premiere Pro. Next time I will also review the tutorials much more extensively (sorry about that). I learned my lesson the hard way, but there's no greater learning technique than trial and error.

HAPPY CULTURAL EXPERIENCES

Greenscreen Workshop

5 Things I Learned Refections

My reflections of the "5 Things I Learned" assignment of the videos I posted on my blog are in the comments section. Thanks.

5 Things I Learned

5 Things I Learned

5 Things I Learned

Cyberbullying Video Project

Final Draft Video

Jakebax teledrama reflections: Cyberbullying Final Draft

Lifting and Extracting

Lifting and Extracting Reflection

A simple cut in the timeline is a removal of a designated portion of a video clip. If a cut is enforced, the surrounding video clips in the timeline stay in their current location.
A ripple edit has a similar effect as a simple cut, meaning a selected piece of a video clip is removed. One does this by right clicking the designated video clip one wishes to cut, and selecting "ripple delete." When one ripple deletes, the other clips to the right of the deleted clip shift along the timeline.
Lifting and extracting are two ways to cut the film in the program panel at one time. To do this, one must set in and out point to determine the portion of the video clip one wishes to extract or lift.
Lifting is similar to a simple cut, while extracting corresponds with a ripple delete, in terms of what happens to the other clips in the timeline.
This is an example of an extract edit. I decided to edit the two clips where I did because I felt each rider should receive equal screen time. I also felt that by cutting the clips into shorter segments, the intensity was increased and dramatic effect was added. However, I was disappointed that my video was not correctly proportioned. I noticed the size was an issue while working on this video in Mr.Cambell's classroom, but I thought it was just a glitch and it would upload properly. Apparently I was wrong. I was concerned about this video, and I remember asking for assistance. I thought it uploaded successfully, but the size is definitely problematic. Next time, I will make sure the proportioning is executed correctly, and the video is not microscopic. I realize that I get frustrated frequently at these trifles, but they are not trifles in my book. I appreciate and enjoy making and viewing videos very much and this kind of error is immensely embarrassing as well as traumatizing. Next time, I will ensure that this serious tele dramatic crime will not persist or be committed again.

lifting_extracting_Phelps

insert1PhelpsBaxter

Title Template Reflection

The title template video required, ergo, a title from the selected template list. As I sized the various titles to fit the screen, or to fit smoothly in the fram as opposed to blocking the subject, I chose a template. I placed the red needle on the point I wished to overlay the clip. I used the cross dissolve effect as well. This type of title can be used in either a formal or fictional video to introduce a subject or to provide detail on an action or location occurring in the film.

Title 2 Reflection

In the overlay clip, I had to create a box in order to contrast the light and dark background. I had to create a text box in addition to this. After I imported the jumping 3 clip and the title to my timeline I overlayed the title on Video 2. I also used a cross dissolve effect to create a more distinct flow in between the clip and the title. This type of title can be used in a formal video to introduce a subject of an interview. (i.e.-news related; documentary; mockumentary; reality television)

Title1 Reflection

Every title is vastly different despite their similarities in appearance. In this video I used a separate still title. A still title is a distinct clip that is an entirely different entity comparatively to previous and following clips. This version of a title can be used to create drama or to break up the sequence of clips.

titletemplate_Phelps Delgado

title2_Phelps Delgado

title1_Phelps Delgado

overlay1phelpsbaxter

insert1PhelpsBaxter

Refection "Once a Baler, Always a Baler"

I think I am improving at editing and exporting videos. My patience pertaining to the editing process has gotten better as well. I think I did a good job at selecting and sorting through clips to acheive a smooth flow [of clips]. I think I have a good feeling for the duration of selected clips. I'm happy with the way the video came together considering how much effort Ashley and I invested in the project. I should have inserted the title earlier to aviod resituating the clips afterward. If I could do the project over, I would have added in more clips from Block 2. On my next project I need to remember to add in the title first and to make sure the flow is done precisely. In "Once a Baler, Always a Baler," I noticed a few of the clips were cut too short and the flow was a bit out of sync. I think I should have slightly extended Michelle's clip so the viewer would be able to read her shirt more clearly. I also noticed Cesar's clip was a bit short, and Zack's was slightly cut off. I gave my best effort to make sure the end shot of each interviewer was flattering. On my next projectI would like to learn how to make the video clips larger so they are easier to move and organize. One way I helped my partner was working together with a similar idea as to how we wanted the video to turn out. My partner helped me a lot with continuing to say patient and calmly looking at the videos and approaching the situation with ease, I appreciated that. On this project I gained a better idea about how to export and upload a video. What helped me figure this out was going through the process and learning by doing. One challenge we faced was having to recreate the Timeline on our editing board. We overcame this because we asked for help and learned from what we were told and discovered what we had done incorrectly and needed to do next.

Reflection on Introduction

The process of importing, editing, and exporting a video seemed simple, but Premiere is a completely different program than I am used to using, and the task was anything but easy. I slaved over the editing board for what seemed like centuries, it was so frustrating. Luckily, Michelle, Jake, and I figured it out and helped each other finish our videos. While mine did technically upload to YouTube, there were a few gliches that I was concerned and not satisfied with. The ending cut into Dillon's introduction, and blurred. My video could not be accessed from my computer, I was very appreciative to use Blanca's footage, and be able to complete the project despite my segment being unavailable. I was so relieved to finally get the video to upload, but I am weary of making another. I will try again until I get more accustomed to the program, hopefully the process will not take longer than a few weeks, or a few video assignments.

Blanca Ceja Introduction

Values.com videos

Through watching several videos on Values.com, I admired the qualities and characteristics exemplified in the protagonists of the videos and I learned to take a step back from every situation and evaluate how I should act differently in the future.

"Wet Cement - A Message From The Foundation For A Better Life": Response

The message of "Wet Cement" is to take a step back from a seemingly unfortunate or bleak situation one may be presented with, collect their emotions, and not to act impulsively out of frustration.

The actions that communicate this message include: the man paving the cement thoroughly and completely while smiling, then laying eyes on the boy who has ruined his hard work and begins to frown, the boy entertaining himself while waiting for the man to be finished with an innocent tenderness within his facial expression.

The elements the filmmaker included were classic. The man has obviously worked intently to finish paving the sidewalk while grinning at a job well done, and just as soon as he is in the mist of completion, the boy appears while walking on the wet cement, the hard work. The man's facial expression fades. The identity of the person walking in the wet cement is anonymous, making the viewer feel the emotion inflicted upon the man paving the cement. The man appears agitated initially, but as the boy walks up and greets him, he switches gears. The man's first instinct is to become upset and punish the boy. He realizes the young one is just that, young, and only wants to be near the cement paver. Once the man evaluates the situation, the culprit, and his intentions, he decides not to loss his temper and shatter his content. He also realizes it can be fixed just as easily as it was created, and is not worth displaying unbecoming emotion. An uplifting whistle begins as the camera angle zooms out and depicts the background of a sunny spring day in contrast to the darker setting displayed during the rising action and climax.

Wet Cement - A Message From The Foundation For A Better Life