Final:Part6

Throughout my experience in this class I learned to be more patient and I became more accustomed to the idea of collaborating with a group as opposed to independently filming my own creation. I learned how to plan accordingly to a deadline. I learned how to use Premiere Pro, which is a program I was not familiar with in the beginning. I learned how to compromise with my group considering each member had a different point of view. I learned how to film more quickly and efficiently.I learned that my videos will not always turn out exactly how I envisioned them, but I learned that there is always room for improvement.

Final: Part 5

I learned that generally, simple scripts have greater potential to become extraordinary movies. I learn how to position subjects in front of the camera to create a more interesting vision for the audience. While I watch movies I seek out the subject(s) of the scene and I observe whether or not they are positioned to the right or left of the screen. I gained a more extensive understanding of the time management and prior planning that is necessary to produce a quality film. I learned the importance of formatting the Premiere Pro project correctly.

Final: Part 4

Early in the year, I learned the importance of formatting a project on Premiere Pro correctly. In my first video of the semester, "Cha Ching," I did not format the project correctly and the result was an immensely small disproportional video that was obviously flawed. This simple mistake became a huge distraction to the overall product. In my first film of the semester, I was also getting used to the concept of over the shoulder shots.You can see that in my first film near the end of the scene which is evident because the dialogue is not consistent. This was the result of the initial stages of learning over the shoulder shots.

On my second project, I learned how to recover a somewhat confusing rough draft. An issue of the film was that the audience was unclear of the overall message due to the blurred view the test grades. To recover this dilemma, we created mock tests and shot them from the point of view of the test takers. This mended the gap in the film.

Later in the year, I showed that I really had learned the concept well, since I showed this in other projects.
One good example is from my final project, "Code Red." In this project I anticipated the problems that could conceivably occur while filming, and we created a simpler script comparatively to those we filmed in the past. We shot the film during class and experimented with various camera angles and ideas. We formatted the video correctly and we made sure the script was simple and we added effects and props that made it appear more detailed. Considering we had a short amount of time to film and edit, I kept the dialogue to a minimum to ensure the dilemma that occurred during my earlier projects did not repeat itself.

Code Red Parody

The Water is Wide

1.The story we were trying to evoke was that of thelife span of a tree. Although the life of a tree may seem irrelevant to the average person, we thought it was representative of the daily strife we all go through throughout our lives. We wanted to convey a sense on innocence and introduction to the world through the picture of the seed. We chose to have the seed change colors to show what it was capable of, or what a person is capable of. We chose various picture of trees to show the process of the tree maturing. We added pitcures of tall trees and eventually smaller trees to show the contrast between our subject or protagonist tree to the forest. We showed a fire, which is devastating, in order to show the concept of tragedy. However, pine cones can only release their seeds when they come in contact with fire. Therefore, this message is the silver lining of the devastation of the forest.
2. The sequence I am most proud of is 2:34-3:05. The part of the story we were bring to evoke was the underlying positive aspect of the tragic fire, or the release of the pine cone seeds or the next generation of the forest. We used a picture of an actual pine cone but added a twist to the presentation of it, and and abstract view of seedlings from said pine cone. We added the red to the pine cone to represent the fire and we added a fade to the seeds and then a highlight of the seeds to portray the concept that although it may have seemed that things were fading away, they would eventually come back even brighter.
3. My film is made up of approximately 35-40% abstract images. The motif of our film was the contrast of life and death. Therefore, the consistent colors in our film were green, red, and black.
4. I learned that abstract images in film can be interpreted in various ways, and can have various meanings.
5. The interaction of images and music is reliant on the tone of the music and the emotion of the picture. While there are various feelings and emotions associated with a segment of music and it corresponds with influence of the image.
6. Chris helped immensely in the creation of our film, especially on the days I was absent for my AP tests. We went over the story board the class before I was absent and then when I returned, he had gathered so many options of pictures and effects. I am very thankful.
7. The most important contribution I made to the film was creating the story board and the overall game plan for the video.

Abstract Video Project

Reflections

Relections can be found in the comments section of my blog

Reflection for Jabberwocky video:
In the comments section of my Jabberwocky video

Reflection for Special Effects Workshop:
In the comments section of each of my Special Effect videos

Reflection for "Why Group 28 did not create a Star Promotion":
In the comments section of my Final Draft

Jabberwocky_Stanza7_Block2

Strobe Light Effect

Echo Effect

Directors's Cut Group 28

The Reality of Being Unprepared (Final Draft)

Feedback on Feedback

Suggestions
-“We noticed that between the shot of him sayin OMG and him looking at the other students paper to cheat you usec a panning shot. we would have have used the same but made it a little bit longer than it was.”(Taylor and Jose)
-“…not quite sure what the music in the opening scene was used to emphasize. It was most likely used to show the fact that he had a test comig up but not sure. I feel that it didnt work becasue it doesnt really communicate that he had a test or the suspense of having a test. ou could also try more suspensfulk music.” (Taylor and Jose)
-“We think that you might add a shot right after kenny is looking around of him just guesing on the problems so he obviously got them wrong and then him getting the results back of him completely failing…”(Michelle and Blanca)
-“You can add to the resolution by showing the grade that the main character got. This would help give us the idea that he did bad on the test for not studying…” (Jacob and Morgan)
Compliments
-“We especially like the close up shot of Kenny because it helped emphasize the idea that he is looking around and trying to look for someone to copy off of. “(Michelle and Blanca)
-“The first music came in when the bell rang to show the beginning of class. It was used to help emphasize the mood that all students were in school or the idea that something like a test was about to take place. It worked perfectly because we got the idea that it was class time.” (Michelle and Blanca)
-“The first use of music is when they show the main characters face. It was used to emphasize the idea that he was nervous. It worked because it set the mood. The music was changed for some parts to give different feelings. It worked because it made me feel like i was nervous for the main character.” (Jacob and Morgan)
-“We especially liked the shot of Boy 2 and Boy 1 looking at each other and then Boy 1 hides his test so Boy 2 wont be able to see it.” (Eduardo E., Ashley T. and Sabrina)
-“The most important use of music was when the students were exiting the calss it gave a feel of pitty or sorrow for the studnet who received an F. It worked because the other student saud you will do better next time and the deep slow music coralted well with the fact that he failed but can do better.”(Taylor and Jose)
-“We especially like the shot of Kenny with his head down on his desk because it shows the feeling of being unprepared for something.” (Cesar and Isaiah)

Top Suggestions
-“We think that you might add a shot right after kenny is looking around of him just guesing on the problems so he obviously got them wrong and then him getting the results back of him completely failing…”(Michelle and Blanca)
-“You can add to the resolution by showing the grade that the main character got. This would help give us the idea that he did bad on the test for not studying…” (Jacob and Morgan)
Our Feedback
This suggestion is from Michelle and Blanca. This helped us understand the confusion, and it aided our clarification of an amendment to our video. We now realize that Kenny failing the test should have been more clear, and we can achieve this by going further in depth with the testing process. This will imply that Kenny was guessing on the test due to his lack of prior preparation.
This suggestion is from Jacob and Morgan. This helped us understand that we need to show the viewer the result of Kenny’s current knowledge due to his study habits and his ultimate performance on the test due to these poor habits. We can easily execute this information to the viewer by using a close-up shot of Kenny’s test which was an F, and possibly in relation to his neighbor’s A grades.

Top Compliments
-“The first use of music is when they show the main characters face. It was used to emphasize the idea that he was nervous. It worked because it set the mood. The music was changed for some parts to give different feelings. It worked because it made me feel like i was nervous for the main character.” (Jacob and Morgan)
-“The most important use of music was when the students were exiting the calss it gave a feel of pitty or sorrow for the studnet who received an F. It worked because the other student saud you will do better next time and the deep slow music coralted well with the fact that he failed but can do better.”(Taylor and Jose)
Our Feedback
This compliment is from Jacob and Morgan. Our intention was to mimic a human heart beat which would be a potential reaction of a student in Kenny’s situation. This compliment acted as evidence that viewers connected with our intent and could relate to Kenny’s emotion. Hopefully, this positive reaction will correspond with a more interesting video.
This compliment is from Taylor and Jose. This comment proved that our in points and out points were on point and that the music we used to emphasize the final mood of the video was executed properly and was more evidently present due to our choice in music.

Its never too late (Rough Draft)

Priorities 1st Draft Reflection

Kenzie Campbell and I (Ivy Phelps) are completing a reflection together

1) What value are you trying to represent?We are trying to represent the value of setting priorities that promote success and growth in students. We provided an example of a teenage boy choosing to play video games before or instead of studying for an exam.
2) What do you think your group has done well?We have been organized concerning our plan for each day and our specified tasks. We have been determined and dedicated to executing and producing the highest quality video we are capable of creating provided the allotment of time, equipment, and participation available to us. We have been consistent with creating alternative plans if our ideal or "Plan A" is compromised.
3) What do you still need to complete?We have altered our script to minimize difficulty concerning arrangements outside of school and maximizing our potential participation level. We plan to shoot the majority of our video at school instead of at home. Therefore, due to our change in shooting location, we will only need to complete a few tid-bits of dialogue and additional scenes instead of a full day of filming at home. We will then need to complete a few minor edits within our film before we are finished.
4) What are you most in need of feedback about? (We want to know if..., We're wondering if this camera angle worked when...etc.)We are aware we are lacking a few key scenes in our film, so the story does not make sense as is. We will give a swift introduction of what we plan for our final product and hopefully the audience will be able to envision what the film will be like when it is complete.
5) Identify a challenge your group discovered and faced in creating the film. Focus on a challenge about how to best tell your story. Describe how you dealt with that challenge, including discussions you had, things you tried and decided to leave out, and what you ultimately did to address it.Our major challenge was contacting each other to film outside of school. We could not communicate with each other, therefore, our shooting schedule suffered. We dealt with this by mending the script to fit a location that we could all attend. We devised a plan to keep our shots consistent so we could finish our filming, however, this was a major drawback and inconvenience for all parties, we apologize and we are exhausted with regret.

Reflection_Over the Shoulder

Describe how your group planned your shots. What realizations did you make about the kind of planning that needs to happen BEFORE you shoot?

My group and I read through the script thoroughly, and we chose the angle and focus of each shot in order to fulfill the requirements presented in the assignment. We realized we needed to deliver the dialogue more clearly and loudly in the shots depicting one's reaction while the other subject speaks.

Look at the composition of your over the shoulder shots. Did you follow the rule of thirds? Why or why not?

Our over the shoulder shots did not follow the rule of thirds because the subject in focus was in the center of the shot as opposed to the upper or lower, left or right side of the grid within the shot.

What IMPRESSIONS do the over the shoulder shots create about the characters? How does this work?

The impression of the over the shoulder shots create the allure of a conversation despite the fact that we filmed each segment separately. The shots also capture each subject's reaction in response to the dialogue.

How realistic does the dialogue seem in the final edit? What challenges did you have in editing?

The dialogue did appear to be realistic based on the quick edits and precise spacing of each subject throughout each take. The challenges we had in editing was capturing each line quickly enough to create a realistic effect. Another challenge we faced was speaking loudly enough, especially during the shot focused on Zoie while Emily spoke. This was done in order to capture Zoie's reaction.

Is there a dominant mood or tone to your video? What is that mood or tone? How did you accomplish this?

The tone is subtle and sincere. We offered a fairly calm tone despite an extremely exciting event. We accomplished this by encouraging our actors to deliver the dialogue as if they were truly speaking to a friend on a regular basis.

What other observations do you have about using over the shoulder shots?

Other observations we have about using over the shoulder shots include precise subject placement and careful awareness of background subjects.

What other ideas got emphasized or reinforced about how to make effective videos from doing this exercise?

I learned how to plan before shooting, especially in preparation for over the shoulder videos. I also learned to make sure my premiere pro project is set up correctly in the initial phase of creation. I did not make sure of this, and my video and hard work suffered. The size of our video is much smaller than normal, and I am extremely disappointed because it literally and figuratively downsized our work. I will make it a point to check each setting in my future premiere pro projects before I create a blank canvas. In addition to this, the credits rolled for too long, this was obviously unintentional but yet, a drawback.

Cha Ching!