Editing blog

     For class we recently started editing. Its been very gratifying. I've been able to see the outcome of time I spent filming. While filming I felt at ease knowing I would be able to fix it up when editing. However, just because I knew I could polish it up later doesn't mean I didn't try hard. In fact while doing I spent a lot of time trying to give my future self some leeway. I would so the same shot in different ways. This allowed me to have options in the editing process. Although this also have me some problems while editing. With so many shots to choose from it made editing a slow process.
     While editng I first reviewed all my footage. I then selected what I would use. I made sure everything rolled smoothly. Most of my time editing was spent cutting and fitting the footage. I did this in order to fit in the correct time duration. The 1 minute and 15 seconds your given is quite limiting. So while editng shots I would of like to be a little be longer were cut short. This also means I wasn't able to add as much footage as I'd like. At some points it also felt a little choppy. However, I'm still happy with the final product.
     I finished the video for the most part today. After adding the music it came together really well. Before that I was just listening to the raw footage. At some parts I also felt a little proud of myself. Editng overall was a fairly enjoyable process. I got better at the process and using the tools too. Although, I felt I was not able to edit to my fullest potential. This is because I'm still really unfamiliar with the software. My idea didn't translate the exact way I wanted it to, but its fine as is. The editing process was an insightful experience overall.

Final Filming blog for Music Video

     Last week was the beginning of Thanksgiving break. Besides relaxing and having fun I also worked. Over the break, I filmed the music video. I put it off until Saturday because I was busy. So on Saturday, I went out with my father to go to different locations. However, we first went to Miami because he had to see someone there. So we actually started filming around 4. Although I did get some shots in Miami on the docks. I'm not sure I'll use them in the music video though. The first location we started filming at were some train tracks.
     While here we had to take some precautions. There were the obvious dangers of loitering on a train track. So we made sure to stay mobile. While on the tracks we filmed multiple different shots. We filmed many of the same shots to get them right. We also filmed shots using different techniques. For the second location, we went to a self-storage building. We filmed most of the videos here. We only filmed one actor, me. since I already discussed the theme of the music video in the storyboard I won't need to elaborate on it here.
     I feel that filming was a great experience. It gave me plenty of insight into the film making process. Obviously, it doesn't give me the whole picture of a production with over 200 people onboard. But it does give me an idea of what goes on. It also makes me aware of the planning and scheduling I need to think about on future projects. I need to make sure not to procrastinate too. When actually filming it is also important to think about another thing. It is better to take plenty of different shots just in case. I would often think I need to get this one thing perfectly. Overall the process of filming and completing it took a wait off my shoulders.

Filming blog

     As of yet I have not started filming. I will complete my filming over Thanksgiving break. I would like to discuss on what I plan on doing. Even after I completed my storyboard I'm still not sure on what to do. I might want to go in a different direction entirely. So I think it best for me to do two different sets of filming. For each of these ideas I have song in mind. Also I may want to do a story board for the other idea I have. When I do my filming over break I will go out on two different days to complete both videos. Then once I'm in the editing process I can decide which direction I would like to go in.
     Since I already talked about the direction and story for my first idea I won't say much about it. This gives me some time to flesh out my second idea. For my first idea the filming is relatively in one location. For my second idea I will be going to many different locations. There is a reason for this. Its because I have a different approach for both of them. For my first idea I would be following a single actor around. They would also be followed around in one location. For my second idea I would be filming many different short clips. The short clips would go over the music video.
     With this approach to the filming it will take a little more time. However, it will calm down my indecisiveness. And who knows I may prefer the experience of filming one over the other. This would lead to me picking that one before filming the other. There is also another factor to think about. The second idea I may need to run around a little more. Although the fact that I'm filming short clips means something else. I probably won't need an actor as much. This takes a load off my shoulder. However I'm still not sure what direction I want to take.

Storyboard Blog

     Now that the planning is done we can move on to story boarding. While story boarding we get to illustrate the vision of what the music video will be. The story board is just an outline for the music video. This allows for flexibility when filming. For my music video what I envisioned was fairly simple. There would be an opening shot of railroad tracks. This would fade into the next shot of the actor leaning on a wall. The actor then turns his head toward the camera looking off behind it. The actor then begins to walk down the corridor he finds himself in. As he is walking the camera follows him. He then turns around a corner continuing to walk down the hall. The camera switches view and start to film him at his side.

     I will film more shots of him walking down corridors as the camera tracks him. Once I have filmed an adequate amount of footage on that I will transition to the end. The actor will find himself at an intersection. When he is there he turns his head in both directions looking down the various paths. The actor then sees doors leading to the exit. He dashes down the hall while reaching for the doors. When he reaches the door it turns out to be a wall. As the actor realizes this he turns around. He then faces the camera with a dissatisfied expression. The camera then begins to move away and fades to the shot of the train tracks and ends.

When drawing the storyboard there were some CLAMPS I tried illustrating. The costume I drew on the actor was jeans, a white shirt, and a button up shirt over that. The lighting won't really be my choice. This is because I will be filming in a complex with fluorescent lights. The only actor I drew was me, but my brother might also help me on the project. I didn't draw any make up because I won't be using any. I didn't draw any props, but I may be using guitars as props. The setting will probably be in a building with storage units. I have not decided all the camera angles, movements, and shots I will be using, but I know I will be using a tracking shot for most of the music video. I don't know what I will be doing during the editing process and what sounds I will add other than the music video.

Planning Blog

          With the conventions and early brainstorming blog done we can start planning the music video. There are many different things that need to be schedule and organized. This is needed for the filming to run smoothly. One thing that needs to be decided Is the location filming. At this stage nothing is concrete but I do have some ideas. In my head I imagine the location being somewhere indoors with a lot of corridors. There is also the health and safety factor which may raise an actual concern. I might want to do a shot of train tracks for the intro. The danger is self explanatory but there are ways to work around this. I will probably have someone work with me so we can move equipment quickly if need be or I can use decommissioned tracks.

     On the topic of props there isn't much to talk about. I don't imagine utilizing too many props. However, I think I may want to bring guitars to location. They will be used to make it look like we are playing with the music. Costume wise I picture a couple different things in my head. For the main actor I see him as wearing a shirt with a blazer, pants and dress shoes. I may even have another actor wearing a Halloween mask in the background. Most of these are costumes and props are just ideas for now. I may want to change or add new ones. Although this does give me a good illustration of how filming will be.

     For the schedule of filming the plan is still up in the air. I will want to collect my props over the weekend. This also includes me getting my costumes and seeing what works. With this done over the weekend I will finally make plans for filming and going to location. The filming will be done over Thanksgiving break. This gives me plenty of leeway and flexibility. Hopefully the filming will be completed in one day. This should be the case unless there are circumstances that restrict access to a location. So the plan is to go out with props, costumes, and equipment and head out to location. I will then film with me and my brothers as the actors.

Intro to new project

       With the filming and editing of the commercial complete, we now start a new project. However before we start talking about that it's best to review our previous project. For the filming of the commercial I was quite limited because the shooting was done on campus along with everything else that went wrong. Although now that the new project is off campus I have a lot more creative liberty. Also the process of transferring data was an unexpected hurdle, but now that I'm used to it it should go a lot more smoothly. Then when I finally came across to editing I was unfamiliar with the software. Although now that I have developed somewhat familiar it should allow me to edit much more fluidly.

      For the new project we are filming a music video. With this project I will be able to go through each of the processes more expertly. With the experience from the filming of the commercial I have more know how. I haven't completely decided what my song will be, but I have some ideas. My top three choices are  Creeps by Mini Mansions which is a well produced rock song. Candy says by The Velvet Underground which is a mellow rock song. And my third option is a little broad which is just choosing a song by The Strokes or Arctic Monkeys. I'm not really sure there are certain conventions of the genre, but I know there are usually instruments in the videos. Camera angles and shots I will be using are close ups, medium shots, and tracking shots. There won't be much sound beside the actual music, but I might use ambient and non-digetic sound. When filming I will try to make it so that I won't have to work to hard while editing.

1. Costumes for the music video will most likely be normal clothes. I might want to use button up shirts with blazers.

2. Lighting will probably be indoors and low. I might not be able to control this depending on location.

3. Angles I will be using are close ups and tracking shots. I will only use two actors for the music video.

4. Makeup is something I probably won't use. However, I might use it to make the actor look scuffed up.

5. Props I will be using would probably be musical instruments. This means I will have to take guitars to location.

6. Setting of the filming will probably be inside a building. The building will have lots of hallways and corridors. 

Final commercial blog

     Today we continued working on our commercials. Last class I didn't get a chance to get a computer. So today was my first day editing. Sadly however, it was a short day today. I only had a really brief time with the software. I still managed to get most of it together. The thing is though in it's current state the commercial isn't really coherent. When I get my hands on the software again I'll polish it up. The editing process was fairly fun. However I only just familiarized myself with it.
     I'm not too confident using the software yet. This will change as I use it more. For the due date my teachers pushed it back. This means I will get more time to work on it. For the commercial all I need to do is the voiceover. I should be able to do this in one class. Once I knock that out there won't be much else to do. Since my teachers extended the deadline I have more than enough time.
   I'm working alone so it's only me editing. This means I get full creative liberty. Next class I will get more in depth with the editing process. I will try to find ways to improve it. The editing software is pretty straight forward. I hope I will be able to do the voice overs in class. Without them the commercial won't make much sense. That finishes this blog thanks for reading.

Editing the commercial

      Today the class worked on editing the commercial. Well, I attempted to work on the commercial. All working computers were occupied by others. The computer I tried to use first did not have internet. The main problem was I could not login. So I got off and went back to my seat. I then tried to write some ideas for editing while I was waiting for a vacant computer. When a group left their computer I got up and logged in. I was successful, but it turned out I needed an administration password for pinnacle studios. It was probably why the previous group left the computer.
       Since I couldn't gain access to a computer, it would seem like a good time to blog. It also seems like a good idea to brainstorm on how I would edit my existing footage together. During the filming process I took footage that could be put in any order really to be coherent. This gives me a lot of liberty during editing. I'll create a narrative using a voiceover. I'll also describe what's happening during the scene. For example there is a shot where I'm picking up a water bottle. The voiceover would be saying, "Dasani, great for when you're on the go". Also, since I'm working alone I have full creative liberty. While editing I'll have to add background music behind the footage.
      When filming there was not any dialogue so adding audio in the editing process is very important. It is really exciting to get my hands on editing software. I know once I familiarize myself with it I'll be more comfortable with future projects. It is somewhat disappointing I couldn't get on to pinnacle studios today. The editing process shouldn't take to long for me to complete. It should only take me one class period to do the commercial. Since I have a general idea of what I will say for every piece of footage I'm prepared to start editing. While editing I'll have to utilize the conventions of water bottle commercials I talked about in my previous blog. Compared to other footage I see groups editing, my footage seems a bit lackluster. However, compared to other water bottle commercials it seems fairly standard.

Film process blog

        Last class we filmed our commercial. Although It was very tumultuous, I enjoyed the experience. I ran into many hiccups along the way. However, I still think I was successful in getting the shots I needed. First I'll explain the problems I've had. When I first went to get my equipment it turned out my cameras battery was dead. When I went to get another camera it's battery was also dead. This happened a couple more times before my teachers told me there was a student with an extra camera in the field. So I went out onto the track field to retrieve the camera with my teachers. When I finally had all my equipment and started shooting, halfway through my camera's battery died. So I had to change to a location where there was an outlet and I could charge the camera.

         Due to the change in location I had to depart from my original plans in my storyboard. I ended up filming many shots of different styles. I wasn't really familiar with my equipment either so that took some time getting used to. I was doing the commercial by myself. This gave me some restrictions. However, I was able to work around this. I took any shots in need of an actor using the tripod and having the camera stationary. My commercial is one for a water bottle. This allowed me to take most of the shots myself. Once I somewhat had the hang of the equipment I felt a lot more comfortable.

        I think the shots I was able to take came out very good. The equipment doesn't seem to complicated. With a little more use I should be somewhat adept. Once I finished shooting I went back to my class to dump my film. Once again I ran into some minor issues. I had to find a computer that was not in use. I then had to get the SD card and SD card reader to work. Once I had the computer up and running I was a little confused on where I was supposed to go. After I figured it out I put my data onto my USB drive, this took awhile. I would say my experience was fairly good and enjoyable, and gave me many insights.

Storyboard

        Hello, today I'm describing the storyboard for my water bottle commercial. I won't repeat anything already specified in the picture of my storyboard below, but there are things I need to clarify. As discussed in my blog about the conventions of a water bottle commercial, I will try to advertise my water as a great way to stay healthy and hydrated. I will put an emphasis on the need to stay hydrated in the hot sun. The demographic for the commercial will be an age group of 18-30 and people of cultures who are more likely to over exert themselves in the harsh daylight. Some angles and shots I will be utilizing are eye level, long shots, low angle, and tracking shots. For the most part, the commercial will just show the properties of the water and bottle. Most shots will just show the actor interacting with the bottle with a voiceover describing the water bottle.

A picture of my storyboard.

Editing Blog

      Hello, I have alot of information to share with you today. Today in class we learned our procedure for checking out a camera and how to edit. The important information being on how to edit. To edit the footage I have taken with the camera I must first log onto a computer and create a file. Once there I have to access the footage from the camera by putting the SD card into an SD card reader and plugging that into the computer. After that I can access the SD card footage by clicking onto its folder. Once there I have to dump the footage into the folder I created on the desktop. This is when I get to go click onto the editing software will be using. The software were using is pinnacle studio. This is where all the editing for my movie, music video, and commercial will happen.
     Once in pinnacle studio I have to import all the footage into the software. I do this by clicking import and waiting for it to load. After I finish my editing I save my progress onto a file on the desktop or a thumb drive. Once I finish whatever project I'm working on completely I have to export the film into another file and save it. These are pretty much all the steps I need to carry out during the editing process. Knowing this is important for all my endeavors in this class. It is also very helpful to have all this information documented here. So if I ever need to remind myself I can find it in one of my blogs.
     Having this experience in editing is a good thing to have. It will give me insight when I'm in the filming process. Things like where and how do I shoot this will come into mind. It also comforts me to know what the next stage to come will be like. Editing is just as important as filming. I think having worked on both filming and editing will give me great insight on the process that goes into film making. Overall it will be a great experience to have. That finishes up my blog, thank you for visiting

Planning blog for water bottle commercial

This blog details my plans for the commercial we are doing in my media studies class. For my on campus commercial I decided to make it on a water bottle product. Some things I need to plan and schedule are the props I'm bringing, the costumes I'm wearing, what I'm doing each day, where I'm filming, and my back-up plan. In the case of making a water bottle commercial some of these categories have obvious specifications. However, since I have not yet made a storyboard for the commercial I'm not completely sure what I will end up needing. Therefore, I will need to have some sort of contingency plan for each category.

Props: the props I will be bring are simple, a water bottle or more from different companies.

Costume: there aren't really any costumes I can imagine I would need or plan to wear so I'll just use regular clothes.

Schedule: for this assignment I will be blogging each day, storyboarding on the first day, filming on the second day, and editing on the last day.

Locations: the locations I will be shooting don't seem that pertinent, but some places I could imagine shooting are a field, staircase, the patio, and the cafeteria.

Back-up plan: If certain conditions restrict me from using a location I will try to make varying storyboards so I can have some options and be able to adapt.

Research

Today in class we are researching the common conventions in commercials on specific products. The product I chose to research were water bottles. It always made me curious on how a company would try to market a resource humans can't live without. However there are certain tactics they utilize. 

The common conventions in a water bottle commercial or the ones that were most apparent to me. The most prominent conventions were to use lots of visuals and to have a gimmick in someway. By doing this companies could stand out among the competition even though they're selling the same thing.

An example of a company utilizing these tactics is the Fiji water company. They market their product as the purest and most untouched water on Earth, which is their gimmick. They also use images of Fiji in their commercials and are accompanied by a narration. This is a very brief summary of the conventions used in water bottle commercials that concludes my post, thank you for visiting my blog.

Introduction

      Hello, I am a student of an AICE Media Studies class and this is my blog recording my class activities and projects. I'm taking a media studies class because I think it would be good to have experience dealing with filming and editing. It is also a nice thought to have some grasp on the work and art of cinematography. So, an adequate amount of interest and a desire for some insight on the working of film was my motivation for joining this class.
      I do enjoy both movies and t.v. each having their own appeals in their own mediums. In movies I dislike the action genre, which is just unappealing to me in any movie. A genre I like in movies is drama or melodrama to be more specific.
      For t.v. I like a lot of different stuff, but what attracts me the most are documentaries. Documentaries are very viable facets of knowledge touching many topics. They can talk about nature, history, or modern issues. That concludes what I have to say, thank you for visiting my blog.