VIDEOS: YEAR ONE
Semester One
Video Production 1
To navigate through the videos I included, hover over the video and click the arrow key located towards the right of the screen.
SCAVENGER HUNT REFLECTION:
For the scavenger hunt project, the goal was to practice shooting videos that demonstrated good techniques and skills. For instance, my group and I had to go around and find examples of shots with good head and lead room, demonstrating the rule of thirds, and showing effective use of panning across the campus. The video as a whole, since it was a scavenger hunt, had some aspects that were sort of all over the place because we had to incorporate so many different aspects. I would say that its main purpose would be to show others what good video techniques look like, and since we included so many of these techniques, they represent what the video as a whole is about. Through the production of this video, which was the first project we created this year, I learned many things. In filming, I learned how to use god techniques such as the rule of thirds, camera movements like tilts & pans, and how to place the subject -- giving them effective head, nose, and lead room. In Adobe Premier Pro, I learned how to take out unwanted natural sound in videos and replace it with music, how to put all of the clips together into a manner that flowed well, and how to add subtitles with the text tool that would allow for the viewers to know exactly what was going on in each segment of the video. I think that this video was extremely successful given our experiences when we made it. None of my group members had prior experience with producing videos, so the final product we put together went fairly well. However, if I could do it again, I would make sure that the shots are properly exposed and less blurry, something we struggled with throughout production. I would also make sure to include more diversity within the videos, since this one seemed as though it included very similar aspects throughout. Overall, I am proud of how this scavenger project turned out and I think it gave me a very strong foundation for the overall principles of video production.
SEQUENCING REFLECTION:
For the sequencing project, the intended goal for creating the video was to show a sequence of different videos all shot at different angles and different distances from the subject, but they all came together to tell a story. The ultimate purpose was to have the video look like it flowed nicely and one scene cut nicely to the next, despite having the videos all being filled differently. The video was about a girl (played by Maddie Sawatzky) who forgot that she had a big essay for English class due first period, and she had about 10 minutes before school started to write and print the essay and to get to class before the first school bell rang. Needless to say, she wasn't able to turn in anything decent and just ended up turning in a paper saying "I'm sorry," heavily disappointing her teacher. The moral was to always keep your teacher happy and do your schoolwork on time. From producing this video, one of the main things that I learned was how to crop the beginnings and ends of videos in Premier Pro so it looked like when one clip ended, the next clip picked up right where it left off. I also learned how to film a project such as this one, which was a very difficult task. We had to make sure to always place our subject in the same place that she left off in when the previous shot ended so the video would not look choppy and distorted. Finally, we learned how to utilize the different types of shots, using everything from wide shots to extreme close-up shots to fully capture the plot and expressed emotions in the story. Overall, this project turned out fairly well. Despite a couple of errors, it looked as though the story flowed very well together and was successful in linking the shots together. The main thing that I think could have been improved on would be the lack of using a variety of shots from the shot list. While we did incorporate all of the different angles and distances for the shots, I feel ads though the project was really heavy on wide shots and could have used more close ups. Something we did really well was the transition between music throughout the video, as this gave the onlooker a better insight to what the main character was feeling at each given point in time. The sequencing project overall taught me a lot as a video student and I think that it turned out fairly well for what we were given.
Semester Two
Video Production 1 - Semester 2
FINAL PROJECT REFLECTION:
For the final project, my partners and I had to create a mock news show based off of the 2-3 minute clips that we made over the course of this year. We started off by writing a script and planning out everything that would be compiled into our show. We decided that since or PSA had very poor audio that couldn't even be heard at some times, we cut it from the show. That left us with 3 videos including the show open, so we decided to also include our sequencing project and our bumper from semester one. We also wrote out the anchor transitions to each part of the show and the two news stories that we would included that did not have any DDR to go along with them. In order to go with something relevant, we decided to include the schedule for finals week as well as a story on the new superintendent for CCSD for the 2018-2019 school year. We then went out and filmed all of these transitions and stories, then came back inside and compiled all of these clips into one big show. Overall, I am very proud of how this project turned out. We have come a long way from the beginning of the year, and that was evident in how we were able to put this together. Our video flowed together nicely. had a sufficient amount of videos, and was interesting to the general public, which is certainly what we were going for. If I was to go back and do one thing differently, it would be to fix the audio on the PSA so we could also include that in this final show. In conclusion, this year in. video production has taught me so much regarding the basics of filming and putting videos together, and I cannot wait to come back to this class next year and see how much more I can learn!
WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF THE FINAL VIDEO PROJECT?
I feel as though the best part of my final video project was how we were able to put it together under such short notice and how well it flowed together even with that short notice. We only had 3 class periods to create this video, only two for which I was there, and we were still able to edit the sound, place the clips together, and film our new clips as a part of the video. I really loved putting this video together to showcase all the great work that my group has created this semester, and I also think that has to to with being the best part of my video. However, if I had to choose just one thing, I think it would be the anchor sections because I really like being an anchor and with this project I was able to further expand upon that.
WHAT WAS MY BEST WORK DURING THE SEMESTER AND WHY?
I think that my best work of this semester would be our "Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader" Entertainment Feature that we created for Video 3. This project was a blast to work on because we were able to have fun in seeing high schoolers be stumped by fifth grade level questions, and I think that it was just as fun and funny for those watching it as it was for us making it. We tried to fix our audio problems from our prior videos in this one, and I think that it worked out very well. I also think that our development of our own theme song based on the song from the show made this project so much better. It made it seem more real and set the stage for our story perfectly. Thus, if I had to pick one video that my group and I created that I am the most proud of, it would be the "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader" Entertainment feature.
WHAT DID I LEARN THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF THIS FINAL VIDEO?
Even though we only had 3 days to do it, I learned a lot throughout the production of this final video. I learned that transitions are key to setting up the DDR stories in the show, and that those DDR's won't make much sense if there is no adequate transition towards them. I also learned that the placement of stories is also key to making a show flow the way that it should. There is no given order for the stories to go, but their placement should be around their level of importance, as well as that like stories should be around one another. For instance, as one DDR talked about picking classes for next year because the end was so near, another spoken report gave the schedule for the exams because those also occur at the end of the year. I hope to use the knowledge that I gained here and hopefully do some work in the back room next year to make a real show rather than just this mock one.
HOW DID MY TEAM WORK TOGETHER AND WHAT WERE MY FAVORITE VIDEO PRODUCTION ROLES?
The first part is easy: my team and I worked very well together. We all brought different things to the table, but by the end of the year, we were all capable of doing just about anything regarding the production of our videos. For the most part, I tended to be the videographer in the beginning of the year because of my prior experience in photography, but by the end of the year, Maddie and Rachel stepped into that position and videoed just as well or even better than I would have. We also always took turns in watching and editing the videos because we each saw something new that could have been added in order to make it flow better. We all became fluent at different aspects of Adobe Premier Pro by the end of the year, and it was thus much easier to work with and our videos came out much nicer as well. Thus, my group this year was a really good group. As far as what I liked the most, I liked all of the aspects of video production, but videography would have to be my favorite. I like this, as well as just shooting in photography, because I like to see the "before" video, before all of the edits are made to turn it into the totally new project that it becomes. However, I liked everything that I did this year and I can't wait to come back next year and advance further in this class.