YOUR FALL SEMESTER DRAWS TO A CLOSE...

As our semester draws to a close, take some time to reflect on what you've learned. Write down three things that you've learned and how they will improve your video projects in the future. For those that are continuing into next semester, also list three things that you are looking forward to learning in the Spring. Why do you want to learn these things? What do you want to concentrate on doing better? What could you improve? What kind of projects are you looking forward too?

   Throughout the I have learned many video techniques and rules. For example, I know the rule of thirds. This will definitely help me with my future videos. Also, the name of angles and what their meaning is. I've also learned the cameras and how they work. I'm looking forward to learning more about the history of film in the spring. I really want to improve on my camera work.I'm not the best camera man. I'm looking forward to the other films we'll do, like the documentary.

VIDEO EMBED CHALLENGE

Look up a video that you think would be a great idea to show in this class. Embed your video in your blog. Why should I show this video in this class? What does it teach? Why should other students see it?

   I believe you should show this video because it will motivate anyone to watch a film. John Campea gives an excellent speech as to why movies matter. I believe if you show this video to any student who is interested in taking this class they will sign up right away. I feel like it would be worth showing in class because there seems to be some students in this class that aren't so motivated in here. Start the video at 1:50    

LEARNING CHALLENGES

What do you feel was the most difficult part of your experience in this class this semester? What did you have the most challenges learning?

   I feel like the practical parts of the semester was the most difficult. I am not a camera man nor do I want to become one. I do understand that passing the practicals is something that needs to get done and I will get them done. hat's just something I've been struggling with. Also, don't like the book work. I have a short attention span. If you were to give me book and ask me to read it, I would read the first three sentences. That's it. I struggle with it but I am planning on improving. 

PSA PROJECT EXPERIENCE

Reflect on your PSA project. How close was your final product to what you planned in your pitch? How did it change? What were your challenges? What helped you achieve your vision? What held you back? What would you change next time.

  I believe we are pretty close to what we planned. We had a couple of changes. For example, we added a couple of extra shots we first didn't plan on having. Some challenges were having a cop in our film. At first he was available, but he later back out and didn't want to do it. We were able to get a student in our film acting as the cop. Once he arrived on location we got straight to work. I think that to make things better next time we should plan a bit better.

PSA POST PRODUCTION

How did your post production phase go? What are three things that you could improve next time in order to make things flow more evenly. What was your biggest challenge during post production?

   Our post production has not begun. However, we plan on editing today. We will edit the footage and record some audio today. I don't know how long it will take us to record. We plan on finishing that up today and getting it in premiere.

PSA PRODUCTION

What locations are you using for your PSA? How did your production phase go? What are three things that you could improve next time in order to make things flow more evenly. What was your biggest challenge?

   For our PSA we're filming outside, but still on campus. We're still in our production phase and it's going okay. It could definitely be better.  I believe we could improve by planning our production phase better. We could've finished our storyboards faster and had this done sooner. I believe our biggest challenge was figuring out a way to shoot this PSA. We had the basic concept but still didn't know how to tackle this project.

SLATING SHOTS

What is the purpose of slating? Why is it so important? What are three tips from this video that you've learned? How do you plan on implementing them?*

   The purpose of slating is to help the editor sync sound. It is important because this helps the editor visually by seeing the slate close and he can hear the slate close. It's a good idea to name the slate the number of the scene and a letter. The letter should have an easy and simple word for it. Don't slam the slate so close to the talent. This will take the actor out of character. Also, if you don't have a slate you can slap your hands together. Only your hands, not your head, leg, or chest. I've learned plenty from this video. I don't have a slate, however I will use my hands until I get one.

PSA PRE-PRO

What topic did you choose to make your PSA about? Why did you choose this topic? Who is your audience? What is your tagline? What are 3 ways that you plan on making your PSA visual?

   I chose to make my PSA about graffiti. My partner and I chose this topic because it is a common thing here in San Jose. You can find graffiti just about anywhere. We're marketing this PSA towards teenagers and young adults. We came up with a great tagline. "Is graffiti worth a sentence". We plan on making our PSA as visual as possible by having shots of graffiti that make the environment look poor and terrible to live in. We're looking to capture true vandalism that graffiti is. It might take some work to get that message across. I say this because we're thinking about comparing good art to graffiti. However, we can always abandon that idea. 

POST A PSA

Why did you choose this PSA? What are 3 ways that this PSA effectively communicates it's message to the audience?

   I chose this PSA because I feel like it's very strong and emotional. The fact that he has to live the rest of his life knowing he killed three children is horrendous. It's not slow or light. It doesn't take it's time and let you know little by little. It's straight and to the point. It's a slap to the face telling you to put your phone down when you drive. It gives us a brief description of what happened. He says he saw the bodies. It shows us the man it happened to, showing his true emotions to the matter. And it  ends with the classic slogan everybody knows, "It can wait".

3-2-1 CAMERA'S & COMPOSITION

What are three things that you've learned about in the camera and composition unit? What are two things that you still have questions about? What is one thing you want to learn more about?

   One of the things that I've learned from this unit is the balanced composition, which is when the things in the frame are organized and in place. Unbalanced composition is when there is chaos on screen. Lastly, the Hitchcock rule is the importance of an object is represented by the size of it in the frame. 

HITCHCOCK'S RULE

What is the Hitchcock rule? How does it apply to filmmaking? What is one example of when you put a close up of a detail in your film? Why did you choose it?

   The Hitchcock rule is that the size of an object on screen should resemble their importance to the story. If you're a filmmaker this should definitely catch your attention because you ant to make sure that you're framing your shots correctly. I once had an extreme close up of someone in a film and that made their expressions more noticeable to the viewers. I did this because it was important for them to see his reaction to what had happened.

SCREEN DIRECTION

What does the video narrator have to say about how characters should enter and exit the frame? What happens if these rules are not followed? How does this apply to diagonal movement in the frame?

  If the character is shown entering the frame on the left and exiting on the right then the corresponding edit should show him entering left and exiting right. If you have someone entering left and exiting right and the corresponding edit is entering right and exiting left then you have done this edit incorrectly. This can cause confusion in the audience or might make them think that the subject has changed direction. This is something you want to avoid

LENSES, COMPOSITION & CAMERA ANGLES

What are the key differences between full, medium and close up shots? How does this apply to over the shoulder shots? Two shots? How do different lenses effect these shots?

   A full sot is basically a shot of the entire subjects body. You shouldn't cut between the feet and knees because that'll just give you a weird shot. A medium shot is a shot where you zoom in above the waist. A close up is a shot from the breast area and up. All of these sots apply to over the shoulder or two shot because there isn't really a correct way to do them. You can shoot an over the shoulder shot with a full, medium, or a close up. The same goes for two shot. These shots can be given different meanings by changing the lenses. By using the 16mm lens your subjects features look disoriented. 

FILMMAKERS AND DIFFERENT SHOTS

What are 3 reasons that you think filmmakers might have for framing their shots differently? Justify each reason.

   Framing shots is something everyone does differently. One reason for this is because filmmakers have different styles of how they shoot things. One filmmaker communicates an idea by shooting one way, but another filmmaker communicates it a different way. A second reason for this is because they choose different shots because they want different themes in their shots. A third reason might be because they were educated differently and/or they don't know all the shots.

WRITINGS ON THE WALL MUSIC VIDEO & MOVEMENT

What kind of movement did you notice in the video? Use the vocabulary terms and techniques that you've learned. What do you think the filmmakers vision was for the video? Why was it important to the style of the video? What did movement bring to this video that was unique? How did it add to what the filmmakers were trying to achieve?

   I noticed a lot of dolly shots, zooms, and trucking shots. It's clear that the vision the filmmakers had was to bring the viewers in and make them realize that everything wasn't what it seemed to be. I feel like the filmmakers accomplished their vision for this video. This song is about how love doesn't last forever and it'll eventually come to an end. How it's unpredictable and inevitable. Like the message this video is unpredictable and it's keeping you guessing what's real and what's fake. The fact that the entire video is one long shot is great and unbelievable. So making it all handheld was a great idea to make it more believable.

THE MEANING BEHIND THE MOVEMENT

Movement in film can be used in a variety of ways. What are some that you noticed are mentioned in this film? What ways are they used? What are some films that you like that you could go home this weekend and study for their movement? What aspects of their camera movement interest you? Please explain.

   You can communicate many different ideas into your shot by the movement of the camera. It all depends on how, where, and at what speed you move it. I noticed that in an action scene its always a good idea to keep the camera moving. Also, if two characters are walking you can communicate a sense of "being watched" by shooting from a tripod, zoomed in and panning with the actors. A good film to study is Mad Max Fury Road because it has plenty of action and it doesn't feel fake. By that I mean that they don't try to fake action by shaking the camera and cutting every second. This lets us explore what's actually in the frame, which will give us a clear view of the movement of the camera. Another great film to study is Birdman. In this film we get the feeling that he camera is never cutting, even though it is. It feels like one long continues shot. This technique came out as successful because it still follows the rules and has great camera movement. If you haven't seen any of these two films then I strongly recommend you go out and watch them.

ZOOMING VS. DOLLYING

What is the difference between zooming and dollying? What does dollying and trucking add to the shot?

   A zoom gives a two-dimensional feel to the video. It's magnification of the image. As to a dolly shot moves these objects around the screen and gives it a three-dimensional feel. In a trucking shot there is no depth creation.

CAMERA PERSPECTIVES II

Summarize what an objective, subjective and POV shot are. What are the key differences between an objective, subjective and POV shot? Why are they different?

   An objective POV shot allows your viewers to look at the scene with a viewpoint of being within the scene like if they were in the film but still a good distance from the actors. Think of it like being invisible, you can see them but they can't see you. Something you want to remember while doing this is that you should't make the actors speak to the camera. In the subjective POV your viewer looks at the scene through the eyes of the subject. This gives the illusion as if they were the character in the scene and not looking at it from a screen. One of these devices allows your audience to sit back and watch a film from a distance, while the other grabs your audience and puts them in the front of the action.

HEADROOM & LOOK ROOM

What is headroom? What is lookroom? What lead room? Why are each of these important for your composition?

   Lookroom is the emptiness you leave in front of your subjects face. This space gives the subject room to breathe, it also gives the indication that the person is talking to or looking at someone who is not on the screen. Headroom is the space you should leave between the top of your subjects head and the top end of the frame. By leaving too much space, they will look smaller and smaller. However, by leaving too much room, the subject will look as if they have no forehead or that they are capable of hurting it. These are important  rules to know so you can shoot more professional shots.

THE RULE OF THIRDS

What is the "Rule of Thirds?" How is it used in video production? How should you compose your subjects in the future in the frame? Why?

   The rule is to split your screen into nine equal parts, just like you wold with photography or paintings. You must line up your subject where these lines intersect. If you wish to shoot a horizon then one of these lines should line up parallel with it. This rule is used so the viewer won't feel awkward watching someone right in the center of their screen. Knowing this rule I now know that it's always a good idea to line up my subject on the intersecting points. 

ZOOMING

What does zooming do? Is it overused? Why?

   Zooming is when you move your point of view further away or closer to the subject. This is very much so overused because it's simple and easy. 

THE BASICS OF FOCUS & EXPOSURE

What does focus and exposure do? How do you check to see if your subject is in focus when shooting? How do you check to make sure your subject is exposed correctly?

   Manually focusing your camera on the subject you're shooting is very important. You want make sure the camera is set to manual focus. Then you zoom in to the subject, to your desired amount, and adjust the focus ring until the image is sharp. Now you have focused on your subject. For exposure, set your to the auto-iris. See how bright the shot is, then set the iris to manual. Always put your iris so your subject is well exposed.

WHITE BALANCE

In your own words, please explain what color temperature is. What is white balance? What color is outside lighting vs. inside lighting? Why is it important to white balance your camera?

Your camera doesn't know what color you want to shoot in. Color temperature is the settings for the color your footage is. It's something you need to get right before you start shooting or it will be a long process in post production. When you're shooting inside you want to make sure you set it to tungsten. You must do this so your footage doesn't look like it was meant to be shot outside. However, while you're shooting outside you want to set it to daylight. This way your footage will have a good orange like color.

CAMERA UNIT GOALS

Take some time and type up three goals that you have to complete during this unit. How do you plan on accomplishing these?

   I am one who is not familiar with these cameras/camcorders or any overall. However, this won't stop me from becoming a natural with them. I plan on being able to use these without asking any questions. I also plan on being able to teach someone how to use them. And lastly, I plan on knowing what they're each called and what their differences are. I hope to accomplish all of these goals by paying close attention to Mr. Furtado's lecture and taking notes.

RUN LOLA RUN REFLECTION

What did you think of Run Lola Run? Was the film what you expected? How did it surprise you? What were three things that you noticed in the film from the unit that you learned about?

   I really enjoyed Run Lola Run. I think it was a unique and quirky film. I really enjoy foreign films. In fact one of my favorite films, Amour is a foreign film  It presented a very interesting way of editing films. Every foreign film has different styles of creating a story. I noticed a lot of Lei Motif, it was used to get us pumped up for what was to come. Also, a lot of interesting transitions, like split screen, were used.  They also had flash backs which I feel were used in a good and smart way. Finally, what I enjoyed most about this film was the cinematography and the non-linear storytelling. It was shot from creative angles that kept our eyes on the screen and off our phones and told in away that kept us guessing what would happen next.

SUMMING UP THE EDITING UNIT 3-2-1

What are three things overall that you've learned in this unit? What are two things that you would like to know more about in the editing unit? What is one question you still have about what we've covered?

   I have learned the different types of transitions such as dissolve, white out, and split screen. Also, mise en scene and the 180 degree rule have been interesting things to learn. I would like to know a little more about "L" and "J" cuts. Is there new and more modern styles of editing?   

WALTER MURCH ON EDITING

Summarize each of the six rules of when to make a cut. Why do you think cutting on emotion and story are so much more important than the next four?

   The most important three, which are all hard to separate from each other, are emotion, story, and rhythm. In emotion, the cut must be true to the emotion we want to communicate to the viewers. It must not distract the audience. It must advance the audience forward to the emotional line we're presenting. In story, we want to make sure it advances the story forward. Rhythm does it happen at the correct moment. 

   The next three rules are less important. Eye-trace is knowing where we want our audience to look. Having a focus of attention in the frame and carried throughout the story. Two-dimensional plane of Screen means dealing with three-dimensional objects in a two-dimensional world. And finally, three-dimensional space of action is having the three-dimensional objects move incoherently.

EDITING TOOLS AND SPLIT EDITS

What is a J or L cut? What do they do? How can they improve your edit?

   J and L cuts are when you roll a video track left or right without changing the audio. They basically help correct errors or give it a better feel. These technique are seen in many films, once told what is. Now that I know of these short cuts/ tools I will definitely start cutting like this. It'll give me more options as I'm cutting.

NATURAL TRANSITIONS PART 2

What are natural transitions? How do these types of transitions differ from the ones that you've learned already? What does each of them add to a film?

A natural transition is a cut. A pan shot is when the camera moves sideways quick enough so that the picture blurs is called a whip pan. This transition is great for alluding to the passage of time or indicating a frenetic pace of action. A body wipe lets the talent come closer to the camera, or walk in front of the camera, until the shot is completely obscured and goes black. Reverse for the start of the next shot. Cutting on motion allows the audience to capture the action in a more exciting way.

NATURAL TRANSITIONS PART 1

What is a natural transition? What are three different techniques that this video mentions? What would each of them add to a scene?

   A natural transition is a cut. Wipe transition are for a change of location or passage of time. Objects with similar shapes can be used for natural transitions. Such as a wall to another wall, just be sure to zoom in completely to fill the entire frame with the wall. When doing a switch pans use blurred shots to transition. When doing this you want to be working at the telephoto end of your lens. With these transitions you'll be one step closer to becoming a better editor.

CUTTING ON ACTION

What is cutting on action? How does it seamlessly blend two shots together? What are two things that you must keep in mind when cutting on action in your films?

   Editing in movies is done by very skilled people. Many people don't realize what goes into editing action. Cutting on action is editing short clips together to make the continuity make sense. The cuts make it all more exciting to watch. You must always keep in mind the 180 degree rule and continuity errors. All these things can make or, if done incorrectly, ruin your movie.

BLOG QUESTION: MISE EN SCENE

What is mise-en-scene? How is the term used in the film industry? What are two reasons that it is so important?

   Mise en scéne is a french word meaning "placing on stage." It refers to everything such as the actors, lighting, props, and costumes on set. The term Mise en scène is the collaboration of professionals. In the academic realm, mise-en-scène is used when the feel of a film is under discussion.

MONTAGE EDIT

What is theme or idea that you want to communicate for your photo montage? What type of montage from the list on the keynote are you going to create? Why did you decided to pick this? What song have you selected? What kind of photographs do you intend to use in your montage?

   In my montage I'm communicating the fact that humans are doing nothing but contaminating the earth. Pollution and overpopulation is killing the planet we live on. I'm following the leit motif montage. I decided to use this because I want music to play a very important role in my montage video. I've selected "Skin" by Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury. The song is part of the score from Ex Machina. I'm picking pictures of beautiful and relaxing landscapes. Then they'll followed by fast pictures of war, pollution, poverty, and tragic accidents caused by humans.

CONTINUITY EDIT REFLECTION

What challenges are you having with your continuity edit? What are three challenges that you've encountered while editing it. What aspects do you like about the project?

   I've had trouble editing the clips together so that there aren't any awkward pauses between each line. In some parts they don't leave space between their lines so I have to cut the clip before the next person starts talking. I'm also having trouble with the dialog because they don't repeat all of the lines in both shots. I really like this challenge because it will be very helpful in the future.

LINEAR VS NONLINEAR EDITING

If a client gave you some old Digital Video Tapes (DV) and paid you to edit the footage together. Would you use linear or non linear editing? Why? If you had to explain the advantage of one over the other to your client, what would you tell them?

   I would use non-linear because I find it much easier to use. Easier to understand and use. When doing linear editing you can mess up easily and mess up the entire project. You can easily drop the ball. From my point of view, it's a bit more complicated.

 

MONTAGE EDITING TECHNIQUES

Summarize one of Pudovkin's techniques outlined in this video essay that interests you. How does it contribute to the storytelling in the modern movie clip that the narrator talks about? Why do you find this interesting?

   One of Pudovkin's techniques was Leit Motif. Usually used as a musical term, this describes a recurring musical phrase associated with a particular person place or idea. Music can sometimes play a character in the film. If the character has their own theme song, then whenever they have screen time their theme will most likely accompany them. This can set the mood or tone of the film. The score is also used to tell the story. Different sounds in the score can turn the character from sad to happy. It's a very important aspect in films and without them we would feel a great amount of emptiness in them.

A MOVIE THAT INSPIRES YOU...

After watching the final Star Wars The Force Awakens trailer, think about a movie that has inspired you. What is one movie that moved you emotionally and inspired you? Why was it so inspiring? What are 2 aspects of the film that moved you? How do you think the filmmakers accomplished this?

   Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is a film I can watch over and over again and never get tired of it. It is the one film that inspired me to become the film junkie that I am. It was the perfect reincarnation of the caped crusader also known as the Batman. The acting by Heath Ledger as The Joker was perfect and one of the best to this date. It definitely changed the way people saw Batman and superheroes in general. Also, the tone the film provided was a tone many films try to recreate but sometimes fail. Surprisingly, they used miniatures for the scene where the batmobile crashes with the garbage truck. They mastered the practical and digital effects blend. This is something that made the film as great as it was.

EDIT A STORY REFLECTION

Now that you've either finished or almost finished your edit a story, what issues did you run into? Where there some issues with the footage you were provided? How did you work around them? How comfortable are you now with using Premiere Pro?

   Editing this story together was fun but it definitely had its challenges. I would say that the hardest thing was importing the footage, putting it all in the folders,  and exporting with the correct formats and preset. It'll take me some time for me to remember the correct formats. Also, some of the footage was missing so I had to work with what I had, which was very little. I first had planned to use all the footage I had and tell the story they told. However, I noticed everyone was doing the exact same thing so I changed my story and re-arranged the clips to tell a different ending. I wouldn't go as far and say that I'm really comfortable with Premiere-Pro but I have definitely improved.

   

GUIDE TO MONTAGE EDITING

What are three concepts from this article that you can incorporate into your montage edit? Why did you pick these three? How can you apply them in the edit?

   When an editor is doing the montage he is adding instead of taking away. This is the complete opposite of what continuity editing is because with that you're more like cutting down on the footage. An interesting way of the montage edit are dreams. Dreams are made with the change of weather, time speeding up or slowing down, and basically everything is flipped upside down and changed. This way we can create a new environment that feels different but not too much to confuse an audience. These things are useful to us to explore a new way to edit our footage. The use of color and tone is also an interesting thing to do. With the increase or decrease of saturation you will avoid it getting out of hand. I doubt I'll be able to use this edit with this footage but it sure will be helpful in the future.

 

CONTINUITY EDITING

What are three perks of continuity editing that this article mentions? Why are they important? What are three rules mentioned later in the article that help you achieve good continuity? Why are they important?

   They mention clarity because it's important to not confuse your audience. Pace is important because it can transform a slow and boring film into a fast and exciting film. Also, rhythm, the length of the shot, is important because this is how you really get your audience pumped up when there is action on the screen. These are all important aspects of editing because it's what the audience expects and what you should do.

INTRO TO PREMIERE PRO

How are you getting used to editing on Premiere Pro? What surprises you about it? What challenges are you having?

   I'm starting to become a bit more comfortable with premiere pro. I'm still surprised by how complicated it looks. I'm having challenges with knowing how to navigate on premiere pro. As comfortable as I'll get I'll still  have more and more to learn. 

THE EARLY HISTORY OF EDITING

What do you notice about early filmmakers in regards to editing? What similarities did you notice between early filmmakers and the mobile films that your classmates have made?

Many of the early films were from a single angle. The camera didn't move at all. We didn't choose many different angles but instead told the story with one simple angle. In some early films they didn't even get all the actors in the shot. Similarly, in our films we might have cut a few ears and shoulders out of the shot. Also, we chose to use old filters, which were normal back then, in our films.

EDITING BABY STEPS

You've just began your journey into editing! How does it feel taking your first baby steps? What surprises you? What is difficult?

It is exciting to finally get started with editing. We're a step closer to becoming editors of our own films. I was surprised by how complicated. It was definitely a bit difficult at the beginning but I'm starting to get the hang of it now. Even though we still have a lot more to learn I'm sure I'll be an expert by the end of this unit.

SET DESIGN IDEAS

Now that you know what your assigned set is, what are some ways that you can decorate it? What type of theme are you thinking of trying? Where do you plan on looking for set pieces and decoration?

   We were assigned the workshop set. We were brainstorming many kinds of workshops and came to the conclusion of an art workshop. It's a simple and creative idea. We have some art tools in our homes and we're each going to bring some. We're thinking of using the three primary colors for our main theme colors. Each section of the set will represent this color in a creative manner. We will try our best to make this set look like a place where people think, write, and draw creatively.

THE EDITING OF THE RAIDERS SCENE

What did you notice about the way that the boulder scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark was edited? In your opinion, how did the editing play a key role in the opening of the film?

It was a very exciting and intense scene in the movie. There has been so many references to it in other movies and TV shows. It's definitely a classic scene from cinema history. The way this scene was cut together was very good. It didn't have too many jump cuts to confuse you as to what's going on. There is cuts only when necessary and it works well enough to keep us entertained on the movie. If there were too many cuts and we were to get confused then this scene wouldn't be as famous like it is. It was a great opening to a great film.

Intro to Editing

Lets set some goals for this unit. Take a moment to determine three goals that you'd like to make that you can complete by the end of the editing unit. What are these three goals? Why have you chosen them?

Some of these goals are to learn how to edit in every way I could possibly learn. Also, to give it a mood just by editing footage together and to fix a mistake in the footage by editing it in a clever way. I know that sometimes there are mistakes in the footage and the editor has to work his way around it. He must make it so that there is no mistake in the final cut. This is something that I really like and would like to learn.

American Movie

How do/could you relate to what Mark was going through during the film? What challenges did you experience shooting your film that he did?

I could relate to the creativity that was running through his mind during the production. We experienced the problem of not getting as much work done as we first planned. Also, some scheduling problems here and there.

PRODUCTION PROCESS WRAPUP

Now that you've completed "The Production Process" unit, what are three things that you learned? Please explain each in detail. Why are these three things that you selected so important to making a film?

I learned that making a film takes lots of time and preparation. It can take from five months to five years. First, there is pre-production. Which includes the planning and brainstorming. Then, you go to production. This phase is when you go on location or on a sound stage and begin shooting your film.

Finally, you go on to post-production. This is the longest phase in the filmmaking process. These are all important because this is what you do when any type of film                                                                                            

MOBILE FILM WRAPUP

MOBILE FILM WRAPUP

Now that you've finished your mobile films. What were the biggest difficulties that you faced? What worked well? What didn't? How well do you feel that you final film came together? Why?

We definitely struggled more with what angles we could use and the lighting. Some shots were too dark to use and some shots looked too boring and simple. We had multiple shots because we wanted a lot of footage for post production. Once we finished our film we were very proud of it because it came out great.

PRODUCTION JOBS

PRODUCTION JOBS

What department on set interests you? If you had to choose a job in filmmaking, what would it be? Why?

I'm interested on being the Stage Manager. I've wanted to be a director for the longest time now. Its a job that I find many interests in. Some of my favorite directors are Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Wes Anderson, and JJ Abrams. Their style of filmmaking is great and I want to create my own creative style. A directors job is to get the best performance out of his actors and I believe that I can do that.

THE PRODUCERS ROLE

Why is the producers role so important in a film? What are some of their responsibilities on the movie crew? Who was the producer on your crew? How well did they do?


The producer can be someone who does almost everything or someone who does almost nothing. He can be the one that hires the director and many others. He mainly focus's on the budget and how the it's spent. On set he makes sure everything is going right. On our film we were both the producers. We both made sure we were on task and had to agree on every decision we made. I'm sure we both can agree that we did a great job.

Mobile Film Post Production

How did your mobile film's post production work out? What were some challenges you encountered? How did/do you plan on overcoming them?

Our post production went very well. We didn't encounter that many problems. We simply stayed on task and were able to have enough time to accomplish our mobile film. We did however face the problem of not having enough space on our mobile device. We unfortunately had to delete some of the other footage on our device.  We did what we had to do to get our job done and it definitely payed off. 

Shooting Handheld

What are the three most important tips for shooting handheld video that you learned from this article and video? How can you apply this to your shooting today? Please think out your answer and explain in detail.

You must hold the camera with two hands and stay very still. The further away it is from your body the shakier the footage will be. Also, if you want the footage to look handheld then you should still hold it with two hands. Just add a little shake to give it that handheld look. If you do it too much then you'll end up with bad and unusable footage. You might want to take deep breathes if you're doing a short shot. This information can help me with my mobile film and future videos. Some of our clips include panning shots and they're not that bad.

Post Production: The Hobbit

Review The Hobbit Post-Production walkthrough video below. (No need to watch it all the way through)

The Hobbit had a great team working on the post production process and this video showed to prove it. There was a lot of people working on the C.G.I because this is a very visual film. There are lots of action pieces that can't be done in live action. It required a big team and they all got along great, something that is very important. We were able to see what the studios look like and how they work behind the scenes.

Production Update

What is the status of your mobile film? Have you begun shooting? What is your plan to finish your film by the end of class Friday? What are some problems you are running into?


We've just finished up the post production and we're beginning the production process. Yesterday we finished our storyboards and schedule plans. We have problems getting a location but we're coming up with some ideas.We do plan to edit our mobile film on thursday or/and friday

Guide to Mobile Filmmaking

What are some of the most important parts of mobile filmmaking? What parts of the storytelling and shooting process are the most critical?

You want to make sure that you're keeping this footage on some other kind of memory. You'll know if you have good sound quality once you hear it. Just simply know that on an iphone your picture quality and sound quality won't be as good as a regular big budget film. You want to make sure that the story you're telling is a simple one. You want to acknowledge your budget and respect it. Don't go off buying something that costs 2/3 of your budget. Know your money and spend it well.

Post Guest Speaker

What are 3 things that you learned from our guest speaker Chris Hennessy's talk on Friday? What are two things you'd like to learn more about?

I enjoyed Chris Hennessy's visit to our classroom very much. He was surprisingly funny. He gave great advice such as how to direct an interview. He told us that our client should answer every question with clear and complete sentences. We should tell them to start over if we feel their sentence is all over the place. Also, we need to loosen them up a little and make them calm. That way they'll answer honestly and confidently. He also mentioned to ask random questions when all our required questions are done.I'd like to learn more about what to do when questions are too personal. How do you bring those up?

Outline Update

How is your outline coming along? What are some of the story challenges you are coming up against? What are your plans to work past them? What is your story's arc?


The outline for our mobile film is coming our great. We have discussed how many people will be in our film. However, we haven't discussed who will be in it or where we'll shoot so that is kind of frustrating. We do plan on finding our location and getting our actors as soon as possible. We've agreed on explaining our twist by letting the story flow a bit more after we see it occur on screen. That way it can sync into their minds a bit more and it'll be easier to understand.

Post-Pitch

How effective was your pitch and it's poster? What are some difficulties that you had with it? Was your pitch a complete story? How do you plan to fix it? Does it fulfill all the assignments requirements?

Our pitch was effective and some people found our poster a bit simple. They weren't in love with the poster and neither was I. It was a very simple poster. Almost like a teaser poster. Our pitch did include the entire story. Even though we pitched the entire thing some people gave other ideas on what the story could be. So basically we have an entire different story but it still has a character, no dialogue, and a twist at the end.

GRIT

What is grit in your own words? How could it be applied to your future career? What are 2 examples of how you can apply it to your future goals?

Grit is the urgency of wanting to do something and not give up. To absorb knowledge and apply it in your everyday life or keep it locked in your brain. I could find a way to do this on subjects I don't like or might not understand. It will definitely help in the future with jobs or tasks that I must do. If I get a job that I might not be excited about I'll definitely look for that grit. Or if i'm told to learn something for a test in my job. Those would be moments where I'll need grit.

Production

What are 2 things that you would like to learn more about in the production section of this unit?

What is one thing so far that you have more questions about? Why?


I would like to learn more about the schedules and what the actors do between takes. They just wait around or what? I've also been wondering about what the extras do and who directs them. There is usually a lot of extras when they shoot outside and it must be a bit difficult to work with all those people.

Pre-Production

Pre-Production:


1. What surprised you in the pre-production presentation?

2. What are two questions you still have about preproduction?

3. What is one thing you learned from the presentation? Why is it important?


1. I already knew much about the pre-production stage but I did learn some things I didn't know. It's also very interesting to see all the steps it takes to get to making a film. With all the stages they must go through, they're all hoping their hard work pays off.


2. I'm still very curious about who is making sure everybody is doing their job and that the project keeps moving forward. Also, If someone doesn't do their job, does the studio fire them or is their a specific person who does that?


3. I learned that there must be pre-visualization. Meaning that they must estimate their budget. Budget is very important because you don't want the studio to lose money over your film.

Our Pitch

Our Pitch:

 A P.I. investigates his case by following his witnesses and is haunted by the many mistakes he's made in his past. This is my mobile film pitch. It's enough to get people's attention. It took a while to think of but I finally managed to write it. With the help of my partner I was able to accomplish it. I'm relying on my partner to help me just like he's relying on me.

Pitch

Pitch:

   A pitch is the one sentence you use to sell your story. It includes the character and the story. It should make somebody want to watch that  film. It's used in the film business to catch peoples attention. People should know what the film will be about when they hear the pitch. It's basically a hook. I've learned many things about pitches and pre-writing. I know that one must have a pitch before writing the script. Also, that you need to have an idea on the budget for the film before you begin filming. Also, your pre-visualization is very important. The pitch is also known as the log line or elevator pitch. It's a simple summary of the film.

Mobile Filmmaking Platform

Mobile Filmmaking Platform:

 
I believe you can do anything with mobile filmmaking. The quality won't be as good, but if you make a good film, nobody will be bothered by it. Your mind is the limit. You can do comedy, horror, romance, and even action. However, I would definitely say that comedy and horror/thriller would be the easiest to do. Anybody can be funny and tell jokes on screen. Also, horror/thriller can rely on suspense which is a bit complicated but for a mobile film it doesn't need to be professional.

Mobile Filmmaking

MOBILE FILMMAKING:

  Mobile filmmaking is when you shoot a video through a mobile device. That could be a phone or a tablet. Even though it doesn't have the best quality it's still usable footage. Some mobile footage is so good that some have won some awards. I am personally very excited about this assignment.

WRAPPING UP DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

What interested me the most about digital citizenship has to be the copyright section. The more you know about copyright and how that works, the more you avoid the lawsuits. Many people don't know how copyright works and think they can use any footage or song for whatever they want. Now that i've been taught about it I can now be more confident about that.

Copyright

Copyright:

Copyright is very important in every industry. You have to make sure nobody steals your idea. If you make a machine that makes money (a product) you have to make sure nobody see's it and makes the exact same machine. Or simply if they're making money off of your product. Its been happening for years and its still a big problem today. I often find links, in youtube comments, to websites that charge you to watch movies, that are still in theaters, in the comfort of your home.            

Goals

Goals:

I have many goals in my life. I want to be a film director. Being a director involves many things. Having the knowledge of a particular set of skills. Skills that everybody on set should have. When you're the director you're in charge of getting the best performance out of your actors. But you also have to make sure everybody is doing their job. As a job you have to know a little about everybody's job. I hope to learn a little about every job on set and a lot about how to direct a movie.

Braking Netiquette

Breaking Netiquette:
 
   I once almost broke netiquette by saying something I should say to people. I almost sent the text but then, last minute, deleted it. I'm sure I did the right thing by deleting the text. I think if I would've sent that text the situation would've gotten worse. If you wouldn't say something to someone in person, then you shouldn't say it online.

Set Safety and Etiquette Wrap-up

Set Safety and Etiquette Wrap-Up:

   Knowing about safety is important because you know what to do and not do. You have the ability to stop something dangerous that can seriously injure someone before it happens. The more you know, the more you can help people and let them know how to do something. I think memorizing it all can be tough. Sometimes you can forget the simple things and it can end with you being fired. I would like to know who gets put in charge of some big disaster that occurs on set.

Accidents

Accidents:

I once witnessed a man falling from a ladder on a job site. I accompanied my step father to his job. He is a painter. While I was there a man climbed a ladder to get on the roof. He din't check the base of the ladder to see how balanced it was. As he climbed it the ladder fell over and he hurt his arm really bad. I remember being shocked as I saw him coming down. Everyone rushed over to help him and make sure he was okay. Then, they took him to the hospital. As we kept on working, the other workers discussed the key points of safety. They mentioned how he didn't make sure the ladder was safe to climb. Safety is the number one rule no matter what job.

Set Safety

SET SAFETY:

 Safety on set is very important. It's the #1 rule. If you're on set and see something unsafe you should report it to your boss. You need to make sure everything is safe and nobody takes any risks. If you're told to do something and it means risking your life, you need to leave because they're not professionals. A true professional acknowledges the importance of safety. It could be an electrical problems which can cause a fire. Some stunts aren't crafted so well and an actor/actress can die. It could also be as simple as a light, ladder, or pole falling over and hitting somebody. All these things are problems that could occur on movie sets. Even the most popular and professional movie sets have one of these things happen. Unfortunately, it comes to the case that some people actually loose their life. They die because somebody didn't do their job right. So if you do your job right and nobody tells you, "Hey good job," you should just be proud that you did your job right and nobody got hurt. 

Introduction Essay Update

                                                                   Intro. Essay

My introduction essay is going well. I've managed to set the base of it so now I just need to add the details. I need to be more descriptive and express my thoughts with more meaningful words. I have trouble staying on one specific topic. I'll start writing about one thing and I'll end with another. It's interesting how i'm practicing for my first job interview. I didn't really think about what I would say. But now, its good to have a train of thought going.

Collaborative Story

                                                              Collaborative Story

Was the collaborative story fun? What are some 3 things that surprised you about yesterdays activity?It was definitely an interesting activity which required lots of creativity. It showed how so many people can take someones idea and run with it. They heard someones pitch and they used that as a starting point. That is how most of filmmaking works. Something that really surprised me is that some people were highlighting some of peoples work and deleting it. Which i found very unprofessional and stupid. It was also interesting to see what people wrote. To see how they told stories and kept the story going. To see how they started the story and how they ended it. Also i was interesting that everyone read the first story which was about a potato and they all wrote about a potato.

The Power of Teamwork

                                              The Power of Teamwork

   Teamwork is probably one of the most important things in filmmaking. When people can't get along on set then they'll end up making a pile of crap. Lets use the new Fantastic Four movie for example. There were so many rumors about how the director didn't get along with some of the actors. Also, they said that the studio came in and did some big changes. All these rumors spread around the media and when the film came out it was met with bad reviews and a disappointing opening weekend at the box office. Fantastic Four isn't the only film with on set problems. Many films have different stories about on set problems. This is why you want to get along with with who you're working with. This way they'll let you know what they think of your work and you'll end up creating something magical.

Movies are Magic

                                                         
                                                              Movies Are Magic

   When you hear the term "movie magic" don't just think of special affects or anything like that. Even though thats what makes a film, that might not be what they mean. When you watch your favorite film, what do you feel? What makes it your favorite? Why are you able to watch this particular film over and over again and enjoy it each time? There is a connection you make when you feel for the characters in the film. There is a spark that wants you to feel the same thing the characters are feeling. Whether its laughter, fear, anger, sadness or anything. The film wants to make an emotional connection with you and if done right, it will. When I start to think about a film I watched years ago, I know I made a connection with it. Filmmakers have gone further than the final frontier to make a good enjoyable film. So much hard work is put into years. To tell a story about anything. Everything is done to make a film just for you. That is how filmmaking is done. That is what you would call movie magic.

Vertical Video Syndrome

                               
                                                     No More Vertical Videos!!!

 
Ever since the smart phones came out with their average quality cameras everybody has been
recording their own videos. Because nobody knows anything about what makes a video good, they all
recored vertical videos. This is not only a bad idea but it can make people bored and look for other videos. There is a reason that youtube's video screen is horizontal. There is a reason that movie
theatre screens are horizontal. Horizontal videos fit more picture on the screen.  It also makes the video look professional. Vertical videos need to stop or they'll take over the world. It'll spread like a virus.All you need to do is turn your phone about 90 degrees and you'll be set to go.