The final week on my project was a great wrap up week that in my opinion came way to fast. Ethney and I did a lot of “playing” which was us playing around with different cinematography effects. We worked on things like pulling focus from something that was close to something that was far. You could see the change from the subject going out of focus to them being focused on. It is a nice effect that is used in a lot of films and T.V. shows and it was very helpful for me to work on this. Also, using the steady cam was a huge treat for me. Working with a steady cam was great because, going on in my video and film career, I will be working with them and the chance to use one now gives me a leg up in the future.
Ethney and I also took time to go over my filming of the last couple weeks to see how I progressed and there is a amazing difference between the first week and this week. You could tell I was a lot more conscious of lighting, framing, headroom, and other aesthetic pieces while filming. I had so much fun just working on these little skills and getting to see how I have progressed over just the past few weeks. Seeing this progression gives me high expectations for myself in the future, as I continue to learn. All through my project, I have been asked to set up and film for the main reason of getting the practice right in the field. I have practiced using the steady cam, miking people, light people, and so on, so I have the actual practice of doing it instead of just watching somebody do it for me or tell me how to do it in a classroom. This type of learning for me is great because I flourish in a hands on environment.
There were no huge surprises this week. Everything really went as planed and the only slight hiccup was during the steady cam at the beginning because it was really hard to get the hang of such a sensitive piece of equipment but I quickly got the hang of it. I will benefit from every activity this week going into college. Knowing all of this will put me ahead of my classmates, who may not know any of this, and I will stand out when it comes to internships and other opportunities.
Week 3 reflection
"summer time and the livin's easy"
5/27/2011 2 hr day posted at:3:12
today i worked on a few scattered things since Ethney gave me the last day to prepare for my senior project presentation. i worked a little on putting together a reel looking at what video i had that i would want to put into a reel. I also worked on a my presentation for Wednesday in the wise. i figured out what i was bringing and how i was going to display it. over all it was a very easy low key day and since it was such a beautiful day outside it reminded me that summer time was just around the corner (hence the sublime quote) and with this blog post I say "Good night, and good luck."
History.
5/26/2011 3Hr posted:3:13 started:10AM ended:12PM
Today I met Ethney at her home and we recheck the exam/library/study video and got it completely finished. We then talked more about the business side of things. we discussed hourly rates, internships, contacts, and reels (a videographers portfolio). after a short business chat she dragged me kicking and screaming in front of the camera to answer the question of where i was attending college. a short side note i had done so much of the filming that Ethney while focusing on me gont confused for a second and said "wow I haven't used this camera in forever." after the filming of me we revisited old technology and played with her Super 8 camera it still had a film cartratge in it. after looking at the camera for a while I collected the videos i need to present my senior project on Wednesday in the wise at 1.
Thats all she wrote....ish
5/25/2011 3hr day started:11:30 AM ended:2:30 PM posted: 8:32
today was a very late start for me. I started by meeting with Tom Meegan, a sports replay editor, to talk about his job and the video and film industry. it was extremely interesting and informative talk with him and boosted my interest in video that much more (I can not wait to get to college to study this full time.) after a long talk with him, previewing some of his work, and showing him some of mine, I went to Ethney's house to meet with her.
We sat, and edited, and of course sat some more. We cranked out next weeks video which will be a show case of the Lovejoy Library and telling what students hardest exams will be and their favorite places to study on campus. we cranked it all out by 2 o'clock and then talked about her business a little more. since this is my last week of senior project (Over so fast!) there is really not enough time to keep working on another video. the rest of my week looks like my asking Ethney questions about her business, compiling my videos for my senior project presentation, and reviewing what i need to remember about shooting with Ethney.
just focus....you'll get it.
5/24/2011 5hr started:9AM ended:2PM posted at:8:57
today was primarily a "play" day. I met Ethney at her home at 9AM we started looking through the steady cam footage from yesterday. it looked pretty good in some parts. (also pretty bad in others what can I say it was my first time with a steady cam) We pulled into final cut pro some of our favorite steady cam shots and all the shots we had of kids talking about what their hardest exam will be and where their favorite place to study is. After reviewing all of this we decided we did not have enough kids talking. Down to campus we go!
We arrived at campus as assembly started and i manged to make my self pretty well noticed in there as i walked back and forth on stage in the middle of Swaze making an announcement that I'm sure was important. I got some decent footage of the student leaders announcing the new student council. also i got kind words of wisdom about thanking people who have helped you this year. after assembly I dragged kids in front of the camera to have them answer questions. when class started I began completely disrupting classes and invading space. I worked specificly on pulling focus from one object to my subject and back again. also i worked on the pulling of focus as i zoomed and panned to a subject closer than the original.
after ruining a few classes (apparently you can not slip in and out of a classroom full of your friends with a giant camera without disrupting it a little) we headed back to Ethney's imported the footage talked about some up-coming technology that will revolutionize the film and video industry and of course looked at the footage I got today.
Steady.....steady....BREATHE
11/23/2011 posted at:10:27 started at:9 ended at:2 5Hr day
today was a special treat for me. Ethney borrowed a steady cam from her friend and we ran around campus just "playing" with different shots angles ect. We got all the floors of the learning center. i had a monstrosity connected to me that even the slightest touch would make it swing around wildly. after about an hour of just playing with this steady cam I got the hang of it eventually. (you can see it in my flickr on the right) it weighed just shy of 30 lbs probably and you could feel it on your back and neck like a midget was hanging onto you for dear life. however this was an awesome experience. when i got used to it i forgot how muc work it was and just played and had so much fun. at one point when invading the tech department Brian Perry commented: "you are having way too much fun with that thing." I i couldn't help but smile cause he had no idea. the steady cam was great. even as it wore on my neck and back i wanted to keep going it was just too much fun although after just getting used to all the things i need to focus on with Ethney's camera the use of the steady cam was added and i forgot to breath again only. (what ever its not as important as a good looking shot any way)
we went back this evening to get shots of study hall, structured study hall, and a few dorm rooms for the upcoming video. All in all it was a great day and i am all too sad to senior project winding down. (but cant wait to dawn those rainbow cords and graduate)
almost forgot senior project video was posted this morning also. it is only 4 of the 22 seniors on senior project but a fun insight to whats going on check it out here.
Week 2 Reflection
I learned a lot about camera usage and aesthetics again this week. Also, I learned about audio editing and I saw more of the business side of film when I went to the meeting with development at the end of the week. This was another great week of senior project for me. I love seeing my skills grow as I take what I learned from last weeks editing and then apply it to this weeks shooting. I love working with the film and editing it to get the point across.
Things went fairly smoothly this week. However, when working with people and relying on them to give you a good solid answer and show up on time things can never go perfectly. One instance of things not going smoothly was my interview with Morgan. She was a little nervous and so her answers were short and limited. This was an obstacle I can not change and had to work around it in post production. Also, while interviewing Michele the lighting was a little harsh on the railing and I did not expect that to happen and did not catch it until in post. Unfortunately, while working in film things like this happen and you just have to work with what you have. This weeks lessons will benefit me greatly going forward.
I continued to increase my camera skills and I notice that I am catching myself on mistakes that I made the first day more and more every time I am behind the camera. My mental checklist for filming is slowly growing and getting better and better. I feel having this experience in high school will give me a big leg up in college. Also, the development meeting helped me greatly understand time management and about the interaction with the client in making a video. This was another great week of senior project and I can not believe I am in my third and final week already!