Anyeska, Lesly, Jazmin, and I all worked on editing our music video. It took up the majority of our class time, and unfortunately, the editing process did not go well. Although Anyeska was able to dump all the footage from the SD card to the desktop, it took a while to view each scene we would use and for the computer to handle the download size. Eventually, I was able to finish the downloading process and save it all into Google Drive. After this, Lesly found and downloaded The Lazy Song, by Bruno Mars onto the computer. Once I was ready to edit, I opened Pinnacle Studios and imported the footage and audio into the program. From there, I started editing the raw footage. It was difficult to do this because the preview of a scene (on the right side of the screen) would lag and slow down the computer. Thus, it took me some time to figure out the different scenes just by their image, when I was trying to match it to the lyrics. The following paragraph will explain the different tools I tried to use and what happened during my editing process.
Due to the fact that our class time was running short, we were only able to begin editing the first scene. First, I used a razor blade icon to split the first scene because it was too long and unnecessary. I thought to detach the audio from the shot, but it helped to match the first lyrics to our dance. Since the background sound was the actual song, we wanted to dance or act out each scene with a reference and to potentially benefit us while editing. I had difficulty trying to place the first scene as soon as the initial lyrics: "Today I don't feel like doing anything" started. Apparently, Pinnacle Studios uses a magnetic timeline, in which any clip you drag and drop into the timeline snaps to any existing clips. I did not know that you can turn that function off, so I struggled to do that. I let my group members try to fix or get the scene to where we wanted it, but they didn’t know how to either. With little time left, we decided to end our editing process and rely on starting and finishing it next class. Unfortunately, after I saved our music video I deleted the footage from the desktop, thinking that I wouldn’t need it, but it backfired and ended up disabling the footage from pinnacle studios. I ended up solving the problem even though it took up 5 minutes of editing time.
There are editing techniques I planned to use in the music video. Some include adding a title screen, subtitles, cropping footage, and a fade-in/out. Hopefully next class, when we continue editing that I'll see a vision along with my group members of our music video coming to life. I also hope that editing will be successful. I think it may be hard at first, but Lesly and Brit seem to be experienced and ready to edit our footage. The only type of sound I plan to use in the music video is background music. The camera movements and angles we used were: High angle, tilt shot, pan shot, long shot, medium close up shot, over the shoulder, point of view, zoom in/out. All of these editing techniques will be used while editing our music video. We will try to edit so it comes in between 1:05 to 1:15. Ultimately, I will create a fun and interesting music video that will excite and engage audiences.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Monday, December 2, 2019
Filming Blog #2
Last week Sunday, I met up with my team mates to finish filming our music video. We met up at Anyeska’s house again, but this time we met up around 1:30 PM. Initially, we had four scenes left to film. However, we ended up breaking the storyboard and switching over to new ideas. We ended up only filming one scene on Sunday, which was actually our very last scene of the music video. Scene six and scene seven from the storyboard which I drew, was merged together into one scene, breaking the storyboard. Additionally, scene twelve from the storyboard was changed up. Instead of filming a long shot of Jazmin kicking her socks off then laying on the couch, Anyeska filmed an extreme close up shot of her kicking her shoes off. It was my original idea to show someone taking their shoe off when the lyrics stated “‘Cause today I swear I’m not doing anything;” the reason being that a person can not go out and do anything if they are not wearing shoes. All in all, these changes to the storyboard was made the day before, Saturday.
Scenes thirteen through fifteen were completely changed up on Sunday. As previously stated, we only filmed one scene on Sunday. Basically, we merged the three scenes together, making them one scene, and cutting our actions short. Our initial idea was to throw up paper confetti in scene thirteen, lay on the floor in fourteen, and in the last scene someone would cover the camera with their hand; Instead, we went against the storyboard again. We decided to only throw up the paper confetti, gather in a circle as we cheer happily, then Jazmin walked away from the group and covered the camera with her hand. Anyeska’s mom was behind the camera for the previously described scene and the scene was filmed as a medium shot. At that point, filming the music video was called to an end. We all felt pretty relieved, so we decided to go out and have some fun.
Overall, filming was successful. I enjoyed working with Anyeska, Jazmin, Lesly, and Nick. We were quite strategic of how we went about filming the music video. For one, everyone was involved in at least three scenes which means that we all played a huge part in the music video. Moreover, we filmed in five different settings around Anyeska’s house, and everyone had a chance to operate the camera. Meaning, we all actively contributed to the music video as a team is supposed to do. I felt as though I learned a lot from my fellow AICE Media classmates. My biggest takeaway was how to creatively use camera movements, angles, and shots. I am content that I made the decision to work with my friends because for the entire time, work felt like leisure. I will definitely be working with these same people for my final Cambridge project.
Scenes thirteen through fifteen were completely changed up on Sunday. As previously stated, we only filmed one scene on Sunday. Basically, we merged the three scenes together, making them one scene, and cutting our actions short. Our initial idea was to throw up paper confetti in scene thirteen, lay on the floor in fourteen, and in the last scene someone would cover the camera with their hand; Instead, we went against the storyboard again. We decided to only throw up the paper confetti, gather in a circle as we cheer happily, then Jazmin walked away from the group and covered the camera with her hand. Anyeska’s mom was behind the camera for the previously described scene and the scene was filmed as a medium shot. At that point, filming the music video was called to an end. We all felt pretty relieved, so we decided to go out and have some fun.
Overall, filming was successful. I enjoyed working with Anyeska, Jazmin, Lesly, and Nick. We were quite strategic of how we went about filming the music video. For one, everyone was involved in at least three scenes which means that we all played a huge part in the music video. Moreover, we filmed in five different settings around Anyeska’s house, and everyone had a chance to operate the camera. Meaning, we all actively contributed to the music video as a team is supposed to do. I felt as though I learned a lot from my fellow AICE Media classmates. My biggest takeaway was how to creatively use camera movements, angles, and shots. I am content that I made the decision to work with my friends because for the entire time, work felt like leisure. I will definitely be working with these same people for my final Cambridge project.
Monday, November 25, 2019
Filming Blog #1
Over the weekend, my group mates and I filmed our music video. We filmed on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, I met up with my group mates at Anyeska’s house around 2 PM. The agreed time to be there was 1 PM; However, I was running an hour behind. The people who were involved in the filming process were Anyeska, Lesly, Jazmin, our volunteer named Nick, and I. By the time I arrived, my team mate, Lesly had already finished his “birthday suit” scene. We mostly went with the flow, and majority of our music video was filmed out of order. Upon arrival, I walked in on the scene where Anyeska had to lay in bed to match the lyrics “I just wanna lay in my bed.” Lesly was filming her at a high angle as mentioned in the storyboard. After Anyeska’s scene, we filmed Jazmin’s over-the-shoulder scene where she was sitting on the couch and she tossed her phone as she was receiving a call from Lesly; the lyrics: “don’t feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone.” Afterwards, we took a short, twenty minute break to grab a quick snack. Anyeska’s mom made us mozzarella sticks and we had juice, as well as water. After eating, we jumped right back into filming. Our next scene was a dance sequence where we came up with simple steps to express the lyrics, “today I don’t feel like doing anything.” It took us about twelve minutes to come up with a dance sequence and after a few takes, it took the group about fifteen minutes to master it. Anyeska’s mom was in charge of filming this scene. The fifth scene which we did was the scene where the lyrics went: “no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, ooo.” For this scene, Anyeska printed out papers which read “No,” and we all had one, except for Lesly. We stood in a line side by side and we each extended out the paper every time we heard “no.” On the last “no,” Lesly zoomed into the camera because the next scene would be the scene of him in his “birthday suit.” We basically filmed the five scenes previously mentioned before Lesly had to go to his basketball game. Therefore, we filmed all of the parts which did not include him.
Once Lesly left, we wasted no time. We jumped right into filming all of the scenes which did not involve him. The first scene we filmed without him was a video game scene where Nick was playing video games, but then he stopped and relaxed. The lyrics to match the scene are: “oh, today I don’t feel like doing anything.” Second, Anyeska filmed my scene where I was in the bathroom mirror with a comb in my hand and me shaking my head; the lyrics were “no, I ain’t gonna comb my hair. ‘Cause I ain’t going anywhere.” Then, Jazmin filmed the scene where Anyeska was laying in bed, but this time, turning over onto her side and putting the covers over her head. Lastly, we filmed two scenes. We filmed a scene where Jazmin took her shoes off, and the song went- “”cause today I swear I’m not doing anything.” The final scene of the day was the part of the song which went, “don’t feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone.” In this scene, I recorded an insert which displayed a bunch of missed calls to express the lyric previously stated. That was it for filming on Saturday. We all agreed to return the following day to finish out last few scenes.
The next day, we all met up at Anyeska’s house to ultimately conclude our video. We decided to cut the scenes short, braking the storyboard to an extent. We only filmed one scene on Sunday. Basically, in the last scene we used confetti as a prop. We lip singed the lyrics: “Nothing at all!” Then, we threw the confetti in the air, huddled and cheered. Once again, Anyeska’s mom recorded this scene. As Nick, Lesly, Anyeska, and I huddled around, Jazmin stepped away from the group and she covered the camera which means that the video was over. Once the video was over, I was relieved. I feel confident in the scenes we filmed and I can not wait to edit them so that I can see our ideas come to life in our final product. After filming, we went to an arcade, then a pizza restaurant to award ourselves.
Once Lesly left, we wasted no time. We jumped right into filming all of the scenes which did not involve him. The first scene we filmed without him was a video game scene where Nick was playing video games, but then he stopped and relaxed. The lyrics to match the scene are: “oh, today I don’t feel like doing anything.” Second, Anyeska filmed my scene where I was in the bathroom mirror with a comb in my hand and me shaking my head; the lyrics were “no, I ain’t gonna comb my hair. ‘Cause I ain’t going anywhere.” Then, Jazmin filmed the scene where Anyeska was laying in bed, but this time, turning over onto her side and putting the covers over her head. Lastly, we filmed two scenes. We filmed a scene where Jazmin took her shoes off, and the song went- “”cause today I swear I’m not doing anything.” The final scene of the day was the part of the song which went, “don’t feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone.” In this scene, I recorded an insert which displayed a bunch of missed calls to express the lyric previously stated. That was it for filming on Saturday. We all agreed to return the following day to finish out last few scenes.
The next day, we all met up at Anyeska’s house to ultimately conclude our video. We decided to cut the scenes short, braking the storyboard to an extent. We only filmed one scene on Sunday. Basically, in the last scene we used confetti as a prop. We lip singed the lyrics: “Nothing at all!” Then, we threw the confetti in the air, huddled and cheered. Once again, Anyeska’s mom recorded this scene. As Nick, Lesly, Anyeska, and I huddled around, Jazmin stepped away from the group and she covered the camera which means that the video was over. Once the video was over, I was relieved. I feel confident in the scenes we filmed and I can not wait to edit them so that I can see our ideas come to life in our final product. After filming, we went to an arcade, then a pizza restaurant to award ourselves.
Friday, November 22, 2019
Music Video Conventions Blog
Codes and conventions are used by many different companies. They can be used as a marketing strategy in order to grab the attention of consumers. That way the product seems more interesting. A code is a system of signs that are put together to create a meaning. One example of a code is a technical code which are camera techniques, framing, lighting, exposure etc. Another example of codes are symbolic codes, which consist of objects, the setting, body language, clothing, and color. Lastly, there are written codes which are headlines, captions, speech bubbles, and language styles. Conventions are habits of doing things. In short, what people have come to expect. Examples of conventions are: Camera angles, shots, editing, lighting, sound, music, computer graphics, and special effects.
Many songwriters use conventions in order to help the audience understand the theme of the video. They also want to give them a feel for the emotion behind it. While in the original music video of The Lazy Song, the dancers dressed in baggy clothes and wore ape masks. This created a crazy, lazy, but happy atmosphere. Throughout the song the dancers dance along with the music. In the Lazy Song's music video, there were a limited amount of camera angles. One camera angle the director used was a wide shot which allows for the audience to see everything lateral. The wide shot was used in the whole music video. This is evident because as the music video was occurring, there were not any changes to the wide shot camera angle. The director is trying to engage with the audience by showing them all of the dancers with Bruno Mars in the center.
For our music video, we will change the dynamic. To start with, we are going to engage our audience by opening with a fade in. This makes the audience seem like they just walked into something. Then right after, we will start dancing just as in the original video. This will catch the audiences eye and make them want to continue watching. To add onto that, our costumes, makeup, and props will surely catch the eye of our viewers because we are wearing bright and crazy colors. Our music video will also take place in multiple settings, rather than just one. We will zoom in to the birthday suits characters eye and transport from the bedroom to a different location. Another thing we show differently is what we’re doing. The actors in the film will be watching TV, combing their hair, and playing video games. These are things that people contribute to everyday life and have genuine interests in. Lastly, there will be more camera movements which allows for a better understanding of the film's theme.
Many songwriters use conventions in order to help the audience understand the theme of the video. They also want to give them a feel for the emotion behind it. While in the original music video of The Lazy Song, the dancers dressed in baggy clothes and wore ape masks. This created a crazy, lazy, but happy atmosphere. Throughout the song the dancers dance along with the music. In the Lazy Song's music video, there were a limited amount of camera angles. One camera angle the director used was a wide shot which allows for the audience to see everything lateral. The wide shot was used in the whole music video. This is evident because as the music video was occurring, there were not any changes to the wide shot camera angle. The director is trying to engage with the audience by showing them all of the dancers with Bruno Mars in the center.
For our music video, we will change the dynamic. To start with, we are going to engage our audience by opening with a fade in. This makes the audience seem like they just walked into something. Then right after, we will start dancing just as in the original video. This will catch the audiences eye and make them want to continue watching. To add onto that, our costumes, makeup, and props will surely catch the eye of our viewers because we are wearing bright and crazy colors. Our music video will also take place in multiple settings, rather than just one. We will zoom in to the birthday suits characters eye and transport from the bedroom to a different location. Another thing we show differently is what we’re doing. The actors in the film will be watching TV, combing their hair, and playing video games. These are things that people contribute to everyday life and have genuine interests in. Lastly, there will be more camera movements which allows for a better understanding of the film's theme.
Music Video Storyboard Blog
Today my teammates and I manifested our storyboard in our group chat. After completing our planning blog where we discussed how we wanted to go about filming our music video, we knew it was time for our storyboard. It took approximately an hour to draw and write out our camera angles, camera movements and actions for each scene. Had we not execute a plan in our planning blog last class, story boarding would have been a much longer process. Our teachers restrictedour timing to at least one minute and five seconds, and at most one minute and fifteen seconds. Ourstoryboard consists of fifteen different five second scenes. Meaning, our music video should be around one minute and fifteen seconds long. So far, we are on a good track with timing. Our storyboard is shown down below. It is filled with great details which will guide us during the filming process.
Within the first scene of the blog we will edit in a fade in transition which then displays a wide shot of my three other teammates, a volunteer, and I dancing to the lyrics “today I don’t feel like doing anything.” Secondly, we will have a high angle of someone laying in bed “sleeping;”Lyrics: “I just wanna lay in my bed.” Third, we will have a jump cut into an over the shoulder of someone silencing their phone then tossing it on the couch— lyrics: “don’t feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone. ‘Cause today I swear I’m not doing anything.” In the fourth scene: “No, I ain’t gonna comb my hair, ‘cause I ain’t going anywhere.” The actions that match the lyrics would be someone holding a comb, looking at it, placing it down, then shrugging their shoulder. In the fifth scene, all five of us involved will hold up signs which reads “no.” Using the camera movement, pan and a close up shot, we will move the camera left to right going down the rows of “no” signs. The lyrics will play: “no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, noo.” On the last “no,” the camera will zoom into someone’s eye and then zoom out of it in the following scene. The following scene will include the lyrics “I’ll just strut in my birthday suit, and let everything hand loose.” A person will be strutting sound and pulling their suit an appropriate amount to match the lyrics of letting “everything hang loose.” Moreover, the next scene will be a dance sequence similar to the one we introduced the video with; This will be portrayed through a wide shot. The lyrics: “yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeaaah.” Next, there will be a pan shot of someone playing Xbox, but dropping the gaming controller. Lyrics: "Oh, today, I don't feel like doing anything." Then, there will be a high angle of someone laying in the bed and pulling the cover over their head: “I just wanna lay in my bed.” Furthermore, along with a jump cut, there will be an insert of a phone screen which displays missed calls. The following scene will also be an insert of a phone screen which shows a new voicemail/message. Lyrics: "Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone) The next scene will consist of a long shot which shows someone kicking off their socks or shoes then laying on the couch. (Lyrics: cause today I swear I'm not doing anything.”) The third to last scene will be everyone throwing papers in the air and having the last dance sequence (Lyrics: "Nothing at all...) The instrumental will then play out as everyone lays down on the couch and floor as though we are asleep. (Lyrics: nothing at all"). Finally, someone will walk from the group and cover the camera with their hands, which signifies the ending to our music video.
Thankfully, my team mates and I work well together and we all pull our own weight. Everyone makes an effort to contribute towards each section of the project.
Music Video Planning Blog
For our music video, we will be filming at my partner Anyeska’s house. There are no present health and safety procedures we would follow. The props would be a phone, gaming controller, TV remote, paper, and hair comb. The costumes would be birthday suit and formal clothing. In the beginning of the music video, there will be a fade in into a wide shot of our dance sequence. Every action by the characters are going to be matched by the lyrics of the song. So, the next scene will be a high angle of someone laying in their bed (Lyric: "I just wanna lay in my bed"). Then, there will be a jump cut to an over the shoulder shot of someone silencing a phone call and throwing it (Lyric: "Don't feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone, cause today I swear I'm not doing anything"). Next, there will be a jump cut to a medium shot of someone holding a hair comb then putting it down (Lyric: "No, I ain't gonna comb my hair cause I ain't going anywhere" as they lip sync it). After this, there will be a line of five people with signs reading "No" (Lyric: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, nooo). In the last "No" there will be a zoom in to a character's eye, then a zoom out in a different location and showing a person in a birthday themed costume. Following this will be a zoom out from the character's eye to the living room and someone will be shown dressed in a birthday suit. They will be strutting around and dropping some part of the birthday suit (Lyric: "I'll just strut in my birthday suit. And let everything hang loose"). Then, we will have another wide shot of our dance sequence (Lyric: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah"). Next, there will be a pan movement of someone playing Xbox, but dropping the gaming controller (Lyric: "Oh, today, I don't feel like doing anything"). Then, there will be a repetition from before where there is a high angle of someone laying in their bed; However, this time they will be pulling the cover over their head on camera. (Lyrics: "I just wanna lay in my bed"). Furthermore, along with a jump cut, there will be an insert of a phone screen which displays missed calls. The following scene will also be an insert of a phone screen which shows a new voicemail/message. Lyrics: "Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone) The next scene will consist of a long shot which shows someone kicking off their socks or shoes then laying on the couch. (Lyrics: cause today I swear I'm not doing anything.”) The third to last scene will be everyone throwing papers in the air and having the last dance sequence (Lyrics: "Nothing at all...) The instrumental will then play out as everyone lays down on the couch and floor as though we are asleep. (Lyrics: nothing at all"). Finally, someone will walk from the group and cover the camera with their hands, which signifies the ending to our music video. Not to mention, there will be subtitles throughout the music video.
Schedule: (11/18-12/9)
- Day 1: Planning our music video.
- Day 2: Script and story boarding.
- Day 3: Filming.
- Day 4: Edit
- Day 5: Submitting music video.
- Day 6: Reflecting on music video.
Back-up Plan: We will be filming at my house. It will be the same where in the beginning of the music video, there is a fade in into a wide shot of our dance sequence. Every action by the characters are going to be matched by the lyrics of the song. So, the next scene will be a high angle of someone laying in their bed (Lyric: "I just wanna lay in my bed"). Then, there will be a jump cut to an over the shoulder shot of someone silencing a phone call and throwing it (Lyric: "Don't feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone, cause today I swear I'm not doing anything"). Next, there will be a jump cut to a medium shot of someone holding a hair comb then putting it down (Lyric: "No, I ain't gonna comb my hair cause I ain't going anywhere" as they lip sync it). After this, there will be a line of five people with signs reading "No" (Lyric: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, nooo). In the last "No" there will be a zoom in to a character's eye, then a zoom out in a different location and costume. Following this will be a zoom out from the character's eye to the living room and dressed in a birthday suit. They'll be strutting around and dropping some part of the birthday suit (Lyric: "I'll just strut in my birthday suit. And let everything hang loose"). Then, we will have another wide shot of our dance sequence (Lyric: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah"). Next, there will be a pan shot of someone playing Xbox, but dropping the gaming controller (Lyric: "Oh, today, I don't feel like doing anything"). Then, there will be a repetition from before where there is a high angle of someone laying in their bed (Lyric: "I just wanna lay in my bed"). Along with, the jump cut to an over the shoulder shot of someone silencing a phone call and throwing it (Lyric: "Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone, cause today I swear I'm not doing anything"). The second to last scene will be everyone throwing papers in the air and having the last dance sequence (Lyrics: "Nothing at all, nothing at all"). Finally, someone will walk from the group and cover the camera with their hands, which signifies the ending to our music video."
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Intro to New Project Blog
Recently, I filmed and edited a Starbucks commercial. I did enjoy filming it, and the outcome was not too substandard. Although, I do feel it could have been better. I submitted the commercial earlier this week. I believe that the commercial would have been better if my partner and I were more comfortable with each other, and if my group consisted of more than just my partner and I. Additionally, my partner and I did not quite get along well, therefore I decided to work with a new group for this new project. My new project is to make a music video. I feel prepared this time around with filming, but I am still a bit rocky when it come to editing on Pinnacle Studios. While filming my commercial, I learned how to do different camera movements, shots and angles. I learne how to do a long shot, high angle, medium shot, two-shot, zoom, and how to add score. In this new music video project, I will make sure to keep in mind the techniques I learned since the commercial to effectively apply them.
The song my group and I chose was "The Lazy Song", by Bruno Mars. It will be a clean version of the song so it is school appropriate. I recommended this song to my group and they all agreed. We will start from 1:57 into the music video and end at 3:03. This is because the minimum is 1:05 seconds and the maximum is 1:15 seconds. One good thing about this song is that it has lyrics that are easy to act out. This limits confusion on what to do in specific parts of the song. This song is a fun, upbeat song that highlights how many people feel when they are tired and do not want to do anything. The fact that the song relates to the audience makes the song more interesting. I am super excited to film this music video!
A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. Music can be divided into different genres in many different ways. The artistic nature of music means that these classifications are often subjective and controversial, and some genres may overlap. The camera angle we would use in the music video will be a high angle. The camera shots and movements would include pans, tilts, variants of medium to close up shots, wide shots, and long shots. The sound would be a score and sound bridge. The editing process would include fade in and out, insert, and cross cutting. 1. Costumes: Birthday suit but formal clothing. 2. Lightning: Dim, to set the mood of being lazy. 3. Actors: Everyone in our group (Lesly, Jazmin, and Brit). 4. Makeup: None. 5. Props: Phone, gaming controller, TV remote, paper, and hair comb. 6. Setting: In a house.
The song my group and I chose was "The Lazy Song", by Bruno Mars. It will be a clean version of the song so it is school appropriate. I recommended this song to my group and they all agreed. We will start from 1:57 into the music video and end at 3:03. This is because the minimum is 1:05 seconds and the maximum is 1:15 seconds. One good thing about this song is that it has lyrics that are easy to act out. This limits confusion on what to do in specific parts of the song. This song is a fun, upbeat song that highlights how many people feel when they are tired and do not want to do anything. The fact that the song relates to the audience makes the song more interesting. I am super excited to film this music video!
A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. Music can be divided into different genres in many different ways. The artistic nature of music means that these classifications are often subjective and controversial, and some genres may overlap. The camera angle we would use in the music video will be a high angle. The camera shots and movements would include pans, tilts, variants of medium to close up shots, wide shots, and long shots. The sound would be a score and sound bridge. The editing process would include fade in and out, insert, and cross cutting. 1. Costumes: Birthday suit but formal clothing. 2. Lightning: Dim, to set the mood of being lazy. 3. Actors: Everyone in our group (Lesly, Jazmin, and Brit). 4. Makeup: None. 5. Props: Phone, gaming controller, TV remote, paper, and hair comb. 6. Setting: In a house.
Friday, November 8, 2019
Official Editing Blog
As stated in my previous blog, I was unable to edit my Starbucks commercial because Pinnacle Studios was down. Therefore, my teacher gave us a few more days to edit in class. In my last blog I made a list of editing techniques I’d like to apply to my commercial. The techniques I picked out included: insert, fade in, fade out, action match and jump cut. When it was time to edit my teacher did not have a sufficient amount of laptops for the entire class. To compromise, she divided the class into two different sides. The left side of the room, which was the side I was on, we’re the first to edit on the laptops. We had thirty minutes before we had to give up our laptops to the other side of the room; We had to use our time wisely.
My team mate went to the front of the room and got a laptop for the both of us. We sat together, plugged in our flash drive which contained our commercial footage, and then we dumped our footage onto Pinnacle Studio. After that, we picked out our best footage to edit. We started off by adding a fade in. We then added an action match where my group mate was walking and then she was shown again in the next scene, still walking. We then added a jump cut where my team mate was flipping through pages and I walked up her, leading into it dialogue. The purpose of doing so was to show the passage of time. We then added an insert at the end where we have the Starbucks logo on a green background with the Starbucks slogan written in white— “Starbucks DoubleShot. Bring on The Day!” We then ended the commercial with a fade out.
After my team mate and I were done filming, she went to save our commercial on the flash drive. My team mate saved she saved it, however when we clicked on the final product, all of our footage was gone. We were devastated because it took us a while to get our editing together. All of our hard work went down the drain. Instead of being pessimistic my partner and I decided that we will give editing another shot the very next class since we had to give the other half of our class a chance with the laptops.
My team mate went to the front of the room and got a laptop for the both of us. We sat together, plugged in our flash drive which contained our commercial footage, and then we dumped our footage onto Pinnacle Studio. After that, we picked out our best footage to edit. We started off by adding a fade in. We then added an action match where my group mate was walking and then she was shown again in the next scene, still walking. We then added a jump cut where my team mate was flipping through pages and I walked up her, leading into it dialogue. The purpose of doing so was to show the passage of time. We then added an insert at the end where we have the Starbucks logo on a green background with the Starbucks slogan written in white— “Starbucks DoubleShot. Bring on The Day!” We then ended the commercial with a fade out.
After my team mate and I were done filming, she went to save our commercial on the flash drive. My team mate saved she saved it, however when we clicked on the final product, all of our footage was gone. We were devastated because it took us a while to get our editing together. All of our hard work went down the drain. Instead of being pessimistic my partner and I decided that we will give editing another shot the very next class since we had to give the other half of our class a chance with the laptops.
Monday, October 28, 2019
Editing
Today my partner and I got together to edit. However, we had to finish filming our Starbucks commercial. That took up majority of my class time but I made sure to use every single second productively. When I was finish filming, I went back upstairs and jumped right on the computer to begin editing. I got our SD card reader, placed the SD card into it, and hooked it up to the desktop. I then signed into the desktop and attempted to open Pinnacle Studios. When I went to open Pinnacle Studios, I received a message that it was not working. Therefore, my classmates and I reported it to our teacher. Our teacher then made a class-wide announcement that Pinnacle Studios is down. Though it is very unfortunate that our editing program is not working, my partner and I do not plan to give up.
Next class, I will ensure to edit my commercial. For now, my team mate and I dumped our footage into our individual Google Drive. When attempting to dump our footage onto Google Drive, my team mate and I faced some troubles. Our camera displayed the wrong filming date, therefore we were confused of which films belonged to us. While the confusion delayed me, I did get a chance to upload my footage onto my Google Drive. By putting my footage onto my Google Drive, dumping onto Pinnacle Studio will be much easier next class. When I go home, I will make sure to look over my footage and delete the ones which are unnecessary to my commercial.
The editing techniques I plan to use in my commercial include: insert, fade in, fade out, action match, and jump cut. The type of sounds which would be apart of my Starbucks commercial is dialogue, diegetic sound, and I will edit in a score over specific parts. For instance when the insert of the Starbucks logo is on screen, I will have an instrumental/score playing in the background. I can not wait until next class to begin editing and seeing my vision of this commercial come to life. My partner and I prepared for editing next class by writing down the listed editing techniques stated previously. Due to me not being able to edit today, I will go home and look at videos on how to operate Pinnacle Studios. The purpose of this is to familiarize myself with the software to a greater extent. I am ecstatic to edit next class. I really enjoy this class.
Next class, I will ensure to edit my commercial. For now, my team mate and I dumped our footage into our individual Google Drive. When attempting to dump our footage onto Google Drive, my team mate and I faced some troubles. Our camera displayed the wrong filming date, therefore we were confused of which films belonged to us. While the confusion delayed me, I did get a chance to upload my footage onto my Google Drive. By putting my footage onto my Google Drive, dumping onto Pinnacle Studio will be much easier next class. When I go home, I will make sure to look over my footage and delete the ones which are unnecessary to my commercial.
The editing techniques I plan to use in my commercial include: insert, fade in, fade out, action match, and jump cut. The type of sounds which would be apart of my Starbucks commercial is dialogue, diegetic sound, and I will edit in a score over specific parts. For instance when the insert of the Starbucks logo is on screen, I will have an instrumental/score playing in the background. I can not wait until next class to begin editing and seeing my vision of this commercial come to life. My partner and I prepared for editing next class by writing down the listed editing techniques stated previously. Due to me not being able to edit today, I will go home and look at videos on how to operate Pinnacle Studios. The purpose of this is to familiarize myself with the software to a greater extent. I am ecstatic to edit next class. I really enjoy this class.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Filming
Today I filmed my Starbucks commercial. When I got to the classroom, my teacher handed out SD cards, cameras, and tripods to our entire class. I checked out one of each items listed above for my partner and I to use. Afterwards, everyone went to their filming area which they planned in their mis-en-scene. My partner and I gathered our filming equipment and proceeded downstairs to our filming area. Since the cafeteria was not available and my media classroom was occupied, I had to change my original and backup storyboard. I adjusted my new storyboard to best fit an outdoor setting. I had an hour and twenty minutes to film my commercial. I used my time wisely, ensuring to film each scene multiple times to have a plethora of scenes to choose from.
In the first scene I wanted to capture a student rushing to sit down and do their homework last minute. My team mate was the student and I was behind the camera. I filmed a long shot of “the student” rushing down the hallway with an anxious look on her face. I filmed this scene three times to be sure that I could later choose the best footage. In the second scene, “the student” scrambled through her books, looking for her assignment; This was projected through a medium shot. In the third scene a Good Samaritan (me) who sees the student under stress decides to ask what’s wrong. To film the previously stated, the camera was on a tripod, I pressed record, then my team mate and I went into action. Of course, I will edit where necessary. In the fourth scene, I walked back on camera and handed the student a Starbucks bottled drink.
Overall, it was a successful day of filming. I admit: it was quite fun. However, we had a few difficulties in the beginning.
In the first scene I wanted to capture a student rushing to sit down and do their homework last minute. My team mate was the student and I was behind the camera. I filmed a long shot of “the student” rushing down the hallway with an anxious look on her face. I filmed this scene three times to be sure that I could later choose the best footage. In the second scene, “the student” scrambled through her books, looking for her assignment; This was projected through a medium shot. In the third scene a Good Samaritan (me) who sees the student under stress decides to ask what’s wrong. To film the previously stated, the camera was on a tripod, I pressed record, then my team mate and I went into action. Of course, I will edit where necessary. In the fourth scene, I walked back on camera and handed the student a Starbucks bottled drink.
Overall, it was a successful day of filming. I admit: it was quite fun. However, we had a few difficulties in the beginning.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Storyboard
My partner and I constructed the Starbucks commercial storyboard shown above. We wanted to go with an original approach. We looked at other Starbucks commercials to observe the conventions then we made ours based on the specific conventions we recorded. In the storyboard, our location is our school cafeteria. We felt as though the school cafeteria was the closest setting to an actual Starbucks cafe. First, the Starbucks customer will be walking into the cafe and getting in line. Next, the employee will serve the customer. The customer will say their order and then the employee will put in the order. The customer will then pay and the employee asks for the customer’s name and starts to prepare the order. After the employee is done, they will call out the customer’s name and the customer will take their order and leave with a thank you. With that being said, this is the concept of the storyboard. We will play a score over the commercial as that is commonly seen in Starbucks commercials. Within this storyboard, each scene has camera angle and shot; We will use a long shot, over the-shoulder, medium shot, medium close-up, and point of view.
Just incase we do not have access to the school cafeteria, my partner and I decided to construct a backup storyboard. Instead of filming in the cafeteria, we would film in our classroom. In this version of our Starbucks commercial, there will be two people involved: Person A and Person B. In the first scene Person A will be rapidly typing up their assignment, meanwhile Person B will have their head down. This will be seen through a long shot and contain diegetic sound of the keyboard tapping. In the second scene Person A will then take a sip of their Starbucks coffee and look over to Person B with a concerned expression. This action will be projected through a medium shot. Person A will then tap Person B on the shoulder and say “hey, is everything ok?” Person B will then turn to Person A and respond: “No, I am extremely tired. I stayed up all night studying. I can barely keep my eyes open.” This dialogue will be portrayed through an over the shoulder shot each time a subject speaks. Person A will go in their backpack, pull out a Starbucks bottled drink, then hand it over to Person B. Person B will drink the cappuccino and instantly begin to express how delicious it was. Person B will thank Person A for giving them the drink and demonstrate the effects by starting to type up their assignment. The last scene would be a picture of the Starbucks logo and a voiceover of a narrator saying “Starbucks DoubleShot. Bring on the day;” this is the Starbucks slogan.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Editing Lesson Blog
Today, 10/14/2019 I learned a plethora of new techniques in my AICE Media Studies class. My teachers explained our equipment check out procedures for when due time comes to film. I learned that we will be using tripods to move our cameras around. The movements which we learned to do with the cameras are tilt and pan. Tilt is when one moves the camera up and down and pan is when the camera is moved from left to right. Of course there are many more camera movements to explore such as flash pan and tracking shot however we only went over tilt and pan for the day. My teacher familiarized us with different aspects of using the camera such as how to turn it on and off, how to charge it, and how to connect it to the class computers in order to edit our shots. Mainly, I learned how to edit, import, and export on our class editing software. The editing software which my classmates and I will be using for our projects is called Pinnacle Studios. When we are finish recording it is important for us to edit in order to get rid of unwanted footage and add effects such as a score. When it is time to film our music videos, for example, we would put a score over our shots and mute our initial audio.
After showing the class how to operate the cameras in detail, my teacher then transitioned into showing us how to edit, import, and export on Pinnacle Studios. An important vocabulary word we learned was dumping. Dumping is when footage is placed from the desktop to Pinnacle Studios. To commence, let us go over how to import on Pinnacle Studios. The first step is to put the SD card into the SD reader then go to files to find the SD. Second, dump the footage into a folder and transfer all footage from the SD card to the file in order to save it on the computer. Thirdly, when dumping into Pinnacle Studios ensure that all of your footage is in the file from your SD card to avoid deletion. Next, click the Pinnacle Studios icon and log in. After you log in, click the "import" button (make sure that the selection is on "My computer") then click desktop. Lastly, find the file which you created earlier, check all the footage within the file and import them. Those were the steps on how to import into the Pinnacle Studios software. After importing, we are free to begin editing our videos. I am stoked to film and edit my Starbucks advertisement through Pinnacle Studios later this month.
Overall, I feel confident with the editing software, Pinnacle Studios. After today's lesson I can not wait to experience this software first hand. I am super excited to continue my journey in AICE Media Studies. There is a lot more to learn down the path and I am glad that I decided to take this course. I can not wait to see what the future holds moving forward in this course. Today's lesson sparked my interest in this course 10 times more. I am looking forward to mastering editing on Pinnacle Studios. I hope to further my film making studies in the future.
After showing the class how to operate the cameras in detail, my teacher then transitioned into showing us how to edit, import, and export on Pinnacle Studios. An important vocabulary word we learned was dumping. Dumping is when footage is placed from the desktop to Pinnacle Studios. To commence, let us go over how to import on Pinnacle Studios. The first step is to put the SD card into the SD reader then go to files to find the SD. Second, dump the footage into a folder and transfer all footage from the SD card to the file in order to save it on the computer. Thirdly, when dumping into Pinnacle Studios ensure that all of your footage is in the file from your SD card to avoid deletion. Next, click the Pinnacle Studios icon and log in. After you log in, click the "import" button (make sure that the selection is on "My computer") then click desktop. Lastly, find the file which you created earlier, check all the footage within the file and import them. Those were the steps on how to import into the Pinnacle Studios software. After importing, we are free to begin editing our videos. I am stoked to film and edit my Starbucks advertisement through Pinnacle Studios later this month.
Overall, I feel confident with the editing software, Pinnacle Studios. After today's lesson I can not wait to experience this software first hand. I am super excited to continue my journey in AICE Media Studies. There is a lot more to learn down the path and I am glad that I decided to take this course. I can not wait to see what the future holds moving forward in this course. Today's lesson sparked my interest in this course 10 times more. I am looking forward to mastering editing on Pinnacle Studios. I hope to further my film making studies in the future.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Planning Blog for Starbucks Commerical
Today 10/10/2019, my team mate and I got together to work on planning out our Starbucks commercial. We worked collaboratively to map out the props, costumes, schedule, location, and back-up plan (mis-en-scene) for our Starbucks commercial. For our props, we chose to bring three Starbucks cups, coffee that is already made, a plastic cup or container to pour the coffee into, whipped cream, black sharpie, printed out Starbucks logos and tape. We planned to bring printed out Starbucks logos to decorate the cafeteria as though it was an actual Starbucks cafe. We would need a Starbucks cup and a sharpie because we will write the "customer's" name on the cup as that is an action typically seen in Starbucks commercials. We would need a plastic cup or container to put the prepared coffee in so that we can pour it into the customer's plastic cup and use our whipped cream to decorate the drink. We plan to film in our school's cafeteria, however, if it does not go as planned then we will film our commercial in our classroom with a completely different storyboard. We plan to make two storyboards to correlate with our two possible locations.
Props: Starbucks Cup: the beverage will be poured into the Starbucks cup, then given to
customer afterwards.
Prepared coffee: the coffee will be used to resemble to beverage the customer ordered,
and it will be poured into the Starbucks cup.
Plastic cup: This cup will be used to pour the coffee.
Black sharpie: the sharpie will be used to write the customer's name on the cup.
Printed out Starbucks logo: used to symbolize the location of the place; Starbucks.
Tape: used to tape the logo on the door.
Whipped Cream: to add the finishing touches on the beverage.
Costumes: Regular clothing- my group mate and I believe that it would be best for us to dress casual because Starbucks is marketing to the average day-to-day person.
Schedule: Day 1- Codes and Conventions (due 10/7)
Day 2- Planning (due 10/10)
Day 3- Storyboard (due 10/14)
Day 4- Filming (due 10/21)
Day 5- Editing (due 10/24)
Day 6- Submitting Commercial (due 10/30)
Day 7- Reflection Questions on Commercial
Location: Cafeteria- we are going to film in the cafeteria because it is the ideal place on
campus which is similar to a Starbucks cafe. We will also film outside of the
cafeteria to get a scene of the customer walking into Starbucks.
Back-Up Plan: We plan to film in the cafeteria since most of the Starbucks commercials are filmed at a Starbucks Cafe. If the cafeteria is not opened to students, then we will film in the classroom. Our alternative is the classroom because we have seen Starbucks commercials filmed in an office, and a classroom would be our closest match to an office. Perhaps, we can make a student commercial instead of an employee commercial. Meaning, instead of pretending that we are at work in a office, we would be students in a classroom advertising Starbucks.
Props: Starbucks Cup: the beverage will be poured into the Starbucks cup, then given to
customer afterwards.
Prepared coffee: the coffee will be used to resemble to beverage the customer ordered,
and it will be poured into the Starbucks cup.
Plastic cup: This cup will be used to pour the coffee.
Black sharpie: the sharpie will be used to write the customer's name on the cup.
Printed out Starbucks logo: used to symbolize the location of the place; Starbucks.
Tape: used to tape the logo on the door.
Whipped Cream: to add the finishing touches on the beverage.
Costumes: Regular clothing- my group mate and I believe that it would be best for us to dress casual because Starbucks is marketing to the average day-to-day person.
Schedule: Day 1- Codes and Conventions (due 10/7)
Day 2- Planning (due 10/10)
Day 3- Storyboard (due 10/14)
Day 4- Filming (due 10/21)
Day 5- Editing (due 10/24)
Day 6- Submitting Commercial (due 10/30)
Day 7- Reflection Questions on Commercial
Location: Cafeteria- we are going to film in the cafeteria because it is the ideal place on
campus which is similar to a Starbucks cafe. We will also film outside of the
cafeteria to get a scene of the customer walking into Starbucks.
Back-Up Plan: We plan to film in the cafeteria since most of the Starbucks commercials are filmed at a Starbucks Cafe. If the cafeteria is not opened to students, then we will film in the classroom. Our alternative is the classroom because we have seen Starbucks commercials filmed in an office, and a classroom would be our closest match to an office. Perhaps, we can make a student commercial instead of an employee commercial. Meaning, instead of pretending that we are at work in a office, we would be students in a classroom advertising Starbucks.
Monday, October 7, 2019
Research Blog: Commercial Conventions
Starbucks Commercial Research:
Today 10/7/2019, in class my group mate and I got together to decide on a company which we would like to do a commercial on. We came to consensus that our commercial would be about Starbucks. We were directed by our teacher to research the conventions and codes of our chosen company. Once we chose to do Starbucks, we immediately proceeded into doing our research. First, we watched four different Starbucks commercials which are recent and took notes on their codes and conventions as we watched. For the codes of the advertisement we noted things such as lighting, sounds, movements, and angles. For the conventions aspect we observed what all of the advertisements had in common in terms of what actions are taking place within the advertisement. Below is our detailed findings.
Starbucks commercial codes:
In a typical Starbucks commercial, the two main lighting used are natural and dim light. Those two types of lighting is effective because they capture the aesthetic behind the coffee making process. Sounds commonly used are diegetic sounds of the coffee being poured into the cup and also a score which sets a welcoming mood. Common movements are words shown on screen, coffee being poured into a cup, toppings being added to the coffee, the employee placing the customer's coffee on the order table, and customers reaching out to collect their coffee. Camera angles associated with Starbucks commercials are high angle, medium shot, medium close up, close up, and extreme close up.
Starbucks conventions:
Normally in a Starbucks commercial, the movements taking play are the day-to-day things a employee would do. One movement seen is the employee writing down the customers names on their cup. The employee making the coffee and to the customer’s liking is often seen. Lastly, typically shown is a scene where the customer receive their drink as the employee hands it over with a smile. The customer’s hand and the employee’s hold opposite ends of the cup which is displayed through an extreme close up.
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Introductory
Hi, my name is Britania. I am a 16 year old, Floridian, teenager. I am an 11th grader at Fort Lauderdale High, and I am in both the Cambridge and AP Capstone program. This is my last year in Cambridge, and my first year in AP Capstone. This school year I am taking AP Environmental Science, AP English Language, AICE Marine Science, AICE Media Studies, of course, AICE US History, and AP Seminar. Dealing with many upper level courses at once, I am glad to say that I have found a balance and I am doing great. This is my first time blogging, therefore I guess I would be considered an amateur. Being that I am quite an introvert, blogging is something I would've never thought I would get into. However, I do find pleasure in trying new things, especially new foods. My top two favorite desserts are grape nut ice cream and strawberry-vanilla cheesecake. My all time and forever favorite food in the entire universe has to be crabs. I have two siblings, a 10 year old brother and a 20 year old sister. My top hobbies are listening to music and singing, although I am not a very good singer. Some of my favorite artists are Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, James Arthur, and Sam Smith. I believe that these artists have some of the best voices because with every single word, they instill the emotions of their songs into listeners. Due to my music taste, one can sense that I am pretty emotional. According to my mom, I was always a quiet child who preferred being alone. Much has changed growing up, of course. I enjoy the company of others but not for an extended period of time or else I will start to feel agitated. If my closest friends were to describe me in a few words I am sure a majority of them would say that I am generous and brilliant. I find pleasure in small favors to others, however I will not allow anyone to take advantage. Due to being too nice and pushed around in the past by my peers I learned to stand my ground- a quality of mine which I am most proud of. Overall, I am a strong, open-minded, giving, mildly shy, intellectual girl with a personality that is like a box of dynamites but calm simultaneously.
My biggest pet peeve is feeling inadequate. I believe that everyone is good enough, however we tend to feel inadequate when we compare ourselves to others or someone else compares us to others. We must all feel comfort within ourselves. I also loath people who are unnecessarily mean. I am a believer that no one is actually mean, they just want to be seen- if that makes sense. Lastly, I do not like loud environments unless it is a party; Even then, I get tired of being at the party.
Something I enjoy and appreciate is watching YouTube videos. I love to see how teenagers like myself live their lives. I sometimes get inspiration from watching others through YouTube. I also enjoy the smallest things such as going to mall, watching a movie, getting my hair and nails done, and hanging out with family and friends here and there. I love to eat. The perks of getting to eat as much as I want is- I do not gain much unnecessary weight. I appreciate having a fast metabolism. I take interest in astrology. I believe that it is absolutely interesting how the position of the sun, moon, planets, and stars has an influence on one's behavior and how we may look to the universe as a guide. I do however keep in mind that not everything in astrology is accurate being that I am open-minded. I do understand that people are the way they are by nature and nurture and a zodiac sign does not completely define a person.
Thank you all for tuning into my introductory blog. Have a spectacular morning, evening, or night. -xoxo Britania
My biggest pet peeve is feeling inadequate. I believe that everyone is good enough, however we tend to feel inadequate when we compare ourselves to others or someone else compares us to others. We must all feel comfort within ourselves. I also loath people who are unnecessarily mean. I am a believer that no one is actually mean, they just want to be seen- if that makes sense. Lastly, I do not like loud environments unless it is a party; Even then, I get tired of being at the party.
Something I enjoy and appreciate is watching YouTube videos. I love to see how teenagers like myself live their lives. I sometimes get inspiration from watching others through YouTube. I also enjoy the smallest things such as going to mall, watching a movie, getting my hair and nails done, and hanging out with family and friends here and there. I love to eat. The perks of getting to eat as much as I want is- I do not gain much unnecessary weight. I appreciate having a fast metabolism. I take interest in astrology. I believe that it is absolutely interesting how the position of the sun, moon, planets, and stars has an influence on one's behavior and how we may look to the universe as a guide. I do however keep in mind that not everything in astrology is accurate being that I am open-minded. I do understand that people are the way they are by nature and nurture and a zodiac sign does not completely define a person.
Thank you all for tuning into my introductory blog. Have a spectacular morning, evening, or night. -xoxo Britania
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