Reflection
Today, I used the video editing software Final Cut Pro for the first time to edit my video. The program was entire new to me, and the fact that it is intended for use by professionals made it very hard to grasp as compared to iMovie. Learning the new skills needed to use a professional video manipulation an editing software was a major task for this lesson, and took up a lot of time.
Previously, iMovie was the only video editing software I had ever used. After being acquainted with such a user friendly and easy to use application, graduating to Final Cut Pro was quite difficult. However, the very good quality of video produced by FInal Cut Pro and the huge number of extra features it has compared to iMovie made it very useful in creating a skillfully crafted movie from some amateurish video clips.
Final Cut Pro was very complex and difficult to use at the beginning, but after much experimentation and some fooling around with keyboard shortcuts, I soon discovered how to use it quite efficiently and quickly allowing Nic Tse and myself to quickly find the correct clips, cut out the parts that were not required, and to join all of them up with transitional effects.
Evaluation
Final Cut Pro is a very difficult program to use for a new user who is unfamiliar with professional video editing software (i.e. myself). Learning more about the features of Final Cut Pro is relatively simple over the internet, and the fact that I also possess this software at home is helpful too since experimentation is probably the most effective method of learning in this case.
We managed to finish editing the bulk of the film today, leaving us only to put in a title and credits during next lesson. This is quite impressive in my opinion, since the program was completely new to us and we managed to learn how to use the program as well as to edit virtually the entire video in only one lesson. Nic and I also had a lot of fun observing our quite amateurish acting and some very hilarious potential bloopers. We did laugh a little too much and too hard, which might have made the difference between finishing editing the entire video and what actually got completed.
In future, our new skills in using Final Cut Pro and a more self-disciplined approach to viewing funny video clips will help me to edit videos much faster and more effectively than today.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Reflection/Evaluation for 21/2/11
Reflection:
Today, we began shooting our film and learnt a lot about the difficulties involved in doing so. The classroom we had planned to use was occupied by a class, so we had to move down to the library. Setting up the camera was quite quick due to the storyboard planning, though the added ability to film from in front of me instead of behind me due to the lack of a wall ahead of me allowed us to experiment a little.
We also had to fiddle around a little bit with the tripod for the camera. Although this wasn't at all damaging to our filming, it was important to learn how to properly use the camera stand for future purposes. The camera tilt and pan function was very useful in reducing the potential for shaking the camera and improving the smoothness of camera movements.
Evaluation:
We filmed in the library, and managed to finish by the end of the class as required. Since our script called for some very unusual and comical moments, it was extremely difficult to restrain myself from laughter at some moments. This meant that we had to reshoot several times, which took up too much time. I also diverted slightly from the script's dialogue, and improvised slightly, which was probably not too beneficial since it made the other people in my group laugh.
Overall, however, our group managed once again to complete filming on time before the end of class, and we also managed to import all the video clips onto the computer so that we won't need to waste time next lesson preparing the clips for editing. I did remain focused today throughout filming, and the difficulties we faced were nobody's fault. We did have a lot of fun in filming, though in future we should learn our lines a little more thoroughly to avoid wasting that one minute where we had to memorize them.
Today, we began shooting our film and learnt a lot about the difficulties involved in doing so. The classroom we had planned to use was occupied by a class, so we had to move down to the library. Setting up the camera was quite quick due to the storyboard planning, though the added ability to film from in front of me instead of behind me due to the lack of a wall ahead of me allowed us to experiment a little.
We also had to fiddle around a little bit with the tripod for the camera. Although this wasn't at all damaging to our filming, it was important to learn how to properly use the camera stand for future purposes. The camera tilt and pan function was very useful in reducing the potential for shaking the camera and improving the smoothness of camera movements.
Evaluation:
We filmed in the library, and managed to finish by the end of the class as required. Since our script called for some very unusual and comical moments, it was extremely difficult to restrain myself from laughter at some moments. This meant that we had to reshoot several times, which took up too much time. I also diverted slightly from the script's dialogue, and improvised slightly, which was probably not too beneficial since it made the other people in my group laugh.
Overall, however, our group managed once again to complete filming on time before the end of class, and we also managed to import all the video clips onto the computer so that we won't need to waste time next lesson preparing the clips for editing. I did remain focused today throughout filming, and the difficulties we faced were nobody's fault. We did have a lot of fun in filming, though in future we should learn our lines a little more thoroughly to avoid wasting that one minute where we had to memorize them.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Reflection/Evaluation for 15/2/11
Reflection:
Today, we had a refresher on the types of camera angles, movements, and distances we could use in our minute-long film project. It was quite interesting learning about different techniques, and how they could be used to enhance the experience of an emotion that the director wants the viewer to feel.
Some of what we learnt included:
Camera Distances:
Establishing Shot - An general shot which displays the subject and the its surroundings.
Long Shot - A shot of the actor's full body, displays movements of his whole body and the background setting
Medium Shot - A shot of the actor above the waist, focusing on the actor's upper body gestures
Close-Up - A shot of the actor above the shoulder, focusing on the actor's speech and/or facial expressions.
Extreme Close-Up - A shot of the actor which displays a very small portion of his body, such as an eye or a wound, to portray the actor's emotions or detail.
Camera Angles:
Eye Level - An angle of neutral viewpoint.
Bird's Eye View - An extreme high angle shot, taken from directly above the subject
High-Angle - A shot from a high perspective, exaggerating the shortness of the subject and implying that it is weak.
Low-Angle - A shot from a low perspective, exaggerating the height of the subject and implying that it is strong.
Dutch Angle - A titled shot, suggesting confusion or imbalance.
Evaluation:
Later, we tried to incorporate this knowledge into our storyboards, but the internet connection was extremely slow. This caused me to lose track a little and start a game of Chess while the Scribd page loaded, though I did stop when the page finally stopped loading. We then went ahead with editing our storyboard to include our newfound technical knowledge in filmmaking. This was the first time that I had become distracted, though productivity was not adversely affected.
Today, we had a refresher on the types of camera angles, movements, and distances we could use in our minute-long film project. It was quite interesting learning about different techniques, and how they could be used to enhance the experience of an emotion that the director wants the viewer to feel.
Some of what we learnt included:
Camera Distances:
Establishing Shot - An general shot which displays the subject and the its surroundings.
Long Shot - A shot of the actor's full body, displays movements of his whole body and the background setting
Medium Shot - A shot of the actor above the waist, focusing on the actor's upper body gestures
Close-Up - A shot of the actor above the shoulder, focusing on the actor's speech and/or facial expressions.
Extreme Close-Up - A shot of the actor which displays a very small portion of his body, such as an eye or a wound, to portray the actor's emotions or detail.
Camera Angles:
Eye Level - An angle of neutral viewpoint.
Bird's Eye View - An extreme high angle shot, taken from directly above the subject
High-Angle - A shot from a high perspective, exaggerating the shortness of the subject and implying that it is weak.
Low-Angle - A shot from a low perspective, exaggerating the height of the subject and implying that it is strong.
Dutch Angle - A titled shot, suggesting confusion or imbalance.
Evaluation:
Later, we tried to incorporate this knowledge into our storyboards, but the internet connection was extremely slow. This caused me to lose track a little and start a game of Chess while the Scribd page loaded, though I did stop when the page finally stopped loading. We then went ahead with editing our storyboard to include our newfound technical knowledge in filmmaking. This was the first time that I had become distracted, though productivity was not adversely affected.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Reflection/Evaluation for 11/2/11
Reflection:
Having finished our script the previous lesson, we began to take photos for our storyboard today. A new member was added to our group today, Cynthia. While integrating her into the group and familiarizing her with our idea for the project, we managed to make some small edits to the script.
We walked all around the school looking for a good place to film. After finding an empty classroom, we took some pictures to capture the angle at which the movie would be filmed. The use of pictures and forward planning in a storyboard to remove future potential obstacles in camera placement when filming was very useful knowledge. Possible problems with lighting and angles at which all characters were improperly presented were taken care of before the actual filming took place, saving some time for when we do get down to shooting.
Evaluation:
Lighting and angles were some aspects of storyboard planning that took a lot of time to experiment with. Examining the use of angles and lighting (and the camera positioning and techniques used to adapt to the environment when altering the light is not possible) in successful films would be helpful in discovering the most effective methods of creating a certain atmosphere in the scene.
After taking shots of the location we intended to shoot in, we soon discovered that we were supposed to take photos with the characters in the frame, which meant that we wasted quite a lot of time. The actual taking of the storyboard photos took less than five minutes, though. We also spent a lot of time changing camera batteries, walking around looking for suitable filming locations, and making mistakes in understanding what we were supposed to do, but the process of planning camera angles, sizes of frames and character placements was a valuable learning experience.
Despite these drawbacks, we still managed to use our class time reasonably well, finishing on time before the end of class with time to spare. In future, hopefully we will listen more carefully to instructions and interpret them better so that we will have more time before the end of class to do other housekeeping activities. The fact that we did finish the script in the class before did remove the need to waste a lot more time, however, and we did have a lot of fun learning about different camera placements and how they affect the viewer.
Having finished our script the previous lesson, we began to take photos for our storyboard today. A new member was added to our group today, Cynthia. While integrating her into the group and familiarizing her with our idea for the project, we managed to make some small edits to the script.
We walked all around the school looking for a good place to film. After finding an empty classroom, we took some pictures to capture the angle at which the movie would be filmed. The use of pictures and forward planning in a storyboard to remove future potential obstacles in camera placement when filming was very useful knowledge. Possible problems with lighting and angles at which all characters were improperly presented were taken care of before the actual filming took place, saving some time for when we do get down to shooting.
Evaluation:
Lighting and angles were some aspects of storyboard planning that took a lot of time to experiment with. Examining the use of angles and lighting (and the camera positioning and techniques used to adapt to the environment when altering the light is not possible) in successful films would be helpful in discovering the most effective methods of creating a certain atmosphere in the scene.
After taking shots of the location we intended to shoot in, we soon discovered that we were supposed to take photos with the characters in the frame, which meant that we wasted quite a lot of time. The actual taking of the storyboard photos took less than five minutes, though. We also spent a lot of time changing camera batteries, walking around looking for suitable filming locations, and making mistakes in understanding what we were supposed to do, but the process of planning camera angles, sizes of frames and character placements was a valuable learning experience.
Despite these drawbacks, we still managed to use our class time reasonably well, finishing on time before the end of class with time to spare. In future, hopefully we will listen more carefully to instructions and interpret them better so that we will have more time before the end of class to do other housekeeping activities. The fact that we did finish the script in the class before did remove the need to waste a lot more time, however, and we did have a lot of fun learning about different camera placements and how they affect the viewer.
Monday, February 07, 2011
Reflection/Evaluation for 7/2/11
Reflection:
Today's overview of the upcoming semester's work was intriguing, and I now look forward to creating my own projects with future knowledge. The focus on sound and techniques in using this to evoke emotional responses in the audience is particularly interesting, and I look forward to learning more about manipulating sound and how this can be used to alter the perception of a scene in a film.
We gathered into groups to begin writing a script based on the AOI, Health and Social Education.Using Celtx was a new experience for me, and it is very convenient and useful for script writing. I am happy to be accustomed to it already so that in future I will be able to use it more efficiently and creatively.
Evaluation:
Improving my understanding of the AOI would be useful, and going to the IB website to learn more about it would help a lot if it is necessary to edit the script. Reading the scripts of successful movies may also give me a better idea of how to write a good script.
I think I worked quite well today, remaining focused and not being distracted. The writing of the script was fun and yet effective, since we were able to complete it within the allotted time. I particularly enjoyed adding a line that both provided humour and also broadened the focus of the scene to include a different aspect of the AOI. I think that working effectively is important, but the fact that I had fun as a group while doing so was a very good experience.
Although our lack of knowledge today contributed slightly to some delays, a similar approach in the future to learning and working would be successful.
Today's overview of the upcoming semester's work was intriguing, and I now look forward to creating my own projects with future knowledge. The focus on sound and techniques in using this to evoke emotional responses in the audience is particularly interesting, and I look forward to learning more about manipulating sound and how this can be used to alter the perception of a scene in a film.
We gathered into groups to begin writing a script based on the AOI, Health and Social Education.Using Celtx was a new experience for me, and it is very convenient and useful for script writing. I am happy to be accustomed to it already so that in future I will be able to use it more efficiently and creatively.
Evaluation:
Improving my understanding of the AOI would be useful, and going to the IB website to learn more about it would help a lot if it is necessary to edit the script. Reading the scripts of successful movies may also give me a better idea of how to write a good script.
I think I worked quite well today, remaining focused and not being distracted. The writing of the script was fun and yet effective, since we were able to complete it within the allotted time. I particularly enjoyed adding a line that both provided humour and also broadened the focus of the scene to include a different aspect of the AOI. I think that working effectively is important, but the fact that I had fun as a group while doing so was a very good experience.
Although our lack of knowledge today contributed slightly to some delays, a similar approach in the future to learning and working would be successful.
How Film Can Help Me Become a Better IB Learner
Based on the IB Learner Profile:
Inquirers
They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.
The techniques used in filming are exceedingly interesting to me, and I will enjoy learning more about how filmmakers achieve amazing results.
Knowledgeable
They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.
Learning, in depth, about the use of different techniques in filmmaking to create different results provides valuable knowledge.
Thinkers
They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
Potential problems in filming a video and finding creative ways to overcome these problems will help make me a better thinker.
Communicators
They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.
Collaboration is essential in filmmaking, and this class will help make me a better team player.
Principled
They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.
The sound unit will help teach me not to misuse the artistic work of other people without proper care, respect and credit.
Open-minded
They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.
Working with different people in groups will present different cultures and their different views of the world around us.
Caring
They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
When filming, it is important not to offend people with sensitive content, and Film will help develop my empathy and respect for others.
Risk-takers
They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
Discovering new and effective techniques in filmmaking requires use of intuition and courage to overcome obstacles, even when the outcome is uncertain.
Balanced
They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
Learning more about our AOI, Health and Social Education, through film, will help me to achieve personal well-being for myself.
Reflective
They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.
The reflections we must perform after every class are helpful in promoting an ability to assess strengths and weaknesses to help develop myself.
Inquirers
They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.
The techniques used in filming are exceedingly interesting to me, and I will enjoy learning more about how filmmakers achieve amazing results.
Knowledgeable
They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.
Learning, in depth, about the use of different techniques in filmmaking to create different results provides valuable knowledge.
Thinkers
They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
Potential problems in filming a video and finding creative ways to overcome these problems will help make me a better thinker.
Communicators
They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.
Collaboration is essential in filmmaking, and this class will help make me a better team player.
Principled
They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.
The sound unit will help teach me not to misuse the artistic work of other people without proper care, respect and credit.
Open-minded
They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.
Working with different people in groups will present different cultures and their different views of the world around us.
Caring
They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
When filming, it is important not to offend people with sensitive content, and Film will help develop my empathy and respect for others.
Risk-takers
They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
Discovering new and effective techniques in filmmaking requires use of intuition and courage to overcome obstacles, even when the outcome is uncertain.
Balanced
They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
Learning more about our AOI, Health and Social Education, through film, will help me to achieve personal well-being for myself.
Reflective
They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.
The reflections we must perform after every class are helpful in promoting an ability to assess strengths and weaknesses to help develop myself.
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