Overall, I loved taking this class! I liked the freedom aspect of the class, and I loved how open-ended all of the project were, which let my creativity shine through. My favorite project by far was the News Package, because we were able to chose our own ideas for what we want our projects to be about, and we had the chance to incorporate everything we've learned in the semester into one project. In fact, since the News Package was so fun to do, I think that there should be another News Package project, or another project similar to it toward the end of the semester. Although I would love to take Broadcast II next year, I think my primary focus of next year will be to take as many science and psychology classes as possible to continue onto college and later into my career path. Overall, I thought that class was a good balance of fun and work, and there wasn't a day that wasn't fun!
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The News Package was by far my favorite project of the whole semester. When I first heard about the project, my first idea was to capture the Variety Program and what it does for disabled kids. Building bikes through this program is one of my favorite things to do during the holiday season because it feels good to give back during a time of giving. I liked filming all of the volunteers building the bikes because they were all having fun while listening to music. However, my favorite part of shooting was filming the kids walk in during the parade, because I got to capture the kids' faces light up because of the bikes. On the other hand, I liked editing this project as well as filming it because it was fun to look through all the B-Roll and interviews I captured; it was also fun to use my footage to make a story out of the program and the little boy I met and spent time with throughout the course of the day.
I liked both of these stories because they appeal to emotion, while also illustrating an underlying theme throughout. In reference to the Hey, You, See, Say formation, One way the "Adoption" (first photo) story got the listener's attention by the central character of the story, Susie Izatt, saying how she thought she was "boring", and a "nobody"; the "Odd Couple" (second photo) story also got the listener's attention with natural sound of elephants. Additionally, in the "Adoption" Story, Steve makes this story relatable to use by incorporating family love and strong family relationships, which we can all relate to. Similarly, in the "Odd Couple" Story, Steve incorporates a bond of friendship, which is relatable to most, of not all, people. I thought the videos did a good job of appealing to emotions, as well as incorporating the Hey, You, See, Say elements.
From doing a practice interview with classmates in class, I learned that listening is a very important skill when interviewing, especially if you have few or even only one question prepared. Also, I learned from doing a practice interview that it is very important to start the interview with asking broad, open-ended questions, such as "tell be about" questions, that can later lead to a more specific topic of conversation for the interview. Also, from watching various videos about interviewing skills, I learned that the interviewee must not look at the camera, rather off to the side, because the interview should be depicted as a conversation that should be "quoted" by the audience in a way. In addition, I learned that location and the process of setting up before the interview is almost as important, if not equally as important, as the questions being asked and the interview itself. For example, it's important that the lighting is good when you are filming, and that the contrast between the subject and the light in the shot is not too drastic.
Overall, I thought the Six-Word Story was one of the most fun projects that we have done so far, mainly because we could use our filming techniques outside the classroom. I chose this certain six-word story because I wanted to film something that is a very important aspect of my life; I wanted to film my sister and our relationship because it has affected my life both positively and negatively in a multitude of ways. The majority of my shots were either simple shots, such as medium or wide shots, or more complex shots, such as over-the-shoulder and point of view shots. I chose to include several over-the-shoulder and point of view shots to include both contrast to the other medium and wide shots, as well as depicting out relationship from both my perspective and my sister's. One aspect that I loved about the project was that we had the ability to take equipment home, which expanded possibilities of where to film, as well as expanded my creativity. However, one challenge I had was getting good lighting while I was filming, mainly because, during the week the project was assigned, I had a tournament game for field hockey everyday after school. Because I would get home so late every day, I was difficult for me to capture shots with good lighting.
To watch the Six-Word Story, click here. I had fun practicing the 19 different shots in the shooting gallery. Overall, I liked practicing the new shots, such as the contracting/collapse dolly and the follow shot, more so than practicing the more simple shots because they offered more of a variety, and they were generally more fun to film because they involved more movement. I thought they were fun to shoot because I did some shots that I have never shot before, such as point of view and dark voyeur. My favorite shots include dark voyeur (bottom center) and depth (top left) because they depict the focus of the shot from a different perspective. My favorite shots also include the extreme angle shot (top right) as well we the over-the-shoulder shot (bottom right) because I got to experience filming a subject from a contrasting angle, such as an extreme low angle or at a slanted angle, rather than simply at eye-level. To conclude, my other two favorite shots were the point of view shot (top center) and the close-up shot (bottom left) because they offer something else to the viewer other than the subject itself; it adds a bit of contrast in addition to the other shots.
I thought the research for the six-word stories was really interesting, and I enjoyed reading various examples of them. For instance, I liked reading certain six-word stories that involve word-play or play-on words because I found them the funniest. In contrast, I also liked reading the six-word stories that have more of a negative meaning because they generally evoke more emotion and thought. Through my research, I learned that Ernest Hemingway had a tough life growing up, including several divorces and near-death experiences, despite his fame. Some of my favorite six-word stories were:
"I leave. Dog panics. Furniture shopping." "Alzheimer's Advantage: new friends every day!" To read some six-word stories like the ones pictured below, click here. I thought the Video Scavenger Hunt was a fun project because it allowed me to go around the school and shoot a variety of shots that I wouldn't usually capture. I also liked the project because it was interesting to see the variety shots that everyone had of the same thing. For example, many different groups had contrasting shots for "something red" or "a teacher sleeping". Also, this particular project allowed me to experiment with shots with limited instruction and room to make mistakes and errors. However, the only thing I didn't like about Final Cut Pro was some of its aspects were similar to iMovie. On the other hand, I liked how it easy it was to insert and edit shots in Final Cut Pro.The WALLDO Video was a fun and easy project for the most part. Firstly, walking around the school and getting a variety of different shots in different parts of the building was enjoyable. Also, I liked taking videos of things from different perspectives, such as from a low angle or shooting at an angle in general. I thought shooting at different angles was more fun than just shooting things from a straight angle or simply straight on. On the other hand, I thought some shots, such as the depth and the low shots, were hard to shoot because I have never done them before. In addition, I liked editing in Final Cut Pro because there was a wide range of options for titles, music, and transitions that I could choose from. I also liked how Final Cut Pro was easy to use because of the multiple keyboard shortcuts.
Overall, I enjoyed making the iAm Video, and I thought it was a successful first project. I thought it was a great opportunity to get to know everyone in my class, including what their interests are and what is important to them. Additionally, I liked the project because using iMovie Trailer was relatively simple, mainly because the templates were easy to use. Also, I enjoyed looking through my camera roll and finding photos of what I love and what is important in my life to use in the project. However, I thought the project was somewhat difficult because I felt that my creativity was restricted due to the limited variety of templates I could choose from. From this project, I learned how to use iMovie Trailer, as well as how to upload videos onto both SchoolTube and Weebly.
To watch the iAm Video, click here. |
AuthorSarah Lett is currently a junior enrolled at Ladue High School. She enjoys playing field hockey and reading, as well as being a devoted sister and daughter to her family. Archives
December 2017
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