Short Film project

Short Film

Bases Loaded

Thalia Prehoda Blog

What the project was...

        For our video final, my class and I split into groups to make a short story. Our story was about a boy wanting to join the high school baseball team but he wasn't a good player. A baseball player finds him and trains him, but before he could try out he was killed.

My Group

       My group was made up of 5 people, 3 guys, and 2 girls. I was the cinematographer with Blake G., Michael, and Anna. I was in charge of bringing props too. Blake G. was in charge of editing, and Michael was supposed to bring props too, but he became an actor with the rest of us later on.

What went well

        Since this was our first time making a short film, everything went better than we first expected. Some of our shots were creative and the rest were great. Our script was decent but the soundtrack was great as well. Everyone did a great job with as many unfortunate things that occurred in pre-production especially with acting.

What could have gone better

        A lot of things went wrong when we tried to film. The weather wasn't the best since it was raining and windy. We forgot to white balance some of the shots. We also lost some actors, and this made it difficult to meet up after school. At first we were supposed to have a different and longer script, but because Blake had work and the friends that we were going to use as main actors couldn't help, we had to improvise at the last second. The car crash was rushed because the bully couldn't come to school to help us.

What I Learned

      I learned a lot in this final project, especially with timing. A lot that went wrong was because we shot too high with as little time we had. We need to use the school and our baseball field at C-Back to film more. We also needed to get the shots where the other Blake was going to be there first. We needed a mic for the camera to block out the wind, and if we needed to, we could have used voice overs as well. Blake G. taught me a few things in editing. The end shot I would have never though of putting the voice over in it. I also learned not to use text to jump into another day and to use a fade instead.

What I Would Have Done Differently

       I would have made the story more about something that occurs in school. It would have made it easier to start earlier so we would have had more time to film. I would also make sure to check with others about when they think they would be gone and if they have work. White balance wasn't all that great for some shots, so I will make sure to check the white balance all the time before we film just to make sure.

Movie Trailer

Movie Trailer Project

       In e-Comm, we made a movie trailer with a group we were assigned to. My group did the trailer for The Edge of 17. The link for the trailer is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8l-MPJ3LHk&t=11s

Project

       For this project, we used Canon Rebel cameras to record and tripods to keep the camera still. Some shots we had to try to hold the camera as still as possible. It was a bit tricky at first, but I eventually got the hang of it.

        My group had 2 other girls in it. 1 was the cinematographer and art director, the other was the group manager and editor. I was the actress, editor, and in charge of story boarding. I did some of the filming at my house and at an elementary school, the rest was at ONW.

         It was very difficult to get this project done because our cinematographer would not help us. They also did not finish the sequencing paper and when they did stuff, they always complained about how they were with us and how they were missing a minute of their very important lunch with their friends. Sometimes when the other girl and I needed her help and told her to stay with us, she snuck off somewhere and oftentimes never returned. She often forgot to bring the camera and SD card which forced me to go buy one. It was not fun dealing with her, but the other girl and I did just fine.

         

Overall

       Despite having an irresponsible and lazy cinematographer, we were able to get the project done. Sadly, we were not able to correct most of our shots that were ruined because of audio ad blurriness, but we did what we could with them. We also had to change some of the scenes due to some being inappropriate, others were just harder to set up so we scrapped the original ideas and improvised. Improvising went well because we were able to get more done inside the school during class time.

What I Would do Differently......

       If I had the choice to go back and change some things, I would change our timing with filming. We were supposed to film over spring break, but because of lack of communication we ended up rushing most of the project. I would also change the focus on some shots. Some audio was a bit messy too. We needed to speak a bit louder when we did the shots outside, in the bathroom, and in the cafeteria because they were quiet and ruined a bit by the wind. 

What I Would Keep the Same.....

        In my opinion, I thought most of our shots were really good. I liked the way I had to edit the music, even if it wasn't the best. Voice overs were good and our use of actors was nice too even though we didn't have that many. 

In the Future.....

          This project helped me understand a lot about camera focus and dolly shots. Most of the things from this project will be used in our short movies. I also learned a lot about responsibility, communication, and timing. A lot of our problems resolved around those three things. Maybe next project I wont be afraid to take charge and put people in their place because that is what our group needed. But the project was lots of fun and I am excited to use my new skills in our next project.

 

Music Video Project

Link to the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=gItZibUfoQE

Sophomore Music Video Project

Project: 

         In e-Comm, we had to make our first music video project. We had trouble finding a song but decided to use High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco. For this project, I was the cameraman at some parts. Sometimes we had a technical difficulties with the camera but it all worked out in the end.

        In order to start the project, we needed to storyboard the project. At first we were going to film at a different video, however the building was privately owned. After that, we kept it simple and filmed at the school.

         After we created our storyboard and found where we were going to shoot our clips, we were off to work. We were allowed to go on our school's catwalk and the roof. It was fun being somewhere not many people get to go to. We also did some filming in the school parking lot. When it came to editing, I had trouble because I didn't know how to edit the video to make it interesting, but I gave it my best effort especially when it came to color correcting.

          To edit the video, we used Adobe Premiere Pro, we use it for most of our projects.

What did I learn?

            I learned a lot  about how to use a camera in this video. I found out there was a certain way to walk with a camera not to make it bob up and down, all you have to do is walk heel to heel. It is harder than it looks, so we didn't do it in the video. 

What would I do differently?

          In the video, we needed more shots. Personally we blame the cold weather cutting us off, but we can't really do that. In editing, I need better timing with the song and better use of my shots. I also need to remember to give credit to the people who made the song and who starred in the video.

What would I keep the same?

          In the video, I would keep some of the transitions the same. I was really proud that even though I wasn't the best at timing the transitions or movements, I did the best I could and it came out really well. I would also try to keep the energy in the song the same with the smiling and dancing as our actor was walking up to the roof.

Next Time: 

            I got a lot out of this video project. I found out some cool ways to get smooth shots, like using a car if you are walking down the street if you don't have anything else you can use. I also found out how important using a tripod is to making better shots, I will definitely use a tripod more. Maybe next time I can also try walking a bit with the camera. And after watching other videos, I found a better way of editing music with the video. 

Final Reflection

First Semester

What did I do well?

          During First Semester, I was able to successfully learn how to use a video camera, microphones, and a tripod. I learned about three point lighting and how to set it up. I also learned how to record and interview. About 70%-80% of the shots should be close up, don't film near windows during the day due to the glare they cause, white balance if the video seems too blue or too yellow, and keep all of you adobe project in a certain folder so Adobe Premiere doesn't lose your footage.  

Where can I improve?

          There is still much room for improvement. One is with editing. I am not the best at doing voice overs and sometimes struggle with sound when editing a video. I also need to improve with where to place voice overs and recording Nat sound.

Plan to improve?

           For voice overs, I just need to be confident and not make my voice sound too dull. For editing, I need to listen closely to audio levels to make sure it isn't too loud or too soft. Same with Nat sound, I need to make sure it is quiet, and for placing Nat sound and voice overs, it is just a matter of repetition and practice.

Feature Story

Feature Story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM-BDo4UJCs

About the Project

            In e-Comm, we interviewed a student in our class and made a feature story about them or something they like to do. We edit the video in a software called Adobe Premier Pro. After the edits, we posted our video on YouTube. The link to the video is above.

Filming 

            We used cameras, tripods, and microphones provided from our video class to film the entire project. The filming could happen on or off campus, but my partner and I thought it would be best to film on campus. We had to use delayed leads, voice overs, Nat sound, and b-roll when recording. Nat sound is the natural sound of the environment we are recording in. Delayed leads are when one shot with the natural sound is playing and then you hear someone talking. The the shot changes to see the person talking. Voice overs are when the interviewer talks over a shot to summarize a question. B-roll is the footage of what the interviewee is talking about.

Editing the Video

        Once we got all the shots and voice overs we needed, we put the clips into Adobe Premier Pro. It was a bit tricky trying to figure out what to do with the shots, especially with the voice overs. The rest, like audio levels was easier. 

Review

What would I keep the same

         I did some good things with the video. When showing the student's name, I made sure to get rid of it before it was on the screen too long. I also made it a trumpet, which wasn't easy. I was also good with some of the shots taken, especially with the b-roll.

What would I do differently next time

          Next time, I will film in different place to get more of the feeling when talking about band. I would edit out the part when the interviewee repeats the question not to make the voiceovers sound repetitive. And with the trumpet, I would put the text under it or above it so it isn't hard to see. I might even use a better microphone to record the voice overs, they sounded a bit sloppy since I used my phone camera.

         Overall, I had lots of fun filming this and I think the project went well since this was my first time doing it. Moving on, I am excited with my new knowledge to film another feature story. 

4th Quarter Project

Final Freshman Blog

Fourth Quarter Project

In fourth quarter, we made a company and item for our company. My group's project was called the Mini Coach. It is a fitness device you can put on your neck and exercise. We had to make a website, two 2D animations, two 3D animations, a logo, and then we had to pitch the ideas in front of our peers like in Shark Tank. The project took us all of fourth quarter. Some of the challenges we faced were arguments about stuff to do and problems with the computer. But in the long run, we were able to work them out and finish with a very successful outcome. In the long run, I learned that not everyone will have the same mindset and outlook on things, and it can take lots of hard work and determination to finish long  and stressful projects. I didn't see any of the feedback I have gotten so far, but I think I did great since I was the leader of the group and helped out everyone as much as I could. Overall, I think that our product turned out great and I had lots of fun making it.

This was our website.

This was our commercial.

This was our logo ( I designed the logo).

This is the moving banner for our project.

This was our coupon.

This was the banner for our project.

Time in Class

During class time,we worked hard on the entire project. We needed to use raven 50 to work more on the website because without any of the final parts, we couldn't get the whole project done. We stayed productive most of the time and didn't quite finish early, but it is much better than finishing late. The whole project was a struggle mainly because it was hard to stay focused, but I learned just to take a deep breath and focus.Outside of class, I went to Raven 50 to see what I could do to make the video or website better.

Strengths 

My strengths as an e-Comm student have greatly improved since the beginning of the year. I am better with communication, I can think faster, I work harder, and can now stay focused really well. 

Weaknesses

What I need to improve on is not being to pushy. I like to get things done fast and efficiently and can chew others out if they don't get something done.

Overall

In fourth quarter, I really liked having a group that worked well together and had so many ideas. It was fun making the entire project. What I would change is getting things done right the first time and seeing how different things could affect you in the long run. It would also be better to plan ahed with the people in your group so they don't fall behind. Next year,  I would like to improve more on my animations and videos and try to make time to make more of them. My final thoughts is that I hope I have more projects like this in the future.

Personality test

Personality Test

For the personality test, I was an ISFP. I agree that I am an ISFP because I am quiet. I am not that shy, I just like to listen more than I like to talk. I am kind and loyal to those who I care about and can't stand disagreements because I get really mad and often don't know how much I hurt others feelings when I do so. I have a big heart and hate to hurt other peoples feelings, but my feelings can also get hurt easily.

In the LOBR test, I was a lion and an otter. That means I am a good leader and positive. I often have a messy room and rush through things instead of getting them done properly, however I am always encouraging others and I help them do their best. I am strong and share my ideas that I believe are the best way to solve a problem or get something done. My weaknesses are I am argumentative, to dictatorial, I talk too much, and I'm too permissive.

Some famous people who are ISFP are:
Justin Timberlake
Brad Pitt
Ryan Gostling
Frank Ocean
Marilyn Monroe
Britney Spears
Princess Diana
Lady Gaga