Video Final Review

Semester Overview

ONW Procedures/PSA

This was one of my first videos of the entire year. It took a short time since none of us really knew what we were doing so we just winged it mostly. Some challenges that we had was the fact that we didn't really know what we were doing with our time. However I learned a lot from this project. Since this was just the beginning there was a lot to learn from so being able to learn very on was good. Some feedback I was given was that we shouldn't so many jump cuts within our video. There are a few that are various obvious but we can't really fix them now. The only adjustments that I made were some audio issues and the pacing of the video. My opinion is that this wasn't very good for a film but we all have to start somewhere don't we?

Napoleon Dynamite Movie Trailer Remake

This is a more recent video that I worked on. This one took a little longer as it was more complicated and we had scheduling issues. A few challenges that we faced were getting actors and getting good locations. We had to use what was given to us so we just used one of my group members houses and for a scene that involved a new character, I had to step in and play the part. I learned how to have proper lighting and audio for this video since that was one of our main problems. I tried to fix it as much as I could but it still wasn't great. Those two things were some of the main feedback I received. The other of course was for my great looks.

Violent Delights Short Film

This is how far we've come in video. This was a short film about a girl who falls into love with a  manipulative boy. It took much longer to make as again we had multiple schedule issues and people not wanting to work together. The main challenge that I faced was some of the cinematography. There were multiple instances of having shaky cam and random zoom ins. That wasn't my fault but i'm not blaming my cinematographer either. The main thing I learned along the way was how to actually balance audio and cancel out nat noise during post-production. Some of the feedback we received was the fact that we had random zooms and it made awkward nat noise for the film. The only thing that we changed was the balancing of audio and how the film plot moves. We had to change a lot due to school restrictions

Time Well Spent

I used my in class time very well. I tried my best to do work every time that I had the opportunity. If I finished early then I would try changing things to make my film better. Having extra time is a blessing for any project so if you are editing a video and finish it in 7 hour but you have 8, you use that 1 hour to try and make your film even better than it would be with what it was. Since I don't have any of the adobe software outside of class it was difficult for me to do anything. Often times I would come in before or after school to finish things up. 

Areas of Strength

Some areas of strength that I have are my ability to edit and shoot with cinematic style. Ever ytime that I get to be the cinematographer for a video I shoot as many takes as I can using all of the principles of film that i've learned. 

Areas of Improvement

While I may a good editor and cinematographer, my technical skills could use some work. I have very basic knowledge of the equipment and programs I use but it's all part of the learning process. I used online tutorials and the people around me to enhance my skills. 

Summary

The thing that I loved most about this semester was meeting new people and being able to develop of love for directing and shooting movies. I had a small love before but this semester opened up an entirely new world for me. There's not a thing that I would do different or change. Everything that I did led me to this point and now I have a greater knowledge and understanding of film because of it. A few of the take-aways that i would take away is how cinematic films can be. I'm very cinematic with my films already so being able to develop that skill will be very useful. The one goal that I have for next semester is to make more films in my free time. Every chance that I get I am going to be making films. My final thought for video is for the reader. If you have a dream or an idea in your head that you want to pursue, then go after it. It doesn't matter if it's a stupid idea or not, if you can execute well, then it's sure to be a great film. 

End of the Year Reflection

Valuable Takeaways

In eComm we have 5 main guarantees which include Technology, Collaboration, Communication, Project Management, and Leadership. 

Technology

technology is one of the main skills that is involved in animation. All of the things we work with are technology based. Since everything is based around it I had to learn how to handle the technology. It's very important skill to have for a class that revolves around it. Sometimes technology doesn't like to work so you have to learn how to work around it. It took awhile for me to learn the skill, even after having to ask the teacher how to do things 50 times a day. It's not one of my strengths but not one of my weaknesses either if that makes any sense. I have significantly improved in technology but still have a ways to go. I still need to work on 3D modeling part of programs like Maya, so that I can use 3D models later on in life. The main part of technology that I am going to take away from Technology is the use of green screen. 

Collaboration

Collaboration isn't something much thought about in Animation. For most of the year we did work on our own and had very little group work. However you still have to be able to collaborate with the people around you. You don't have to like some one in order to collaborate with them which I learned very quickly. That's why it is such an important skill to have. This is definitely a weakness for me because I don't like working with people who are hard to work with. It's something that i've always been good at so there was a little room for improvement. I still have some things to work but its not to bad. 

Communication

Communication is always an important skill to have no matter what you're doing. If you don't know what you're doing, being able to communicate with others is a very important. I also had to communicate with my teacher multiple times. Being able to ask questions and tell him exactly what's going wrong is very important. There aren't very many challenges when it comes to communicating so that's not a problem. 

Project Management

This is a skill that is another one of my weaknesses. Sometimes the programs don't work quite the way that we want to so its hard to have good project management. It's important to have good project management because that will get your assignments get turned in on time and not having to stress about deadlines. I've improved quite a bit with management since starting animation and now most of my projects are turned in on time. 

Leadership

Leadership isn't very prevalent in animation since we don't really have a chance since it's mostly solo work. leadership comes in when we work in groups and when people look to you for help. It's important to have leadership and lead people because that will take you a very far. It's something that i've improved on since i've ;earned a few other things and have been able to lead other people.