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.