Editing Blog

On October 25 we completed the filming process.Today we began the editing process. We started by importing all the film on to the laptop. To import we plugged the SD card into the laptop. We created a folder to organize the entire project. Then we opened iMovie editor and began editing our individual clips. In total we had 12 scenes in the film to organize and edit. We then organized our clips according to our storyboard. As we started to organize our clips, we began to clip and trim our takes. Then we transferred the raw footage into Track 2 After organizing them and trimming them we began to edit the lighting and colors of the takes to make it more cohesive. We decided to keep the scenes bright and vivid. Many of our scenes needed to be sped up to keep into the time frame. When we started editing we thought the video was going to be short but it ended up being too long. Our longest scene was 16 seconds so we sped it up and trimmed off chunks. Also one scene needed an exact jump cut so we trimmed it to the exact second. Then we began to edit audio. We muted all audio from the takes so only the music was heard. After attempting several websites, we finally found one to download music off of at the best quality. We downloaded Blitzgrieg Bop by the Ramones because it was upbeat and had a rock-grunge vibe which is what we were attempting to show. We then added the audio to the folder. We imported to the audio to Track 3. Then we began to clip the audio to try and get the best parts of the song to match the best part of the film.  We repeatedly split, matched and added until the film was completely tailored to our liking. We then downloaded, imported and inserted the Vans logo to the final scene. To finish, we exported the film and watched it as a group. To export we saved it as a file in our folder.

Editing is one of the most important part of filmmaking because if not the raw footage has no meaning. Editing was one of the most tedious parts because we have to get an exact cut and tailor it to the exact way we want it. Getting a good song was important because it sets the overall tone of the commercial. We also were trying to get the message across that this commercial was for a shoe company and what the shoes can do. 

Filming Blog

Filming Blog

      Today I filmed the majority of the commercial scenes. To prepare for the filming, I made sure my crew all came prepared in costume in our Vans merchandise.  I also made sure to bring both of my skateboards to school that day go use as props. One group mate brought in several other pairs of shoes to use as well. When we got to class we checked out our camera and tripod. I made sure to bring in my own SD card to make sure we lose none of our footage. Once we got our film hallway passes we headed to our first location on campus to film. The first spot was the main stairs. We shot our first scene with the camera, resting it on a stair step of my group mate Darwin walking down the stairs. It took a couple of shots to get it stable, and just the way we envisioned it. 

       Next, we moved onto our next scene of Mariapaula jumping onto the skateboard; this was a close shot. Next we went to the front of the cafeteria and shot Mariapaula flipping up the skateboard. This shot was both an action shot and a close product shot. Next we choreographed the next scene, which was Darwin and Mariapaula meeting up and walking away followed by me crossing the frame quickly. This shot was the longest and took the most attempts. We then did a take of me walking up stairs with a Vans backpack and shoes. Next we shot our most difficult scenes which was the montage of foot action. The first one was me walking into the scene, doing dances with my feet, then alternating with Mariapaula and Darwin. To film these we put the skateboard on the floor and put the camera on it. It was difficult to film this scene because we had to make sure our feet lined up. Then on our next filming day we filmed mariapaula in the classroom scene and this scene was quickly done. We finished filming with a scene of Darwin walking up stairs and that concluded filming. I returned all equipment back and began reviewing. We took about 3 takes for each shot with some needing more.In our entire commercial, we wanted to highlight the shoes, so we made sure to not include any faces. We noticed in many footwear commercial, the film focuses on the product and since we have no voiceover or text, we wanted to accentuate the shoes as much as possible.

          Filming was the most fun part of the project so far. I learned the importance of planning, because we had to change the angles on-field which wasted our time. In the end, I think we got a lot done in limited time, which made me excited for the next stage of filmmaking.

StoryBoard blog

We made a storyboard during class with simple drawings and illustrations on how we plan to make our commercial. Since the commercial is approximately 25-30 seconds long, and each scene is about 5 seconds long, we needed to use 6-7 scenes in total. In the storyboard, we will figure out what camera angles and shots we will be using. As well as the roles we will be playing and how we will edit the raw footage to the final product. In the storyboard, the costumes and clothing we will be wearing will be decided and planned for when we will shoot.

 In our first scene, we sketched out our idea of a three-short of the three of us sitting at a desk together doing our work as the bell rings. In the scene, a person will walk to the right in front of the three students, and a graphic match will connect it to the next scene. In the second scene, the camera is still as the person walks down steps, showing their Vans apparel. In this scene the camera will flash pan to the right, transitioning into the third scene. In the third scene, it will be a medium close-up of a person’s feet, wearing Vans shoes, getting on a skateboard and skating away towards the right as the camera flash pans.

In the next scene, the person who was skating in the previous scene will have arrived to his destination and meet up with his friends as they walk into the cafeteria. This scene will be a two shot of him and his friend, who are both wearing Vans apparel. In the fifth scene, a new person appears as the two other boys disappear into the cafeteria. The new girl is walking to the left and the camera does a tilt/zoom into shoes. This scene is a medium long-shot. In the sixth scene, there will be different close-up takes with different pairs of shoes. Each take involves the same movement; walking and dancing. We will then edit the footage together to make a graphic match of all the shoes together in one motion. In the final scene, the last pair of shoes from the previous scene will be walking out of frame and down the stairs as the Vans logo appears.

All of our scenes will be mostly naturally lit using the sun’s lighting. However there will still be parts with artificial lighting from the rooms. When we actually start filming our commercial, we will shoot the first scene first. Then we will shoot the scenes with the skateboards first, because we have limited time with them. We will shoot multiple takes of the same scene in case of any unpredictable mishaps that may appear in the background or anything else. We will be bringing in a laptop form home and be using iMovie to edit. This is to make it easier to edit our film. All of this planning from the storyboard is done to have everything ready and prepared for when we shoot to maximize productivity. We go in depth with our misc-en-scene and our angles and other factors. In the end, we will have the film ready to edit and implement our plans on how we want to edit it.

Editing Lesson Blog

Editing Lesson

       Today our class went over camera equipment procedures and editing. Mrs. Marchionne discussed camera usage, tripods and SD cards. We went over Pinnacle Studios, which is the editing software available to us. There are several steps to properly importing and saving your footage. These steps are vital to making a clean, smooth, and eye-catching film. 

        First you want to start by dumping your footage from your SD card onto a new folder for the project. You can find your footage in the DCIM folder of your SD card. If you can’t find your clips then go through Private-AVCHD-Stream. A once you finish dumping your footage into your folder, your going to want to open your editing software. We will be using Pinnacle Studios, version 17,18 or 19. Once your editing software is open you’re going to want to click File-New Movie. Then you will want to import your takes. To import means to drag your film from your desktop to Pinnacle Studios. Once you click the import button on the top right corner then click desktop, then find folder. Once you choose your clips, start import. Your takes are considered your raw footage and will be located on the left panel. Three tracks will appear on your screen. The AV Track 1 is for your titles and text, your AV Track 2 is for film and your AV Track 3 is for audios such as voiceovers and music. If you would like to split a clip, you can use the razor blade button to split the take and remove any parts you don’t need. The highlighted section with an orange box around it will represent the item you are acting upon. If you would like to change the coloring, lighting or contrast you can open effects editor and edit the take. Right clicking the clip can also allow you to slow down or speed up your clip.You can make a voiceover by recording a speaker, detaching the sound and deleting the video. You can also add effects to the titles to make it slide in or wipe away. To export means to take out of editing to release your film. The exporting process renders your film, who puts it smoothly together and reduces gaps.You export films as a MP4 file not as a Pinnacle Studios file.

Planning Blog for Vans Commercial

      Today we will be planning a shoot for our Vans commercial. We are going to be deciding locations to shoot in, costumes to have our cast in, props we will need and a schedule of our process. We will need to decide everything we need as well as a back-up plan in case of any inability to film in a certain location.

      The Mis-en-Scene is everything you see on screen. This includes our locations, props, and costumes. Our locations will include; senior loop, bus loop, main stairs, the hallway between building 21 and the gym. Our props include a skateboard, school supplies, backpacks, and various Vans accessories. Our costumes will be various high school students dressed in Vans apparel and other skater-type clothes. This includes ripped jeans, chain belts, hoodies, flannels and various other delinquent-grudge style clothing. 

Schedule

10/11- Planning Commercial

10/15-Storyboard 

10/21-Quick Lesson and maybe with free time we can film a few scenes

10/23- Full day of filming

10/25- Finish whatever my group needs to film and we will begin editing.

10/29- Finish editing by the end of class (Due that day)

         Our back up plan if it rains is to shoot under one of the various sheltered walkways on our campus. This include the building 9 hallway and the hallway between the gym and senior patio. If one of our crew members does not show up, our classmate Emily will be an understudy. If our skater cannot skate, one of our crew members will substitute. 

Research Conventions and Codes

Commercial on Vans shoes and apparel

My group and I viewed shoe commercials on YouTube to get an idea on how we need to film our commercial. Then we looked at Vans commercials specifically to see how the product itself is. We identified that Regular commercials are usually of people tying their shoes, and wearing many different styles. The music of each commercial is up beat. There are close up shots of the shoes, and it cuts to a different situation/action that involves the shoes (skating, running, walking, dancing, etc). Examples of Cross cutting to a person wanting to take action, and cuts to her running to the road.

Their trademark is “Off the Wall” and usually INSERT it at the end of the commercial. The logo w ould pop up in the scene when the camera moves (pans or tilts) to a different part in the situation. Also in other commercials, there is a product shot where it shows their new styles and where the consumers could get them. We plan to take still shots of the shoes to insert at the end of the commercial to showcase the entire collection we have shown

With my group, we plan on bringing in our own pairs of vans to show the different styles. Also to have someone who skates in order to have a variety of action shots. We also want to have people wearing the apparel and accessories to show. We plan on editing the commercial with graphic matches and ending it with the logo. We plan on shooting in areas throughout the school like the track, courtyard, and hallways. We would go to the track and/or courtyard to shoot scenes with the skateboard showing tricks and close ups of the shoes on the skateboard

Introduction

                     Hello, my name is Macy. I am 15 years old and I attend Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida. I am Cuban-American, bilingual, and my birthday is March 22. I love movies and television shows. My favorite genre of film is either Crime or Action. My favorite television genre is drama. I like several genres of music especially R&B and I listen to music 60% of my day. I like the way music makes me feel and the way it transports my mindset.
                 
                    I am in the 10th grade and I take Pre-Calculus, AICE Media Studies, World History, Chemistry, AP Spanish, AICE Business and AICE English. My favorite class is business since I want to be an investor in the future. I play soccer at my school and I plan on enrolling in several AP classes next year. I want to attend The University of Florida in Fall 2022 with a major in business management with a minor in finance. I love photography and videography  because it is the way I can express myself creatively and leave a lasting impression on people. Making montages, taking photos, and editing them seamlessly is not only a skill of mine but as well as a passion. One of my favorite parts of this course is the making of a music video because not only is it one of my most exciting projects, it also is the first time I will completely direct, film and produce an entire music video. I do not like chemistry class, and country music. One of my biggest dislikes is racist, homophobic, ignorant,sexist or judgmental people. I do not like horror movies. I do not like homework but i have work ethic when I am interested.
             
                 In conclusion, I am very excited to take part in this course and further increase my knowledge on film production as well as the process directors go through.