Editing Day 1

      Today was supposed to be our first day of editing. We had finished filming the class prior to that. The reason I say we were supposed to start editing is because we did not. The computers would not allow anyone to start editing. The program we originally were going to use is not working on the computers provided for us by the school.  So instead of going straight to editing, we are now planning out how we are going to edit. Each of my group members and I have some great ideas. We also each have our own vision of what we want the commercial to look like. I think planning before we edit is a good step to take. Although it wasn’t a step we had planned on making, it will improve our editing process.
      When we were storyboarding the commercial, I had many different ideas of how we could make the commercial great. When it comes to editing I want to make each shot captivate whoever is looking at it. Using simplicity is sometimes a very good way to do this. Creating a scene wear there is overall a simple background makes the focus of the commercial more obvious. I wang the vans shoes to stand out in every shot. I want to do this by making the whites stand out more and lighter colors be a good aspect of our editing. Making the tint of the commercial a little more yellow is also something that interests my group and I. We think the yellow tints will help create a warmer, happy feel to our commercial which will attract more people. It’s important the mood and theme of the commercial stay positive because we want to make the audience feel as though the vans clothing and shoes will help them feel this way when they wear vans. Lighting also plays an important part, we want to keep it natural because the setting throughout the commercial is outdoors and open.
      Once we get to start editing on the computer we will start by cutting each scene. We want to cut each scene so they fit together perfectly. By fit together I mean tell our story smoothly. The editing process will bring the vision of our commercial to life. Along with cutting the scenes, we want to use speed as a tool to get our message across. We want to put some scenes in slow motion. Putting certain scenes in slow motion will help the audience focus on the vans shoes. Slow motion scenes also add emphasis to that specific part of the commercial. We will also use different saturations. Using different saturation will help create the mood of our commercial.

Filming

       Today was the first day we were going to be filming our commercial. Throughout this process I was filming and acting. The first thing I did was make sure I had all the equipment needed to film the commercial. I checked out a camera, SD card, and a tripod. After that I got out some props which include a penny board, the small skateboard my group and I would be using in our commercial, and shoes from the clothing brand Vans. Once we got to our first filming location I got out the camera and placed each prop where it needed to go. For this section of the commercial I was the one filming the scenes. Before I began recording, I had to test out different angles and positions that would best convey the message/theme my group and I had originally envisioned. For the begging scene, my group mate was riding on a penny board. I had to film her while she was riding it and make sure each shot was how we wanted it to look. Along with making sure the angles were on point, I had to record each scene around three times to make sure we had a useable shot incase something went wrong any of the other times.

        While filming each scene in each location, it was important for me to capture the image that Vans commercials normally go for. I kept this image by using tracking shots, two shots, low angles, and a pan shot. The setting was also an important factor when it came to creating the theme and vibe of a Vans commercial. For example, in each scene I wanted to make sure there was a lot of greenery around. Along with that I also wanted to capture the sun's natural lighting. In the first shot, I shot the scene from an angle where you could see the sun creeping in and out from behind the trees to create a mood for our commercial. After we shot the first few scenes, it was my turn to start acting in the commercial. For the scenes, I sat on the bleachers and flaunted the white Vans I was wearing. This helped make the shoes stand out and also demonstrated how someone can wear them in their everyday lives. Although we recorded a few scenes where I was acting in it, my group and I later decided it was better if we reshot and this time I filmed. 

        For the last scenes we reshot, I got several shots of my group mates on the bleachers, riding the penny board, and laughing with each other. Some scenes were more difficult to shoot than others. For me, making sure each video I took had no weird shadows and perfect lighting could get challenging.  Making sure there was a steady focus on the shoes throughout each shot was also difficult at some points. Once we finished filming everything, we went back inside. In the classroom I logged onto a computer and began dumping all of our footage onto a computer. I created a folder and saved the footage into it. I then returned the hall pass and made sure there was nothing left for us to clean up. Overall, this process was a lot of work but still really fun. I liked directing the scenes and bringing my vision for this project to life. 

Storyboard

      Today, in class, we started brainstorming on ideas for our commercial. We infused some of the ideas we had seen in other Vans commercials to create our own creative ideas. We took into consideration the audience of our product such as teens and young adults. We thought about some cool, but also effective, shots we would like to input into our commercial. These included tracking shots, close-ups, and wide shots. We also wanted to make sure the focus was consistent on the Vans products. While thinking about different shots and how they were perceived, we started to figure out our storyline. We thought that it would be relatable to our audience and persuasive if we showed how Vans brought others together. We want the advertisement to seem simplistic but also have small details that contribute to the power of the scene. The setting and props will also play a big part of how  the audience sees the Vans products.
      Since Vans products are usually veered towards the skating atmosphere, we thought a good prop to use would be a skateboard. The skateboard could also act as a transition between scenes. We thought that using warm, natural lighting would be very realistic and effective. This would help convey the message of being together in an outdoor setting. In our setting, the colors are very neutral with pops of color coming from the Vans clothing. This includes the different colors that Vans’ shoes come in in order to promote individuality. The setting of the bleachers makes the commercial very relatable and realistic to teenagers because it is a familiar place to a variety of areas.
      Our storyboard’s first scene is a medium close up and of someone about to ride a skateboard. The second scene is an extreme close up of the person riding the skateboard, but the eye level of the feet. It is going to be done as a pan shot. The third “scene” is going to start with a wide shot of 2 people away from each other sitting on the bleachers. There is going to be an over the shoulder shot of one person realizing both of the people are wearing Vans apparel. In the fourth, it is of a different person looking empowered bully wearing vans. This will be a long shot/ a tracking shot moving upward. The last shot will be a 3 shot of all the people on the bleachers talking and being together. The camera will zoom out and blur as words come across the screen along with the Vans logo.

Editing Lesson Blog

        Today we had a lesson on editing and how to use the camera/editing tools. I learned about the camera, how to work the tripod, edit footage, cut footage, do voice overs, add titles, and turn in the final product of your project. The first topic of the lesson was about the cameras I will be using. To turn on the camera, flip open the screen and to turn it off, close the screen. The SD must be slid into it's slot in the camera so the footage gets saved onto it. The silver button with a red line is the record button. The tripod was the next part of this lesson. To make the tripod stand, you must pull out the legs. Next, the camera must be screwed onto the tripod tightly. To put everything away, do the opposite of each step.
        Next we learned about the procedure of camera to complete to edit to viewing. To start off you must right click on the desktop and open a folder that will hold all of your footage. You then have to dump your footage, or take footage from the camera or SD card and put it on the computer. Once all the footage has been dumped, go to the DCIM for footage. Time and dates will be saved with the footage, so the time and date on the camera must be correct. The next part of the procedure is to go to AVCHD, then click on BDMV, once you are there you look for the word stream which is where all of the footage will be. From there, highlight the clips you want for your commercial and move it to your commercial folder. Go to pinnacle studios after, go to edit, then file, and click new movie. Then you will Import your footage from the computer desktop to pinnacle studios by selecting what you want and clicking "start import." The videos imported are the raw footage (original footage before editing).
        We also learned how to cut in today's lesson. To cut you must first align the play bar with the part of the take you'd like to cut out. Then you click split, which may also be a razor blade icon. You can also right click to change the speed of the clip or open affects and add transitions along with other special affects. To do a voiceover, you click on the take you want to be muted and click "detach audio" which will create two separate tracks. Next you record the person saying your voiceover and delete the actual footage but keep the audio. To add a title to your screen, hit T, enter the text, place it above the footage on a new track and move it where'd you like it to be placed on the screen. Exporting would be to take the film out of pinnacle studios and move it to the commercial folder. To export the film you click file, then save movie as, then move it to the commercial folder. Lastly, before you turn it in, you must watch your commercial to make sure it doesn't look choppy.

Planning Blog

Today we are figuring out where we are filming our commercial, what props we will need, our backup plan, and the basic idea for it. We are doing a vans commercial so it has to capture the ideas that vans makes. For this blog, we need to explain our plan for our commercial in detail and make sure we know what are doing so we can start story boarding next class. We need to talk about the props that we are going to use, the costumes we are going to wear, the location, and what we will do if we cannot use our original plan, and make a schedule for our commercial.

~The props that we will be using in our vans commercial are vans shoes and other Vans apparel. Also, we might use skateboards, but we are still unsure of that because we are filming at school.
~Our costumes would be ripped jeans, t-shirts, Vans shoes, beanies, and cool shin high socks.
~The location of our commercial is going to be on the senior patio and around that area of our school. If it rains or we cannot go to that location, we will go to the stairs near the auditorium.

Schedule:
10/15: Editing assignment and story boarding
10/17: Start filming process
10/22: Filming Blog
10/24: Filming and editing blog
10/28: Edit and see if anything needs to be re-filmed
10/30: Re-film shots if needed and continue editing
11/1: Editing
11/5: Review final product

Research blog: Commercial Conventions

        My group and I are doing our commercial for the brand Vans. Vans' commercials use a variety of music, it can range from instrumental rock to a rhythmic strum on the guitar. The surroundings are normally neutral colored with the shoes capturing the eye by adding a pop of color or striking print. Their advertisements usually depict that their apparel can improve skating performance. The dialogue, if there is any, is done in a voice over which empowers and adds emphasis on the topic of individuality and expression.
       The props normally used in a commercial for Vans include skateboards and surfboards. They use these props to relate their brand with a feeling of freedom and adventure. They use their brand's clothing in their commercials which are normally a basic color with a cool design. The people seen in the advertisements are usually wearing beanies, flannels, and/or ripped jeans.
       The setting where these commercials take place can range from the beach to a skate park or anywhere else where it will appeal to their audience. The setting is usually never overwhelming or overcrowded. The shot usually contains a lot of negative space for example, a long beach or a clear sky with focus on the subject. Their ads use neutral colors with hints of warm tones. The settings are usually in outdoor settings which allows natural lighting to play a major role in how their brand is portrayed. Their ads create a calming mood for the audience.
     

Introductory

        Hi, I'm Savanna! School just started up again in August so I am readjusting back into work mode. I am on year two out of four in my high school career and let me tell you, being a student can get rough sometimes. Last year was one of the hardest years to handle, it was my first time being super involved in extra curricular activities and the work academically was very challenging. Although last year was a lot to handle, it also came with so many great new experiences and friends! I joined theater and met a lot of new people. It was also my first time ever being involved in something that meant so much to me. I learned so much about music, dancing, and acting which are all things that play a major part in who I am as a person. 

        I really like music and creating. I've never been great at talking about how I feel or how issues in my life may be affecting me. I think the reason I love music and writing songs so much is because it gives me a way to express how I feel without talking. I also love the way music can make someone feel, it can be such a healer or it can be something you listen to for fun. My friends and I found this new singer who is our age so we like to dance and sing our lungs out to his songs. 

        I am an adventurous person. I love taking my friends with me along to concerts, amusement parks, and sometimes vacations! I appreciate the friends I have in my life so much and I want to make as many memories as I can with them. Although growing up is hard, and I mean much harder than I thought it was gonna be, I think it will be an amazing experience.