Backpack Journalism: Lego Day to Blood Drive

Thankfully Backpack Journalism was a familiar task for me. Last summer in June I had taken a week long Backpack Journalism camp at Olathe Northwest that Bill Gentile had taught. This is where learned the process of filming and editing the first time. My last film of backpack journalism was over a profession and not a experience like Lego Day or the Fall Blood Drive. 

Although I film all the footage of Lego Day but not the blood drive due to timing at my school. We used the six shot system within these films. The first video I filmed was the Lego Day and I was a quick easy task. It was some what a practice round before the Fall Blood Drive. Where you predictably have been put on to be daring to get close and get the shots you want and need to make a successful package. Another task you need to do I asking good question and allowing you subject to speak. Then once you get them to speak you have to make you have quality audio. So you can editing them within your video. Editing is a crucial thing to follow through with the video.

After importing my shots and keyword them to organized the clips. I like organizing them and favoriting them because it allows me to the create my timeline quicker. Personally I think it has always turned out better that way, I had done this with both films. When I organized I looked for sound bytes and b roll  I could use for NAT noise and voice overs. After doing this I construct my time line and my script for voice overs. After I record them I editing them into the video and make J and L edits.  For example this is my timeline from the fall blood drive and you can see you see how I edited the audio.  After doing this to both videos they told the story well through both subjects along the help on my narration through my voice overs. Voice helped me transition well. I regret not being able to film the blood drive but I couldn't do anything about that I had prior commitments. As well as not managing my time as well as I should have. Overall I thought the film came together really well.  I favor the Fall Blood Drive film over the Lego day just because I think the Blood Drive has a better story to tell then Lego Day. 

Maya Ice Cream Shop

Previously getting to know Maya through two earlier projects, for example my Maya Hammer and other small exercises. Summing up everything I know now through my experience, this, piece was my outcome.

Modeling the Ice Cream Shop:

Initially, I start with the setting, is a room with a table. To make the room first I made one plane for the floor and two for the walls. Then added a material for them by holding the right click on the one I was wanting to color, I went to select material and imported a pattern I liked to give it some flare. I then made the table with four cylinders and a rectangular prism. I made sure the pieces matched the grouped them together by going to the drop down mesh to booleans then lastly clicked on union. Then colored it was a glass texture I found.

I started with the five scoops of ice cream. After finding the size I wanted, I made one sphere then copied (Command+C) and pasted (Command + V) the other four. Copy and pasting these saved time for me and made sure all the sphere were the same size. After making these spheres I found steam less pattern and textures for flavors chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. Then assigned the spheres the material Phong then imported the file for the flavors

Next task was making the cone and bowl. To make the cone you must make two, a large cone and a small. Then click mesh to booleans then difference. For the bowl you do the same, but with cylinders instead of cones. Just as the scoops of ice cream you must assign it a material lather than the default grey lambert. For the cone I googled for a steam less pattern for a waffle cone. And for bowl, I choose a color that would complement the rest of the project. Then made the ice cream scooper and ice cream cone stand and colored it a stainless steel.

Something I would do differently would be starting it and sticking because when I first started I completely gave up on using Maya I thought I couldn't do anything! After finishing I got to know Maya better and gained some confidence in Animation knowing I made this. Another thing I would do different would be doing bump mapping on the scoops of ice cream to give it texture. I would definitely use the same colors of everything because they complement each other visually.

Animating the Ice Cream Shop:

Animating the ice cream shop a was shockingly easy task. Once you have the modeled structure. you set up a couple of keyframes one a one and another at 120. Then in the Rotate Y in the channel box and put -359. Next to the render settings and change to JPEG. And both check where all these pictures are rendering out to. Then click Render and render batch.  Bring all the pictures to After Effects and render it out and loop it.

Maya Hammer

 Scope of this project was to making a hammer and nail wit Maya. The process for this project was to carefully follow the directions in order that were posted Edmodo. I learned more about Maya every time I use it. I learned a lot more with the directions because if I could quite get the outcome I wanted I would asked someone for help. Next time some thing I would do different would try to be more independent because I am always asking question on how to do something and would make my hammer look more realistic. Some thing I'd do the second time would be how I used my time, I finished my hammer at a good time. I would use the shaping tools next time I have a project in Maya.

4 Minutes - Music Video

My scope of this project was of the song “4 minutes” by Madonna and Justin Timberlake. The story through out the music video was four girls that had four minutes to saved the world. They are running through out the video in their futuristic light vest along with the dark setting around them. The process to getting to this final idea came about after meeting into our group at least twice. Finalizing the idea we all did a mood board and then met up to make a storyboard. We had call a local laser tag center and arranged to film there. We got all our footage in a day and came back and took about a week to edit all our clips to the final tight, clean edit. Along the way I learned that someone has to take leadership within a group or you will end up never getting anything done. That someone was me; I made sure our group was on task continuously. A thing I would want to do different is giving myself more time to edit for a few reasons. Because you have to have everything right editing or the audience will be distracted by the unattractive edit. With a music video you have to do markers and I like to have organize my shots by the time you do that you are out of time. As well I found as doing the video I would not have wasted too time on the audio of the storyboard if you are editing to the beat. Something I would to is wait a while before shooting because if you just rush out there the first day sure you will have loads of shots but you probably wont have the shots you pictured because you didn’t give yourself enough time to picture it. Experiences I took from this project would be collaboration skills, not only with my classmates that were in my group but as well as being able to contact the laser tag center and set up a date to shoot.

Plausible Impossibles of Gus Goose and Dopy the Dwarf

 Gus Goose in this animation was invaded Donald Duck's home for dinner. It may be possible to knit spaghetti  into a sock due to the fact that spaghetti is somewhat alike to yard or string. Yet it's not truly realistic to have only one piece to makeup that whole sock of spaghetti. Nor eating all that spaghetti along with all the other he ate before that in one meal it also not realistic. Gus Goose must have had some hunger before reaching Donald Duck's home.

Before this screen shot Gus Goose speared about five donuts. He then opened the umbrella and launched the donuts in the air. It could be very possible to spear the donuts. Opening the umbrella with the donuts flying in the air, that is not possible or believable. The donuts would rip in half trying to open the umbrella. Another impossible act was swallowing all those donuts whole. Anyone who would even try to do this would most likely choke.

  Gus Goose is STILL continuing his meal at Donald's. It's not possible to shuffle the meat and bread as if they're cards. The bread would tear and rip. It's wouldn't be the neat and perfect even if you could shuffle the condiments of the sandwich.

Here is Dopy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, he had be dunked in the wash. Then he popped to the surface of the water and blows on his finger to shoot water out of his ears. Water can and could be in his ears, but he could not blow rapid water out from his ear. Along with him shooting out the water you could not store that much water in your head.







Dopy had just shallowed a bar of soap. Now he has been running around looking for ways to get it out and retrieve. Suddenly he got the hiccups, he had continued to hiccup and bubbles came out of his mouth each hiccup. Dopy could realistically have the hiccups. He could not realistically have bubbles come up with each hiccup because he just eat a bar of soap.

Chase: From Point A to Point B

The scope of this project was to show plot line of a chase yet still using the 6 six system and show the subject going to point A to B. Pre-Production of this film was meeting up with my partner, Claire brainstorming the ideas that lead us to the final idea. Later made the storyboard, which includes a quick sketch of each and every shot of the video.  

During the production the storyboard was used for a resource to film with the camera and making sure you are getting every shot you need to fulfill the film. Claire and I as well made sure we had multiple shots and take to choose from making it easy for the post-production stage. Editing through the program, Final Cut Pro during the post-production was easy because I am familiar with program I organized the clips by favoriting them then dragged them to the timeline.

 Although I did have a few challenges the first one was after editing and watching my video that the dramatic arch or the climax didn’t have a falling action, resolution. The second challenge is the audio it’s always difficult to find audio I like, I don’t know why is might just be because I am picky or when I thinking of the story I don’t think about audio what so ever.

If I would do something different it would be having a better ending.  Something I would do for sure again is the detailed story board then crossing them off as I film. Another thing is organizing all the clips after importing in to Final Cut Pro.

Multiplane Animation

I learned more about photoshop and how to group the layers along with how to size things to the point of view of the audience.  Using layers to make the video look more 3 dimensional than 2 dimensional. I still dislike after effects I am not comfortable with it. I find it a bit confusing still.

Character Walk Animation

My Character is a Panda. I figured a panda because panda are one of my favorite animals. I decided a panda after googling a few panda cartoon doodles and chose a head from one, legs from another. Drawing the character was tough; I am not the best artist but it turned out fine. Although I few issues making it. They were small fixes. For example, the leg I drew, the foot was facing the wrong direction , I fixed it in photoshop by flipping it horizontally.

The only major problem was when I went to organize my sever file and went to After Effect the color bars popped up. I made the frames into a triable. Next I copied the keyframe for the other leg. Then made the body layer on top leg to make it look more realistic. Then rendered the animation.

Three things I have learned it I perfected how to render out of After Effects.  Also, I have learned how to copy keyframes and duplicate and have object in another place. Then made a background for the animation in photshop

A to B Sequencing

A to B Sequencing:

XWS: Establishes allows the view to understand where she is along with what she is doing.

OTS: Give an variety of shot for he viewer or audience.

WS: Establishes where she is and where she is walking to.

 WS: Allows the audience to follow her to her designation.

MS: Allows variety of shots.

WS: shows the movement of subject and allow to advance to the designation of the film.

WS:shows the movement of subject and allow to advance to the designation of the film.

CU: Gives a detail and transition the film well.

CU OF HANDS: The shots transitions the film well. The shot forwards the story of the well.

XCU: Allows detail and audience to feel the connected to the subject of the film.

Inchworm project:

I struggled with this project because of the puppet master. It was difficult to make it look realistic. I hope to improve in Animation by learning these new things as continue projects this year.

First Animation - Bounce

First Animation - Bounce:

This was my first animation of the sophomore class called Bounce. Although I find animation a challenge I certainly enjoy watching the final product after everything is completed. For this first animation we were taught how to use the basics of After Effects. Understanding keyframes was a major point on how to make the animation's time realistic. Making the animation look somewhat realistic was the toughest part after learning After Effects. After finishing my first animation I will put the knowledge I gather from this project and put it towards further projects.

Lindsay Six Shot System

Lindsay Six Shot System:

I was taught the six shot system fourth  hour's sophomore video class  fourth  hour. Which includes extreme wide shot, wide shot, medium shot, close up of the face and hands, POV and over the shoulder shot.

After doing this project I learned after editing and watching the final product I would do a few things differently to future projects for example making sure that I got more close-up of the face. Another idea that came across is making sure you have a ending to the project instead of cutting it off as I did within in the this film.