This is it, the final blog. It is crazy that a month has gone by just like that. A lot has changed since the first day of class. When I arrived on day one I was nervous both about my abilities in the class, as well as my interaction with others. In most of my classes in the past people usually stick to their own devices to get the work done, so I do the same. I had expectations that I was going to do the work on my own, whether it was an individual assignment or a group project where I would receive my assignment and I would go about doing it. However this class was different. Everyone was really nice and cohesive when working on projects. It definitely gave a sense of community throughout the semester. This was especially true with the last project, Bropocalypse. Not one day our group met to plan/record/edit really felt like "work". It was a pleasure working with Tristan, Cori, Kyndall, and Natalie. Viet and Paul were also great actors, very funny guys who fit their roles quite well. I am sure I will ask for their help on a future project I make, (The Shrekening or something about Joey from Bropocalypse). After taking this class, I feel more confident in my abilities to create short films. I hope to put them to good use in the near future.
As this semester comes to an end, another one begins starting Monday afternoon, yay!
Friday, June 17, 2016
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Blog 17: This is the end......NOT!
Did you catch my movie reference? Hint, it is from a film about a reporter from Kazakhstan coming to America and making a mess everywhere he goes. A little off topic but might get laugh out of the reader. Anyway, onto the blog.
The summer-session one is wrapping up. Tomorrow is reading day, to which I will be available for any of the departments if they need assistance. Besides that all that's left to do is set up Thursday evening, hold the microcinema, and call it a semester!
Yesterday and today I contacted several bars in Wilmington that can be reserved for events such as our microcinema. Unfortunately, I only recieved one reply from The Satellite saying to contact the general manager because of how short the time-frame was. This also led to a dead end as He did get back to me in time. Fortunately the Silvas offered to have a bbq at their house as an alternative, which became our solution.
This evening Ian and I went to the Silva Compound to scout out the location and the best placement for the scree, audience area, cornhole game, and photobooth. The last thing to be covered is where the projector and the amps will be placed which I have to discuss with Viet and Paul. Shouldn't be too much of a big deal, just a lot of extension chords right?
The only issue right now is the weather. I checked this evening and while it isn't going to be raining when we have the event, the forecast shows thunderstorms close to start time. If this is the case the ground will be wet and towels may not be very effective. I would have to contact the programmers about this, and maybe have some tarps put down for towels. Or people can bring their own chairs. I'm not saying that is definite but it is something that needs to be looked into.
One last note before I call it a night. Before we all left the Silva residence, we watched a box turtle slowly make its way across the street. It was fun to watch, but did get a little aggravating when it would stop or turn and walk down the middle of the street. That turtle clearly wanted to live life on the edge.
That's all I have to say about that. Here's to a good semester coming to an end, and another beginning next week!
The summer-session one is wrapping up. Tomorrow is reading day, to which I will be available for any of the departments if they need assistance. Besides that all that's left to do is set up Thursday evening, hold the microcinema, and call it a semester!
Yesterday and today I contacted several bars in Wilmington that can be reserved for events such as our microcinema. Unfortunately, I only recieved one reply from The Satellite saying to contact the general manager because of how short the time-frame was. This also led to a dead end as He did get back to me in time. Fortunately the Silvas offered to have a bbq at their house as an alternative, which became our solution.
This evening Ian and I went to the Silva Compound to scout out the location and the best placement for the scree, audience area, cornhole game, and photobooth. The last thing to be covered is where the projector and the amps will be placed which I have to discuss with Viet and Paul. Shouldn't be too much of a big deal, just a lot of extension chords right?
The only issue right now is the weather. I checked this evening and while it isn't going to be raining when we have the event, the forecast shows thunderstorms close to start time. If this is the case the ground will be wet and towels may not be very effective. I would have to contact the programmers about this, and maybe have some tarps put down for towels. Or people can bring their own chairs. I'm not saying that is definite but it is something that needs to be looked into.
One last note before I call it a night. Before we all left the Silva residence, we watched a box turtle slowly make its way across the street. It was fun to watch, but did get a little aggravating when it would stop or turn and walk down the middle of the street. That turtle clearly wanted to live life on the edge.
That's all I have to say about that. Here's to a good semester coming to an end, and another beginning next week!
Monday, June 13, 2016
Blog 16: Readings
You know, it is really something that VHS tapes were once the popular medium for watching films over going to cinema halls. I remember having our small television set on top of a drawer filled with old tapes. I remember we owned many Disney films, including Snow White, Bambi, Cinderella, and others like Thomas the Tank Engine. Yup those were the days.
Having smaller communities based on cinephilia was a great way for budding filmmakers to show their work and show unique work to a group of people that they cannot see elsewhere. Microcinemas can be a stepping stone going forward to larger film festivals, maybe providing critiques in a more casual setting. Another good thing about microcinemas is they can be relatively cheap to put on. For example, everyone can bring a few dollars for pizza or burgers and hot dogs and have a cookout in someone's backyard. Or you could have the event catered, the choice is yours. Having a microcinema in your town may also provide networking opportunities for those who also may not be ready to show their work at a large film festival. It wouldn't hurt to know a Director of Photography or a sound designer nearby that could be helpful in a future project.
These screenings can take place almost anywhere. Your parent's backyard, at an Elk's lodge, in an abandoned warehouse, (maybe not). I guess the point I am trying to make, microcinemas allow for much freedom when it comes to showing films.
Not all films have to be high quality narratives that play in large theaters and bring in billions of dollars. While those are great, experimental films offer a greater sense of freedom, and can let the audience see the film in their own way rather than what a director is trying to show. Throughout this semester our class has done many obscure projects from painting on film strips, to creating a bromance apocalyptic sports film. There are so many opportunities to just have fun with it.
If this microcinema on Thursday goes well, it may be cool to try run one later this summer
Blog 15: Last project done
The past week has been really busy preparing, filming, and editing the final film for the semester. However, it was also a lot of fun working with my group.
Our group spent two days planning for shooting. On Thursday we created a shooting schedule for the weekend. On Friday we set up at Natalie's apartment and took some test shots so setting up for shooting day would go more smoothly. Surely enough it did, and after twenty-two takes on Saturday Tristan was happy with what we collected and we called it a day.
The filming went really smoothly. Our producer Cori made timelines of when we should be setting up, when we should be filming, when we should be taking a break, etc. That really helped push the project forward.
It was also fun editing with Natalie and Tristan to make his vision a reality. We worked diligently and had some laughs throughout the process. Everyone brought great ideas to the edit, making the film sound more apocalyptic as well as having some comedic features.
It was a pleasure working with Tristan, Cori, Natalie, and Kyndall. They are all hard-working, reliable, and responsive (through text so the rest of the group knew if someone was running late/ there was a new idea that may work in the film). If I ever need a crew for a film in the future I would call them first.
"We're all in this together"
Now all that's left is the micro-cinema and I am eager to watch what the editing class has made.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Blog 14: Self-portrait and film 6
Today we watched our self-portrait films. After watching the portrait made about me, I can say that I am completely blown away and impressed! Cori certainly went to great lengths to edit the film and it is better than anything I could have imagined. One of the highlights was how she removed the color making the film seem more like a memory in my head vs a film in real time. Also one of the things I was worried about was my lack of guitar skills, (which I am currently learning), being shown to the class. The edits masked most of my mistakes and made it seem like I knew what I was doing. I am grateful for this. I also enjoyed how she not only slowed down certain parts, but also reversed frames to go along to the music. It definitely seems like a dream sequence and that adds more emotion to the film. My favorite sequence from the film was how Cori slowed down my frustration when playing Call of Duty. I was playing online and there was an enemy player who was staying on my team's side of the map killing anyone that spawned in that area. Even though I reacted quickly, slowing the sequence down really helped bring out that emotion. Honestly I hope she reads this, because the film really did have a positive impact on me.
Looking forward I am excited to work with Cori, Kyndall, Tristan, and Natalie. I think we will some great ideas to bring to the table. I'm not going to spoil any of the ideas we have thought of so far, but I will say that it's something that will make the class laugh, or at least try to make them laugh.
Looking forward I am excited to work with Cori, Kyndall, Tristan, and Natalie. I think we will some great ideas to bring to the table. I'm not going to spoil any of the ideas we have thought of so far, but I will say that it's something that will make the class laugh, or at least try to make them laugh.
Blog 14: Beatz progress
And just like that, film 5 is complete!
Today Cori and I did our filming for both our self-portraits. I had a lot of fun filming her paint and watch Netflix. I think that my edit shows the emotion and passion that I mentioned in my last blog. I hope that she enjoyed it just as much as I did.
I headed over to the edit lab around 7 PM and finished close to 11. During that time almost everyone from our class was there. It was pretty great because it didn't seem like there was a plan to meet there all at once.
The music I used over the film was a piece that I discovered last semester. One day I was browsing Youtube and came across an hour long video with over ten tracks of relaxing music. The first three tracks are my favorites. I tried using the second song over the video and it seemed to sync up really well. One part that worked well was when the song adds on more layers and becomes more complex, Cori seems to be inspired and the film takes on more of a montage feel. After editing this project, I have also considered making a new edit only editing to music instead of the pattern that was in the guidelines on my own.
On a side note, I think that while I was at Cori's filming several birds decided to do their business all over the back of my car. Looks like I'll be headed to the car wash today.
Today Cori and I did our filming for both our self-portraits. I had a lot of fun filming her paint and watch Netflix. I think that my edit shows the emotion and passion that I mentioned in my last blog. I hope that she enjoyed it just as much as I did.
I headed over to the edit lab around 7 PM and finished close to 11. During that time almost everyone from our class was there. It was pretty great because it didn't seem like there was a plan to meet there all at once.
The music I used over the film was a piece that I discovered last semester. One day I was browsing Youtube and came across an hour long video with over ten tracks of relaxing music. The first three tracks are my favorites. I tried using the second song over the video and it seemed to sync up really well. One part that worked well was when the song adds on more layers and becomes more complex, Cori seems to be inspired and the film takes on more of a montage feel. After editing this project, I have also considered making a new edit only editing to music instead of the pattern that was in the guidelines on my own.
On a side note, I think that while I was at Cori's filming several birds decided to do their business all over the back of my car. Looks like I'll be headed to the car wash today.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Blog 13: edit to the beatz
Well Shannon was right, that first rhythm using the TV news people has been stuck in my head all night.
The other three rhythmic edits we watched definitely represented the format we are to follow for this week's assignment, (except for some playback issues which I have seen with more and more internet videos over the past year).
For the subject of Cori's project I will be playing some notes and chords on my guitar set music in post. Since I really enjoy music, I figured it would be the best representation of me. I played guitar many years ago, but put it down when I started school here at UNCW. Recently I have picked it back up again in hopes of getting my chops back. Fortunately none of the sounds I play will be in the film because it would be really scathing for the class to hear with my current skill level.
For the subject of my project I will be filming Cori painting. She is very passionate about her art and showing her painting will also show the emotion of her process.
We were going to start filming last night, however with a flash flood warning and tropical storm Colin about, we agreed it would be safer to do the filming on Tuesday. The goal is to get the filming done before five and begin editing from there. I am sure each of our filming will only take an hour or so and we should get to editing much sooner than five.
The other three rhythmic edits we watched definitely represented the format we are to follow for this week's assignment, (except for some playback issues which I have seen with more and more internet videos over the past year).
For the subject of Cori's project I will be playing some notes and chords on my guitar set music in post. Since I really enjoy music, I figured it would be the best representation of me. I played guitar many years ago, but put it down when I started school here at UNCW. Recently I have picked it back up again in hopes of getting my chops back. Fortunately none of the sounds I play will be in the film because it would be really scathing for the class to hear with my current skill level.
For the subject of my project I will be filming Cori painting. She is very passionate about her art and showing her painting will also show the emotion of her process.
We were going to start filming last night, however with a flash flood warning and tropical storm Colin about, we agreed it would be safer to do the filming on Tuesday. The goal is to get the filming done before five and begin editing from there. I am sure each of our filming will only take an hour or so and we should get to editing much sooner than five.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Blog 12: Animation Project Complete
As of Friday evening, the animation project is done! Our group worked vigorously over the past few days and finished with an impressive animation.
The idea for the project was to show the early stages of life and change them through aging and ending with death. We used both sand and charcoal techniques for our animation and over the two worked well together. One of the more obscure transitions we used included ripping the charcoal paper down the middle and then creating a large opening in the center. While filming this part, it was unclear how well the transition would work, but after viewing it in Premiere, it's safe to say that it played its role quite well.
One of the positive aspects of our group was that we worked diligently. Once we had an idea and started working there was not much to stop our progress. Something that could be improved upon however is how quickly we got to work. Each day had a bit of a slow start with going forward but once we started working the 600 frames were done in no time!
Being someone who loves animation, I am eager to see what the other groups did for their animations.
Our next project is one that I very much looking forward to. I have always loved creating rhythmic sequences and can't wait to get back to it!
On a side note I am sure my blogs may be a bit repetitive in structure but with the next project there should be some good things to blog about!
The idea for the project was to show the early stages of life and change them through aging and ending with death. We used both sand and charcoal techniques for our animation and over the two worked well together. One of the more obscure transitions we used included ripping the charcoal paper down the middle and then creating a large opening in the center. While filming this part, it was unclear how well the transition would work, but after viewing it in Premiere, it's safe to say that it played its role quite well.
One of the positive aspects of our group was that we worked diligently. Once we had an idea and started working there was not much to stop our progress. Something that could be improved upon however is how quickly we got to work. Each day had a bit of a slow start with going forward but once we started working the 600 frames were done in no time!
Being someone who loves animation, I am eager to see what the other groups did for their animations.
Our next project is one that I very much looking forward to. I have always loved creating rhythmic sequences and can't wait to get back to it!
On a side note I am sure my blogs may be a bit repetitive in structure but with the next project there should be some good things to blog about!
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Blog 11: Animation Progress
Today was the official start of our project. It began with a late start trying to set up our camera's white balance and zoom. We also did some changes to our original plan about starting with the cocoon on a branch rather than using the tree as an establishing shot. After some time, things fell into place and began to move rhythmically.
One part that is unique about this section of the project is the transition at the end by tearing the paper. The transition starts with a tear down the center and gradually tears both sides to create a hole in the middle of the paper.
By the end of the day we have finished one quarter of the project using charcoal. Tomorrow we will finish the second half using charcoal and also begin the sand portion. It may have taken some more time than expected to finish today, but tomorrow things should run more smoothly. Before we quit for the day we put the pictures into Adobe Premiere and ran them through several times. Overall it ran very fluidly. Now the question of the night is "how will this section will work with the others?" specifically with the sand and the charcoal. It is probably best not to worry about it until we start tomorrow. Once some of the sand is on glass, then we can decide how it will blend with the charcoal.
On a side note, the weather this week has been really odd. Tropical Storm Bonnie has been rearing her head constantly but has not brought the heavy rain and winds that were forecast.
One part that is unique about this section of the project is the transition at the end by tearing the paper. The transition starts with a tear down the center and gradually tears both sides to create a hole in the middle of the paper.
By the end of the day we have finished one quarter of the project using charcoal. Tomorrow we will finish the second half using charcoal and also begin the sand portion. It may have taken some more time than expected to finish today, but tomorrow things should run more smoothly. Before we quit for the day we put the pictures into Adobe Premiere and ran them through several times. Overall it ran very fluidly. Now the question of the night is "how will this section will work with the others?" specifically with the sand and the charcoal. It is probably best not to worry about it until we start tomorrow. Once some of the sand is on glass, then we can decide how it will blend with the charcoal.
On a side note, the weather this week has been really odd. Tropical Storm Bonnie has been rearing her head constantly but has not brought the heavy rain and winds that were forecast.
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