Reflection Blog CCR

 1. I wouldn’t say that our product challenges conventions, I believe it goes with conventions more. The video acts as a Starbucks commercial but it does not include certain things like animations, high detail, and enhanced features like you would see in a  usual Starbuck’s commercial.  Our product would address social groups all as one rather than challenging them. In addition, I would say it represents how students and children are all in need of some form of motivation, especially how we were in online school for so long. It affected us all greatly due to stress, anxiety, etc. Which led to our mental health being affected as well.

2. Our product definitely engages with audiences by addressing them in various ways. The music, voiceovers, and shots draws attention from the perspective of the people viewing it. The volume of the entire video is loud, especially the music, which makes the commercial attractive and intriguing  to the audience. The technology company we used was Google to send the video to each other, but if we had to distribute it as a real media text we would probably put our video up on online, for example Youtube. It could also be recorded and distributed physically. 

3. My skills did start to develop throughout this project. My skills will grow with experience over time. But since this was our first major assignment with filming, I am not able to see what I am truly capable of. I still need new skills to learn and grow from. Experience from this commercial project introduced me more to time management, filming, and editing. It did become easier with time. Throughout the filming process, I actually learned how to do specific camera shots for the first time, so now I am familiar with close ups, medium shots, and medium wide shots. Another camera shot that I learned to get more familiar with is a tracking shot. I also learned a lot from the editing process. For example, we used iMovie for editing, and I never used it before this project so now I know how to edit videos. Apple iMovie has great tools for media organization. There is speed, green-screen effects, narration, and soundtracks for digital movies and films. It also works very quickly and we had no issues working with it. This assignment enabled me to gain new production skills that will be very useful for future projects. 

4. We used many different technologies in this assignment. To start off, we used a phone camera to film all of the video. We  tried out different group members phone’s to see which one had the best quality for filming. Then, for editing, we used editing apps like iMovie which was extremely helpful because without it we wouldn’t have been able to edit as well as we did. For the voiceover, we used voice memo on my phone to record it.  When we all finished, we sent the video to each other through gmail to email it to each other. To upload the video and finish the project, we used Blogger to complete the commercial blog. Many technologies were used in the making of this video/commercial. 

Commercial (The Final)

The commercial is finally finished and I am proud of what my group and I have accomplished. This was my group's first major assignment together and I would say we did very well. However, looking back on the film multiple times, I did realize I could have improved on some things. But this was our first big project, so it was expected that there would be some errors and mistakes. I have much to learn still but for being new to this, I am proud of my first production with my group. This project gave me a good idea of what we will be doing in this class  and how we will be doing it. It showed me my strengths ad weaknesses. I would say that working with other people brings out my capabilities to the fullest. So, it definitely helped working with other people rather than working alone. I cannot wait to work in groups on another project to see if I gain more skills and knowledge. 

 

Editing Blog (continued) We Finished!

 It is the final day of editing and our commercial is finally complete. I revised the video to make sure everything was in place and everything was the way we wanted it to be. This included editing audio which were voiceovers and music. After looking over the film, I realized there should be more transitions. Transitions can be very helpful because they carry the audience from one idea to another idea. They set the mood and tone of a scene. So I edited some in to make it seem more like an actual commercial and to make it more dramatic. Commercials have to be very appealing the others. So I tried to add as much as I can to make it as appealing as I can. Advertising helps businesses earn profits by enabling people to know about the product/ services. The purpose of a commercial is to encourage and convince the audience to buy the product. For the video we did, we tried to make it as unique and encouraging as we could. Since we did a Starbuck Commercial, we looked up different Starbuck's commercials to get an idea of how they are like. This gave us ideas on what we can do and how we can make our video similar but unique at the same time. Today was the final day for editing so I decided to retake the voiceover again. After listening to it, I realized the words I said were not said clearly. Especially how the voiceover is at the end of the video, it is the last thing the audience will hear. This means they will most likely remember what is said at the end which is very important. Audio is very crucial in the filming process and in commercials. The commercial is finally finished throughout all the editing, filming, etc. 

Time and Voiceover/ Editing!

Today is the first day of editing our commercials and my group and I have been putting in a lot of effort. During editing, I had to make sure that the timing and audio were right. This included editing music that was in the background and the timing of how short or how long the video is. The video before the editing was longer than the maximum time  we were given so, it had to be cut short. To start off, the first editing we did was on one of a group member's laptop. Their laptop was very helpful and useful  because it was fast so we did not have to worry about slow rendering. There wasn't any issues either which was great. The first thing that had to be done was playing the full film. The total time of the film was forty two seconds. This is twelve seconds more than the amount we are supposed to have, which is why we shortened it. My teammates and I had to specifically take out the scenes we wanted to keep and what we wanted to get rid of. I cut out parts that were unimportant. For example, scenes that  had no audio or had nothing extra to make the commercial interesting. I also did the voiceover for the commercial. At the end of the video, the Starbucks logo will appear and my voice will be used as the voiceover. I did have to do multiple takes because the audio was too quiet. It took a total of five tries to get the voiceover right. I had to adjust the audio and I had to fit the voiceover in at a specific time. I also suggested some transitions we could use in the video which we did end up using. To add, I helped choosing the filters in the video to make the film more appealing. There is still editing to do,  but majority of it is finished.

Reshoot and Retakes/ Filming Blog (continued)

The filming process is completed and we did complete it in a good amount of time. We had two days to film but we finished in one, so I would say we did well on time management. However, since today is the second day we are allowed to film, we did notice some errors that we did not notice before. As we revised the clips/scenes I saw that some of the scenes needed to be redone. I talked with my group and they also agreed that they needed to be fixed. For example, we noticed that the phone was shaking while we filmed. Which would've been very noticeable to viewers if we did not redo the scenes.We also saw how the lighting wasn't good so we moved to a different table in the location we used. We wanted our lighting to not be over or underexposed. The lighting had to match the feel of our commercial.A brighter lighting  represents a brighter and happier feel, which is what we wanted. To add, the sound quality was not how we wanted it to be. We remade the clips with a higher volume because the volume was too low. Having poor sound could have made our production seem amateurish and not well done. The better quality of our footage and filming, the more appealing the video will be. Another important aspect we watched out for during filming was timing. Timing is crucial during filming especially when we have a time limit. We checked every scene to confirm that they all had the correct time length. If we didn't, then the commercial would have been too short or too long. We have all finished the filming process and we revised and fixed all the errors we caught during it.

Filming Blog: Senior Patio

 Today is September 30, which is the day my group and I started filming. All of our group members were present and we even got an extra person to help us with the commercial. I was very helpful in this commercial by being included for important parts. For example, using props and helping throughout the whole commercial. My group and I used props and had casual clothes so we didn't have to change into a different set of clothes. I made sure that all the props were used at the right times in the commercial. I also looked over the shots we took during the filming process to make sure they were qualified for the final commercial. If they were not good enough, we retook them. The location where we filmed, was very quiet and peaceful at the time, so we didn't have any issues. We just had to make sure that my group and I were the only people being filmed for the video. In the first scene, I made sure all necessary items were included  and that the lighting was right. The next scene, was where I came in and had to toss a prop onto the table. This specific scene, took a bit longer than the others because we needed the prop to land in a specific area. So we did quite a few retakes to get it close enough to perfect. For the next scenes, I rearranged props and took out the things that were not needed. I also helped the person filming the scenes by telling them the angles and how we should position the phone. To add, I helped with the placement of the actor in our group and I suggested what they should say. My group and I completed the filming process successfully, we just need to do a bit of editing including cuts, voiceovers, etc. I would say the total filming process took 45-40 minutes which turned out to be less than I expected. I am very proud of my group and I for accomplishing so much through teamwork. Once we finish with the editing, I believe it will turn out to be a great commercial. 

Storyboard Blog

 First Scene- During this scene, we will be focusing on the Starbucks cup for the commercial. In the beginning, there will be a fade in, which will then show an individual in our group’s back. After that, it turns into a tracking shot to a side shot of her studying. The location for this scene is on the senior patio. We believed it would be best to use a popular place used for dining because our commercial includes eating and drinking. Soft, subtle, jazz music will be playing in the background as well. 

Second Scene- In the next scene, the shot zooms into the individual, who is about to take a sip from her drink. But then she realizes she wants some food to go along with her drink. This is all taking place at the senior patio and the shot will be a close up. Soft subtle jazz is still playing. 

Third Scene- This scene starts with a bag dropping in and in a close up. It is wide open and sparkles as well as angelic noises are heard as the music is playing. 

Fourth Scene-The fourth scene is a medium shot showing the individual eating and drinking the food/drink. Upbeat type music starts playing in the background. 

Fifth Scene- The fifth scene for our commercial is a shot that mimics the first scene but instead it shows the individual studying hard at work with a lightbulb over their head while upbeat and energetic music is played. 

Final Scene- The sixth scene will be fading out into the Starbucks logo, then their tagline “Start your day with a great taste.” With upbeat and subtle music playing in the background.