Week 15 in AICE Media Studies

Introduction

   We all presented our projects and played each other's Kahoot.

 

What I Did

   We presented our project first and then our Kahoot. Everyone in our class did well on our Kahoot. 

    Then, another group presented, and we did their Kahoot. I only missed one question on the Kahoot. However, I did learn from my mistake.

    On Thursday, three more groups presented their projects. The first group focused on sound, the second group focused on soundtracks, and the final group focused on camera shots and angles.

What I Learned

   I learned about the components that make up mise-en-scene. The components are location, studio, set design, costume and makeup, lighting, and color design.

    Next, I learned about the different types of sound. The presentation taught me about diegetic and non-diegetic sound, synchronous versus asynchronous sound, sound motif, mode of address, and direct address.

    Lastly, I already knew the camera angles and shots since we had gone over them in class.

Week 14 in AICE Media Studies

Introduction

    We spent the entire week finishing up our presentation on the various types of cutting in editing.

 

What I Did

    On Wednesday, I completed all my slides for the presentation and added some transitions and graphics. All of my group members finished their slides too.

    Then, on Friday, we all worked on the Kahoot for the presentation. The Kahoot would act as an interactive element of the project. 

 

What I Learned

    I learned a few new film cutting techniques, such as the reverse shot, which is when you start with a shot of a character and then cut to what the character is looking at, and finally you cut back to the initial shot to show the character's reaction. 

    I also learned what a graphic match is. A graphic match cut juxtaposes two or more shots with similar graphic elements, like shape, line, or color, usually in different settings. Another method I learned was the action match. The action match transitions from one shot to another while matching the action of the first shot.  

    The next technique was one I already knew how to accomplish but never knew its name, parallel editing. Parallel editing is when two or more scenes that are happening simultaneously are cut interchangeably to show that they are occurring at the same time.

Lastly, I learned what an insert shot is. It's any shot whose only objective is to draw the viewer's attention to a single aspect inside a scene.

 

  

Week 13 in AICE Media Studies

Introduction

    On November 6, we watched all the documentaries that the class produced. On Friday, we learned some new vocabulary and film techniques. 

What I Did

    On November 6, we watched all the documentaries. We voted our Lego Movie Documentary the best in class.

    On Friday, we did a discussion-based assignment to reflect on the entire process of making our documentary.

    Then, after finishing the assignment, we started our next project. This project will be an interactive presentation on the various forms of film cutting. We only managed to finish the first two slides because the last assignment took longer than expected. We will continue next week.

What I Learned

    I learned that the majority of people loved my group documentary. I also learned what a reverse shot is. It is a film cutting technique where the shot starts with a character and then cuts to a shot of what or who that character is looking at, and finally cuts back to the initial shot to show the character's reaction.

 

    

Week 12 in AICE Media Studies

Introduction

    This week, we are editing and publishing our documentary and will have a watch party for all the films on Friday.

 

What I Did

    I started the week by editing the documentary. It took about five hours to edit due to my still being new to Premiere Pro. I used many tutorials to figure out how to edit certain parts. I used the weekend and Monday to complete all the editing. 

    On Tuesday, Ms. Pistocchi graded our documentary. My group received 100%, with our only issue being that our audio quality was slightly inconsistent. I decided to go back into Premiere Pro and fix that, as it was relatively easy. Now, our film will be ready for Friday's watch party.

    On Friday, our teacher was not at school, so we worked on an analysis of a PSA from ShortCutsTV on YouTube.

 

What I Learned

    While I was editing, I learned new things. I wanted to zoom into a picture to use it as a transition into the next clip, so I used a tutorial on YouTube to teach me. I also learned how to use a green screen. It was simpler than I thought it would be. All I had to do was add the desired background to the clip under the green screen on the timeline. Then, I just had to go into video effects and drag the "Ultra Key" effect onto the green screen clip. After that, I just used the eyedropper tool to select green, and the clip now had a different background. 

    Next, I wanted to split a clip into multiple parts, so I looked up how to do this. A short Google search informed me that the razor tool on the sidebar of the timeline can do this. So, I used the razor tool to split up a few clips and sound bites.

    Afterwards, because I now knew how to use the razor tool, I could create J cuts and L cuts. This was helpful as our documentary had many voiceovers. The J cuts and L cuts made it much more interesting. 

    Since I did not want the voiceovers to sound hollow, I needed to add background music. I already knew how to add background music, but I needed to add another sound line to the timeline. I figured I could do this without a tutorial, so I clicked around a bit and found out all you have to do is use the scroll bar on the right side of the timeline. I used the bar to scroll down a bit and made enough space for a second sound bar where I added the background music. 

    All the editing was done on Premiere Pro. I have loved learning all this new information and techniques. I can't wait for our next project.