Tuesday, December 8, 2015

That's a wrap!

We started off the semester with learning the three types of lighting. Three-point lighting consists of key light, fill light, and back light. Key light is the light directly on your face. Fill light is light from the side. Back light is the light in the back of the object and acts as background light. This process works best when you turn the lights off in the room because you can fully illuminate the object with the three point lighting. It is best to set up shots and then gradually add light. The sun should be behind you to prevent shadows, glare, and the sun acts as a light source.
Throughout the semester we storyboarded. We would take all types of shots to tell a story or we would put them into a youtube video. Each shot should be displayed for no more than three seconds. Four seconds of each photo is too much. I learned that it is important to know your audience and know the message that you want to leave with. Establishing shots allow us to display a location, whether it is interior or exterior. Establishing shots are the first shots we should sow in a storyboard. Other shots consist of closeups, extreme closeups, medium, and full body. Blogging was important to this class because it was a way to share our experiences and what we learned.
One other thing we learned was see a duck say a duck. This is a general writing philosophy when writing a script. If you see something in the script say it, if you say something in your script, see it. It is important to know your audience because you need to know who you are speaking to.
The production process consists of three parts. Pre production includes planning, writing, scheduling, assigning, and location scouting. Production is when you actually shoot or blog. Post production is the editing, uploading and marketing. Location scouting requires looking for outlets, a place that is easy to light, not too shady, and where you can set up equipment easily. The production process was crucial to our class meetings.
Once we grasped three point lighting and over the shoulder shooting, we began to shoot interviews in class. It is important to script questions before filming the interview. Each person had a key role in the interview process. Our class had the opportunity to interview Cynthia Lyles Quinn. It was great to learn about her and what she does on a daily basis. The production process, three point lighting, and scripting were crucial to this interview. As a class, we set up lighting, moved things around, and staged the interviewer and the interviewee. This was part of the pre production process. Mary did a great shop as the interviewer.
      This semester we had the opportunity to work in the Greycomm studio. We all had assigned jobs to contribute to the interview. Myself and Carla had the opportunity to interview Doc Chris. I asked him questions about his life on a daily basis, and his time spent at Loyola. I was not too thrilled to be the interviewer because I personally like to be behind the scenes. This was a really cool experience. I was nervous during the interview because I had to think of questions on the spot. I feel like I grew through this experience. I also got to know Doc Chris better by talking to him one on one in the interview. It was cool to be on camera and speaking to Doc Chris. Doc Chris trusted the class to lead the production process. We also had the opportunity at the end of the semester to interview Crystal L. Bass. We switched up the crew on this interview. Crystal was very inspirational and truly an inspiring woman.
Overall, I enjoyed working with my fellow classmates. This course centered around teamwork. Teamwork is a major takeaway for me personally. Each week we worked with a team to complete our task. We worked together outside of class, in class, and in the greycomm studio. It is important to work in groups because if one student does not understand something, the other group members could show them the proper way to do it. Working in groups allows students to work with other people and become comfortable with them. I have grown as a student by allowing myself to interact with others in a classroom setting. Not all classes allow for this much interaction. I believe that interacting with others is important to learning.
This class would not be what it was without Doc Chris's enthusiasm and encouragement. He believed in us and challenged us by pushing us each week. We were able to broaden our horizons to multimedia because Doc Chris exposed us to different techniques. He introduced us to two influential women, Cynthia Lyles Quinn and Crystal L. Bass. As mentioned earlier, I had the opportunity to interact with Doc Chris on camera.
My experience in this class was definitely rewarding. Overall, I learned how to take different types of shots, the importance of lighting, storyboarding, the interview process, the production process, and how to blog. I had the opportunity to show my family what I learned by filming the Thanksgiving video. I also learned how to edit and put together videos on iMovie and upload them to youtube. I learned how to do things that I didn't know I can do. You never know until you try. I can use shot composition in future picture taking. I think I became a more organized writer through blogging. I will definitely use everything I learned in the future, and I will never forget my experiences in Multimedia. Lastly, thank you to Doc Chris for this experience!
Video Reflection:

Shots:

Chatting with... Crystal L. Bass:

           

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Interviews and Crystal L. Bass

Overview of November 30th: This weeks class consisted of interviews. Will interviewed a few of our classmates, along with myself and Doc Chris. Crystal came to our class, and Doc Chris interviewed her. I thought Crystal had an interesting story and she seems like a great individual. 
Evaluation of the Class: Chris was the director, Frank and Paul worked the cameras. Students shared their views on the course, what they learned, and if they would recommend this course to others. This was a good way to reflect on the semester as a whole, what we have learned, and how we have grown. 
Evaluation of the Professor: Doc Chris did a nice job with interviewing Crystal. It was a good idea for him to interview her because he knows Crystal very well. I could tell Crystal felt comfortable talking to Doc Chris. Doc Chris gave our class some feedback and complemented us for how far we have come. I'm glad and proud that our class was able to exceed his expectations and go further than he expected.
What I learned: As I said in my interview, I have learned many things throughout the semester. I would say the most important thing was the production process and how to apply it to interviews. Everything we have learned has been applied to our interviews. I have learned the importance of team work and how crucial it is to this field. I also learned about Crystal L. Bass and what inspired her to do all that she has done. It was inspiring to hear a successful woman talk about how far she has come in life, and the experiences that have made her who she is today.
Expectations: I cannot believe this was the last class of the semester. I hope to take all that I have learned in this class and apply it to my everyday life in the future.

on set with Crystal L. Bass