Editing

     Today we were supposed to edit our commercial that we filmed last class. However, we did run into some obstacles. One being the fact that we did not have pinnacle studios on the computer that we were assigned. In case you are wondering what pinnacle studios is, it is an editing app. So it is a major hurdle to jump considering we need to edit and we can’t edit. However, my group and I are looking for ways to do it. On idea was that we would use I movie on our phones. But that was quickly shot down because if I movie didn’t work the school wouldn’t be able to back us up. Another idea that we had was to wait for another computer to free up. Unfortunately, a lot of other groups that don’t have pinnacle studios have the same idea. So while we wait for a computer to open up we are writing this blog.
     But, even though we have been set back by pinnacle studios our teachers have not given up. Because our teachers and our school owns all of the equipment they have power. So our teacher are currently trying to get a computer cart in with pinnacle studios. That way we can edit our commercial. The other thing that our teachers are doing is contacting people with power to tell them of our dilemma. They have contacted our tech support, our principle, and Cambridge. This is an advantage of using school technology because if it doesn’t work it isn’t the end of the world. Compared to using your own platforms which may be nicer but you have no leeway if it crashes. All in all, we are patiently waiting for the computers to work. And while we wait we are discussing on what we could’ve done better for other films.
     Moving on, I’ll say what we would have if we had pinnacle studios. We would have edited things like voice overs on what the school is like. My group and I would have also have made cool transitions to cut to other scenes. If we were able to edit we would also have had a educational time because this would be the first time that we would be able to edit. So if pinnacle studios was up we would have learnt how to edit through a interactive lesson. But we were not able to do that. So my group dumped all of our footage onto a USB that we will bing to other classes in hopes that they might have pinnacle studios. Hopefully that will work but for the time being our due date has thankfully been postponed. And the positive of this is that we will have more time to think of cool ideas to edit into the commercial. And possibly more time to film because you can never have enough footage.

Filming Process

     Today in my class (Media Studies) we filmed our commercial. As stated in other blogs my commercial was on the school. My group was pretty nervous to film because we had never done it before and it was worth 200 points. But on the other hand, we were exited because we would get to use filming equipment such as the camera and tripod for the first time. Another reason why my group and I were exited is because we would get to advertise our school. If in the event that our commercial was good. All in all, which ever way you look at the commercial it is good. That is because it is giving us crucial experience for projects to come. However, lets start talking about the important stuff: how we filmed our commercial.
     To begin, my group and I went to building 21. This is where we got shots such as the establishing shot and started out plot. Our idea for the commercial was to follow a student around campus for the day and show what a normal day at Fort Lauderdale high school is like. Like i said, we filmed in building 21 and then made our way over to the track. At the track we filmed our sports and then eventually filmed the cafeteria.
     My role in this project was very important. I was the main actor. While other group members where assigned with filming or editing I was the main actor. I was pretty nervous for my role because I do not have a lot of acting experience. But I did well in the end.

Story Board

     For our commercial we decided to start off with a zoom of our school logo on one of our buildings this will give the viewers and idea of what our school looks like as well as a pleasing introduction. We will then switch to a time lapse of the point of view of a student going through their school day this gives the kids watching the commercial the feeling that they are the ones walking through their future high school halls. We will include a list of our sports and then a pan of all of our fields to advertise our athletics we will conclude the commercial with a list of our clubs and ways for students to get involved.

     Making this story board is very important for the production of our film. This is because we are limited in the amount of time that we are allowed to have for filming so it is critical that we have the correct planning in order. With the correct planning in order like we have done for our story board we can film more efficiently and affectively. That is why we story board.

Editing

     Today I had a very productive class in which I learnt how to assemble a camera and edit footage. To begin, let’s talk about how to set up the cameras that my group and I will be using throughout the year. Because we are using a class set we have to sign a paper ever time we get a camera. Other rules about the class cameras that have is that we can only take a camera for a day, you have to sign out a SD card importer, and you have to wear your school ID and the media studies every time you want to film at school during school hours. That’s because of the school shootings that we have had in recent times. They are the rules for taking out a school camera and although there are a lot of rules they are important because if not followed the camera will be taken away from us.
     Now, moving on to a topic that is more fun, how to set up a camera and all the other gadgets that come with it. The procedures to put the camera on the tri-pod are simple, there is a silver button on the tripod that you take off and with it comes a little clack board. You have to attach that to the camera and screw it in so that the camera does not shake while you are filming. After that you connect it back to the tri-pod. Now, moving on to the tri-pod itself. It is a new tri-pod so my teacher does not know all the shortcuts to it like the older model but she still taught us the basics such as expanding and collapsing it. My teacher then taught us how to put the SD card into the camera and when done recording, putting the SD card into the SD card reader.
     This leads us to the most important part of all, editing. After you put the SD card reader into the computer and dump all of the information onto a computer you then have to edit. In my school the editing platform that we use is Pinnacle Studio. My teacher explained to us that is a great platform but you need to give it patience. That is because if you click to many buttons while it loading is then the platform will crash and you will have to wait longer to restart the computer and start up the platform again. We also learnt how to edit music and add titles to our film. Overall, we learnt a lot this class and it was very productive.

Planning

Today we planned out our commercial. This included: props, costumes, schedule, location, and the back-up plan. The importance of planning is to ensure that we save time. If we didn’t plan out our commercial we could forget to film a certain scene or not have a plan if circumstances change.
Props for our commercial will be backpacks, notebooks, and more school supplies. This is very important because we need to emphasize the fact that learning takes place at our school. It will be helpful in scenes where we are portraying students walking to class and doing normal school activities. We will also need to have our IDs on because it is a strict safety policy that students always need to wear their IDs.
Costumes for our commercial include regular school clothes. Some of our actors will be wearing FLHS merchandise. FLHS stands for Fort Lauderdale High school and it is the school we are promoting in our commercial. The appropriate attire for school along with our school merchandise will remind the viewers about our school spirit and values, making our commercial look more professional.
Our schedule for the process of completing this trailer includes storyboarding 5 blocks on 10/14, planning on 10/10, filming on 10/21, and editing on 10/23. It is important to storyboard because we only have one day to film and it is important to not waste time.
On our filming day we will be filming at the crop circles, in the hallways, cafeteria and on the sports fields. We will use these locations because we feel that they will convey our school in the most effective way.
Our plan if one of our group members does not show up is to use someone from the class that we are in or another group member will take the role of the person that is not there. Another obstacle that we are planning on for if it begins to rain. In the event of rain we will cut out the track shot and film more within the hallways. This alternative is still effective because we will still be able to display the information about our school we want to.

Research

After minutes of debate, my group finally decided to do a commercial about our school as a whole. We knew we wanted to something related to FLHS; however, we didn’t know which aspect to focus on. Overtime, we concurred that it would be better to do the school in general because we wouldn’t have to be as specific. Some elements (in relation to this commercial) we first thought of consisted of what Fort Lauderdale High School has to offer. This includes its variety of extra curricular activities and academic programs.
Typically, many school commercials include interviews from students who testify to the positive elements their school provides. Because of this, we are going to try to include performances from students in clubs such as choir or theater. We could also show the highlights of the sports program, particularly the football team, considering they are in season right now. Another idea we had would be to include a speech from the principal or a figure of authority, maybe even the student council.
Overall, we are very excited to begin this project and hope that is might be an asset to our school as well as its values. Even though we all love our school, we hope this commercial will be beneficial to our skills in this class. We want to able to learn from the planning, editing, and filming processes involved in this activity and build upon it in the future.

Introduction

        Hi, my name is Thomas and this is the first blog that I have ever done. I was born in Miami and have been walking around for 16 years.
        To begin, a little bit more about me and what I like. What I value the most in this world is family. Although almost all of my relatives live in England the time that we spend together is quality time. I have two sibling (a brother and a sister) and I cherish them both. They both keep me humble and allow me to see another perspective into the world. I also am grateful for my parents because they taught and continue to teach me important values such as integrity.
         However, enough about me and more about the school that I attend and the class that is making me do these blogs. I go to Fort Lauderdale High School. I’ve been at the school for a year and a half (about), and I chose this school because of the amazing reputation and education even though it is further away then other schools. Now about the class Media Studies. In this class we have a big test at the end of the year and have to make some short films. But the class is really important because it can give me a scholarship.
 Now about the class, in media studies we did the in school test as a practice. My class watched the first 5 minutes of Mr. Robot because that was used on the actual prior test. The practice test showed that I needed to work on sound affects. That is a portion that I didn't do to well on. But at least I did poorly now then on the actual test.