Editing Blog

As of currently, we are on track to complete the music video on time. However, there are still some very important due dates coming up that I am going to discuss. First of all, we have planned, storyboarded, and filmed for all scenes that will be in the music video. We concluded filming on Thursday, November 26th by filming at the beach and the local park. Up next however, is we have to edit our music video, which is due December 9th in class. There are certain requirements that we have to meet aswell. For example, the music video must be no lengthier than 1:15 or no shorter than 1:05. Some other requirements we must have include 12-15 scenes and the video must be submitted in an MP4 format. Another important due date coming up is our CCR on December 11th. There are also requirements for this aswell. First of all, the CCR must be in Google Slides or PowerPoint. Secondly, we are to answer each question on its own slide(s) and add clips from the project relating to  each question. Finally, we have to add the song from the video into the PowerPoint and be creative!

Moving on from the due dates, the editing process has begun this week. We had to take some crucial steps to make sure everything went smoothly when editing. To begin with, we had to dump our footage and upload it to the Google Drive. When filming we used two separate camera, a drone and a go pro to film, which means two separate SD cards. The first footage I dumped was from the drone, which we used on December 26th. We recorded about 15 takes using the drone all lasting about 0:15-0:30 each. In order to retrieve, the SD card I had to open a special flap underneath the drone, and click the SD card so it would pop out. A key difference however is the SD card is a micro SD, meaning I needed a separate adapter to plug it into the computer. Luckily, I had one at home and was able to continue the dumping process. From here, I created a folder on my desktop named “Drone Footage” and dumped the videos. Finally, I uploaded the footage to Google Drive Incase I ever wanted to edit on another computer. In addition, we also used a GoPro while filming at the beach. This used a spectate SD card, that was also a micro SD, which had about 30-40 videos all lasting about 0:10 in length. We completed the same process and made another folder named “GoPro Footage.” Overall, the dumping process was unproblematic and went smoothly.

Finally, there are a few editing techniques that we want to add to our scenes to complete the post production process. We had planned in our storyboard to add things like color grading, transitions, and the removal or addition of music. The reason behind color grading is too add additional effect to our scenes. For example, adding effects like vivid or dramatic will add extra depth to our video which will create senses of tension or initiate reflecting for our audience. Transitions are another important part of the post production process. Slides such as wipe, fade in, or burn out will allow the audience to follow along with the music video better and will establish and overall theme. Finally, the addition of removal of music will make the music video what it is. We will remove the diegetic sound of each scene and replace it music , specifically “Young Dumb and Broke.”

Final Filming Blog

Today is Monday, December 2nd and as of currently we have filmed all of our scenes for the music video. We even filmed backup scenes that were not planned in case a scene wasn’t to our liking. To have the filming done in an orderly time, we decided to only film on two days November 26th and November 28th. For the first filming session, we planned to go right after school to our local park and film. Our school was released at 2:45pm and we all arrived at the park by 3:00pm. At the park we filmed a total of 4 scenes, the first, second, tenth, and eleventh. The first scene went without any issues as all we needed was to find an empty bleacher. From there the two actors would socialize with one another as I filmed with the drone. We took a total of 3 takes so we could choose which was the best in the editing process. The second scene that we did involved the two actors laying on the field listening to music while I flew the drone so that the camera would skyrocket upwards. A problem we faced with this scene was the drone was buggy at times as there was high wind turbulence, but, we completed the scene nonetheless. The tenth, was simple as it was b-roll of all denominations of change falling on the ground in a parking lot. Finally, the eleventh scene we used the drone again to film two actors socializing in the trunk of the car. There were a lot of near by people and cars so we had to try and time our shots to keep most of them out of the background. Additionally, we had planned for the car to be moving during this scene but with the amount of people nearby we decided against this. Overall, the filming at this location went very smoothly with very little technical difficulties or changes needed to be made.

The next location we filmed at was a local hangout area by the beach. There were consignment stores, restaurants, ice cream parlors, etc. We had chosen this spot as it had satisfied many of the locations we wanted to use for the music video. We filmed a total of 8 scenes here, and were very enthusiastic about the results. For example the 3rd scene, we had planned to film a slushy machine, however, we decided to film an actor trying on hand bags at a local Walgreens. We asked the manager for approval to film this scene and two others and she approved us. The next scene we filmed involved an actor grabbing a lot of snacks at the Walgreens. In this scene, the actor would already be holding one bag of chips and would then grab more and more until they could not hold anymore. We made sure to not make a mess and put all the snacks back where we had found them. The next scene we filmed was the three of us in the car driving with the camera on the dash. During the scene we made sure to go far away from the location to a parking lot with no cars. We had our seatbelt on at all times and made sure to follow all traffic laws that applied. The sixth scene was netted and we had planned for us to film out of the car window driving past the beach. However, we realized we did not have a panning shot, which was required be the rubric, so we took a panning shot of the ocean from the shore. The seventh scene we filmed was us splashing each other in the water at the beach. We had to change this scene as well because we had planned to film us playing volleyball, but we forgot to bring the actual volleyball. The eighth scene included two actors building a sand castle on the beach which went without any problems. The next scene we filmed was an actor, myself specifically, trying on sunglasses at the Walgreens. Occasionally shoppers would pass, as we took multiple takes of this scene, so we made sure to respect their space and privacy. Finally, the last scene we filmed was two actors walking down the beach. We felt this scene rapped up the music video very well and took 4 takes so we could choose the which we wanted to use for the music video.

Update on Filming Blog

Today is November 25th, 2019 and as of currently we have not began filming our music video for AICE Media Studies. This is partly because we put a lot of effort into planning our scenes and creating our storyboard. As a refresher, our first scene will be 2-3 actors sitting on the bleachers at our local park and this will be a drone shot. The next scene will be 2-3 actors laying on the football field with the camera positioned directly above them in a birds eye view. The third scene, will be a tilt  shot of a slushy machine from the roof to the actual machine itself. The fourth scene is an actor grabbing a lot of snacks from a consignment store. The fifth scene will be all 3 actors driving in a car together and singing along to a song. The sixth scene will be a view out the car window as we are driving past the beach. The seventh scene will be 2 actors playing volleyball on the beach and having a good time. The eighth scene will be two actors making sand castles and playing at the beach with one another. The ninth scene will be an actor trying on sunglasses at a beach store. The tenth scene will be coins of various denominations dropping on the ground. Our 11th scene will be 2 actors sitting on the back of a car. And finally, the last scene will be two people walking down a beach at sunset.

Another reason we didn’t begin filming today was because we had to secure our actors and locations. All 3 actors had very different schedules that took some strategic planning to work out. For example, I am not free Monday-Thursday before 6pm, the second actor is not free on certain days of work, and the third actor couldn’t work Friday-Saturday. Under the special circumstance of Thanksgiving Break, we determined we were able to film on Tuesday, November 26th after school. During this time we planned on filming our 1st, 2nd, 4th, 10th, and 11th scenes at our local park. Another important part of the process is securing our locations. In the storyboard we had not planned to use more than 4 locations. These included the beach, the local park, a consignment store, and the car. Out of all these locations only one, the consignment store, we plan on asking for direct permission from the manager to film. Our intent is not to disrupt business or to go against their company policy, so we believe it is only respectful to ask.

Tomorrow is November 26th, and that is the day we are filming at the local park. As such, a little preparation is involved in order to film. For instance, we need a camera to record all of our takes onto. This will be my personal GoPro Hero 7 which allows us to film 4K footage in a small form factor. With this camera I also need to bring a large SSD for all the footage and a carrying case with extra batteries just in case the camera died. Additionally another camera we will be bringing is a drone. Both the 1st, 2nd, and 11th scenes require a drone for some of the footage. I will be brining my DJI Mavic 2 Pro, which once again can film in 4K. The drone requires me to also bring my Ipad, the remote, batteries, carrying case, etc. I am going to take extra steps to guarantee the safety of the actors and general public as well as abide by the rules of the FAA. Finally, we need a car for scenes 4 and 11. We will use an actors car and not drive in any unsafe or reckless manor. For extra safety, we will be wearing our seatbelts at all times and drive at low speeds not near the general public. Overall, although the great depth we put into our storyboard set us behind a little bit, our group feels prepared for filming together. The camera equipment, props used, and detailed plan will all combine together and will allow us to have a great filming session.

Music Video Storyboard

Storyboard:

Planning Music Video

During last class we had been introduced to our new project, a music video. I was really excited about the project because I worked really well with my group last time and thought this project would be more enjoyable. The previous project, the commercial, we had been confined to filming on campus and picking from certain topics. This project is different because we are allowed to film off campus and choose our own song. The song we are going to recreate in our music video is Young Dumb and Broke by Khalid. However, before we can film we have to plan out every aspect of the music video. This includes the location, health and safety concerns, props, costumes, and the schedule. This had been very helpful during the commercial, and I believe we will find it very useful again while filing the music video.

Location:
Throughout the music video we want to use locations that a high school viewer or teenager can relate to. For that reason, we choose places such as our high school, a park, the beach, a parking lot, the car, and fast food restaurants. High school is a place everyone can relate to as we are there for a large portion of our day to day lives. It is one large social atmosphere where we can grow together, feel to each other, and build relationships. The idea of a large social atmosphere was something we wanted to include in our music video. Locations such as the park and the beach are also some of a high school student’s favorite pastime. The ability to relax and take a break from our stressful lives is something everyone needs. Finally we choose to include the car as another location. High school students can range on average from 14-18 years old, and will be exposed to driving without their parents potentially. We wanted to recreate this experience in our video, and exaggerate the reckless behavior that a teenager may have when they are driving.

Health/Safety Concerns:
Safety is of the uttermost importance during the filming of the music video. There will be some reckless scenes but we will minimize the potential risks and concerns each of these scenes will have. For example, during the filming of the scene in the car we will be wearing a seatbelt at all times the car is moving. The driver will concentrate on driving and we will be far away from crowded areas, where the public could potentially be at risk. Furthermore, throughout the filming of every scene we will have a first aid kit with us Incase someone is cut or hurt. Finally, we will have our phones on us at all times in case of an emergency. In this unlikely event, 911 will be dialed to get medical treatment  as soon as possible.

Props:
Props are another important part of the music video, and we want to make sure they are related to our topic and audience. So, to recreate the life of a reckless high schooler, we will use props such as a car, food(likely fast food), beach going things, pennies(or other forms of change), and other regular day to day items. These props together will work to create this sense of being a high schooler and will add depth to our music video.

Costumes:
Costumes are another important part of the music video, however it will be easy to replicate. We plan on using day to day attire for a student or teenager. Furthermore, our school does not have uniforms so we be able to control what appearance we have in the music video. However, we will make sure to have the costume politically neutral and not depicting things such as substance abuse or discrimination.

Schedule:

Introduction to Music Video

Looking back, there were some highs and lows to our commercial but we are moving on to filming our music video. However, the commercial taught us some very important lessons regarding the film making process. First of all, learning to plan and use a storyboard was very useful. We had to create a sketch and description of each scene we would be creating. This saved loads of time because we knew exactly how we wanted to film each scene and we did not have to rerecord scenes. Secondly, we learned how to use Final Cut Pro. Although we had never been exposed to the software, we were able to learn how to add transitions, special effects, music, and color-grade. Finally, we learned not to procrastinate. There are many due dates throughout the project including blog, filing, and editing due dates. Managing these due dates however is very difficult, and something my group could improve upon. We will need to schedule times to get together and film throughout this project in order to complete it on time.

Now, for the music video, our first objective was to figure out song we would be re creating in our commercial.  We watched many videos on YouTube of music videos, parodies, and songs. After much debate, we decided to recreate the song Young Dumb and Broke by Khalid. First of all, the song associates with students in high school. Most students don’t have a job, and can be wreck less at times so  we believed  it would relate without our audience. Additionally, the song we choose obviously had to have clean lyrics as we were doing a school project. Young Dumb and Broke does not include any vulgar language or explicit references. Finally we believed the song would be easy to recreate. This is because we already have clothes (costumes) or accessories (props) that most high school students would have. Additionally, the settings for our scenes would be easily accessible such as the parking lot, school, or beach.

C.L.A.M.P.S:

1. Costumes: The costumes we will be using are just normal everyday attire for the average teen. We want to try and make the clothing as related to the song as possible. So wearing fancy clothing would contradict the whole video. Average clothing consists of hoodies, redshirts, shorts & jeans.
2. Lighting: We will be using natural light from wherever we film. We wont be bringing in any special lighting due to the fact that the music video is supposed to be fairly average and relatable to a teenager.
3. Actors: Our actors will be the three people in our group. Additionally, we might add some extra actors depending on the scene. We want to create a sense of socialization in the video.
4. Makeup: Makeup will not be anything over the top. Any actors that wears makeup, if any, will be natural because we want the audience to be able to relate to it.
5. Props: Some props that we will be using is a car and money. We are not sure what other props we will be using right now, but if we do use additional props they will contribute to the overall theme of the song which is young, dumb, and broke. We might use food as well just to show that we’re having a good time.
6. Setting: We’re going to have various settings in the music video to contribute to the idea teenagers have very busy social life’s . We want to show that teens are always on the move and having fun.

Final Blog for Commercial

In today’s class period we were able to continue editing our commercial. When we had previously tried to edit on the computers we ran into some technical difficulties. The computer took too long to import our media and was very slow when we tried to add transitions and effects. So instead of editing on those computers now we had laptops with Pinnicale Studios. We found these computers to be much faster and easier to operate. However, there were not enough laptops with the editing software so the class had to be split into two groups. The right side of the room had the beginning 45 minutes to edit while the left side could plan. After the 45 minutes was up the left side of the room could begin editing while the right side could blog. My group was on the left side of the room so we were not able to edit first. However when it was our turn we had a good idea of how we wanted to edit our commercial.

The plan for our commercial was to have 6 scenes each lasting about 5-6 seconds in length. These scenes included the Nike shoes, shorts, shirt, backpack, and the logo. We had watched Nike commercials and found they had simple but ascetically pleasing edits, so we based our editing choices off of that. For our commercial we added dissolve to black transitions in between slides. This kept the simplistic look of the commercial while also making the commercial simple to follow. The next part of the process was adding music to the commercial. From the examples of the Nike commercials we determined that music without lyrics that was simple would match our commercial  the best. First however, we removed sound from the scenes by detaching the audio from the clips in the editing software. We then searched through quite a few options for music on YouTube and found one that we liked. Next we downloaded it as an MP3 file through a YouTube to MP3 converter. Finally we were able to import it into our editing software and add the music to our commercial.

Now that we had the transitions and the music in our commercial we could move onto more complicated editing techniques. The first thing we did was do color corrections for each scene. There were multiple effects we could add or adjust such as the hue/saturation, filters, temperature, and saturation. To prevent our video from being unrealistic I decided to only add filters to the scenes. Some of my favorite presets included dramatic and vivid. They added blue tones and highlights and created an effect of athleticism. Now that we were finally done adding transitions, music, and color corrections were could export our commercial. This took quite some time as the computer need compact everything we had added into 1 video. We made sure to save the commercial in a .mov format as it was compatible with both Apple and Windows computers. From there all we had to was submit the video to our teacher. Once again this took quite some time as the video took up a lot of storage. All in all, we were glad to have our commercial turned in on time and pleased with the final product.

Editing Blog

During today’s class period we had to begin editing our commercial. To get the footage onto our computer we had to dump the footage. This required us to put our SD card into the SD card reader and then plug this into our computer. Then we had to create a folder on the desktop. From there, you check the DCIM folder for the SD card, which organizes the clips by the date. If you can’t find your footage you go into the private folder, then click on AUCHD, and then stream. Our footage did not pop up in the DCIM folder so we had to to go into the private folder. Once we found our clips we transferred them to the folder on our desktop. This process took quite some time since we had over 50 clips on the SD card. I found the dumping process to be fairly straight forward. The next step was to boot up Pinnacle Studios and import our footage onto there. This was a bit of a learning curve as I had never previously used Pinnacle Studios.

My group tasked me with editing our blog but I needed the footage to edit. To import we had to click import on Pinnacle Studios. Then you had to click import from desktop. The desktop would then scan for compatible files that we could use to edit. Once again this took quite some time as we had over 50 clips to import. When the footage finished importing now the editing process could begin. First, I watched all of the takes we had for each scene to determine which one would be used in the commercial. I would choose 1-2 and move then to the second track on the editing program. The reason I did this was because we had learned the first track was specifically for titles and text and the third was for voice overs, music, and other sound. I did not add titles today or sound because we had limited time to edit. I experimented around with different transitions however. A few of my favorite transitions were the dissolve, wipe, fade in, and fade out. I found these to fit with our commercial theme and tired include them throughout the commercial where I felt necessary. Before class was about to end I made sure to save what I had done. I saved it onto the desktop in a pinnacle studios video format so I could continue editing next class.

Throughout the editing process we ran into many complications. First, the main problem we had was locating our footage. We had dumped at the end of the previous class, but we’re not able to find the footage anywhere on our computer. Our solution to this problem however was we located our SD card and dumped the footage. The second problem we had was the time it took to import and dump. Our group had filmed over 50 clips ranging from 6 to 10 seconds in length. This meant that our footage took up a lot of storage and therefore took a lot of time to import. This was usually about 5-10 minutes and hurt the amount of time we had to edit. The final problem we had was how slow the computers were when having the editing software at times. Clicking too many things at once would cause the computer to overload and it would freeze. At one point the computer even crashed because it was so overloaded. All in all, despite the challenges we faced we were still able to start editing during the class period.

Commercial Filming

We filmed today in AICE Media Studies for our commercial which is on the Nike Brand. When we entered the classroom we were allowed to begin filming immediately, but first we had to follow the classroom procedures for checking out the equipment. We took an equipment form and included information such as the item numbers, phone numbers, group members names, and other information. We then turned this form into our teacher and were able to get our equipment. The camera took a while to learn how to use, but soon we were able to access a lot of the features. The other piece of equipment that took a while to learn how to use was the tripod. Detaching the base and screwing it into the camera was easy, but then reattaching this to the tripod was tricky. We knew the legs could be extended, but did not know there was an adjustable crane to give the camera more height. Before we could leave the classroom we also had to grab an AICE Media hall pass. This ensured that we did not waste time being stopped by security for not having a hall pass.

For the first scene, we had planned to film the Nike shoes at the track. It was very helpful having our storyboard so that we could save time and continue filming other scenes. However, when walking out the track we ran into a complication, the amount of people on track. We were not anticipating other groups filming on the track first as well as other classes being on the track. Our solution to this problem was to film on the baseball field in the outfield. On the baseball field there was no classes and only one other group filming. Additionally, we were able to capture the feeling of athleticism without being on the track. The second scene was the Nike shorts and this was filmed on the patio outside of the media center. We had story boarded this scene to be a tracking shot as the actor walked, but we decided to change this as it was too complicated. Instead we had the camera fixed on the tripod and the actor walk the camera. Then after about 5 seconds we would have the actor turn 90 degrees so the Nike logo was visible on his shorts. The third scene we filmed was for the Nike shirt. During this scene we had the camera once again fixed on the tripod looking down on the actor, also known as a high angle. The actor would be talking to a classmate or working on homework at a table outside of the cafeteria. 

Continuing on, the 4th scene we filmed were filmed slightly different the rest of the scenes. On the storyboard we had planned for the actor, me, to walk up the media center stairs with a Nike backpack. The previous scenes I had been directing or adjusting the camera and enjoyed using the tripod as it gave stable footage that wasn't shaking. However, this time my group found that the tripod was not low enough for the low angle to be very apparent. Our solution to this problem was to have the person holding the camera sit on the floor and have the camera facing upward. After a few takes, we felt that we had taken at least one that wouldn't be shaky and good enough for our commercial. The last scene we had to film was all the Nike products together. This scene was tricky because we were not able to find the feature to add delay to when the take started. We wanted all of us to be in the scene but did not have another group member to be the camera man. Our solution was this was for me to start the video and me then go to where I was supposed to be. Then in the editing process we would crop the video to where we wanted it. Finally, for the last 15 minutes of class we dumped all of the footage we had onto a computer so we could begin editing next class.

Storyboarding Blog

First Scene-
During this scene we will be filming the Nike shoes, specifically White Air-forces, for the commercial. The shot will be an extreme close up, and will be tracking the subject. The location for the shot is on the track as well. We wanted to include an aspect of athletics since Nike is mostly athletic apparel.

Second Scene-
The next scene we wanted to include for our commercial is someone walking with Nike shorts. The location for the scene is on the patio outside of the media center, as we wanted to create a social setting. Casual clothing is another major part of Nike’s brand and we wanted to make sure to incorporate that into our commercial. This shot is going to be a medium long shot.

Third Scene-
The third scene we wanted to include in our commercial was someone outside of the cafeteria at our school in a Nike shirt. This would be a medium shot.

Fourth Scene-
The fourth scene will be an actor going up the stairs with a Nike backpack. This scene will include a low angle wide shot. We specifically choose to include a backpack as most kids need one for school and we would be filming at our school.

Fifth Scene-
The fifth scene for our commercial will be all of the Nike apparel combined into once scene. This scene will take place on the senior patio and will include a tilt and will be a wide shot. We want to include every actor, the setting, and the Nike apparel all in this one scene.

Sixth Scene-
The sixth scene will be a black background with a Nike logo. Then a slogan such as “Just do it” or “Preparing student for education and athletics” will fade in.

*Each scene will last about 5 seconds and will have music in the background.

Editing Lesson Blog

During today’s class we learned about the equipment we would be using to film our blog and how to edit the footage. First of all, there are some simple procedures that we have to do to check out a camera. Every time you check out a camera you must fill out an agreement form and give this to the teacher. This form would have your checkout time, the expected return time, the number of the camera, and your groups phone numbers. From there, the teacher will give you a camera and you must put your agreement in the classes folder. The camera must be returned the next class day. Other things we learned we would need to checkout include the SD card reader and the tripod. Additionally, every time you leave the classroom to film you must have a media studies pass and your ID. Now that we have completed all of these procedures we are now able to film and use the equipment.

The next thing we learned this class period was how to operate the equipment. The camera is fairly straight forward and is started by opening the flap on the side. If the camera does not start by opening the flap, the camera is likely out of battery. The flap has a touch screen LCD panel and can be flipped to show you what you are recording now matter how you film. Another important part of the camera is where the SD card is located. The SD card is a form of portable storage usually used in digital cameras such as the one we are using. Where the SD card goes is located on the end of the camera when the flap is open. The SD is put into the reader by gently pushing on it with the Sony logo facing towards yourself. Likewise, the SD card is ejected by gently pushing on it. Another important part of the camera, is how you record your footage. Recording begins when you push the silver button on top of the camera and paused every time you click the button again. This is known as a take. The last piece of equipment we learned to use was the tripod. The tripod’s height  can be adjusted by opening the legs, however, when carrying the tripod it must be kept in the smallest form factor. There is also a crane feature on the tripod that can adjust the height even more. To attach the camera to the tripod, you have to remove the base and then screw it onto the camera. This is then reattached to the tripod. Other things you can do with the tripod include panning and tilting by turning knobs on the tripod.

The last thing we learned this class period was how to dump, import, and export our footage. First, is taking the footage from the camera to computer, also know as dumping. What you have to do is take out the SD card, put it into the SD reader, and plug this into the USB port on your computer. Form there you will open the DCIM folder and find the folder with your time and date of filming. This is moved to the folder you created on your desktop. The SD card read and the SD card can then be returned to the teacher. To import the footage you have to launch Pinnacle Studios. The. You click import, open the folder on your desktop, and click start import. This will take some time, and make sure to import all your footage because you never know what you might need. To edit the footage place the takes you want to use on AV track 2. On there you can detach audio, add transitions, or adjust contrast. When you are satisfied, you click export. You want to make sure it is saved in .mpeg form and the best quality, then click start export. Before shutting down Pinnacle Studios make sure your film is saved to the location where you wanted it.

Planning Blog for Nike Commercial

As we have previously learned planning is an important part of the film making industry and process. Today we learned we would be planning our commercial for example the costumes, scenes, settings, and schedule. It is important that we commercial so that we can save time. Working out our shots and scenes in advance will ensure we are able to get everything done the day we have to film. Planning can also save money. For the commercial we need some props and filming equipment, which if we plan out what we need, will save time. Lastly, planning the scenes out won’t cause confusion during the filming process. Planning will allow for all the actors to know what they are doing and when to do it. Overall, planning as many advantages and a good plan for our commercial will save us time and money as well as  prevent confusion.

Props- Were going to be using Nike apparel for the commercial. Specifically, we will be using Nike shoes, Nike shorts, a Nike shirt, and a Nike backpack.

Costumes- The costumes for the commercial will nothing intentional except for the Nike apparel. As this commercial is focused on education and taking place at our school, actors will be wearing day to day wear and the Nike apparel. For example, the actor wearing the Nike shorts will wear a non-branded shirt as well as shoes. The same goes for the person wearing the Nike shirt, they will try and wear other non branded clothing.

Schedule-
10/7- We decided the topic for our commercial. This ended up being a Nike commercial, focused on how their apparel is worn at school. We researched about the brand as well as how other Nike commercials were portrayed and filmed. We also blogged about the process.

10/10- Were planning our commercial today. We will discuss how planning will help us in the long run as well as the props well use, costumes well wear, our schedule, locations, and a backup plan. We will also blog about the process (this blog).

10/14- On this day we'll storyboard. Were going to map out the steps we're going to take to produce the scenes. This will save time, money and prevent confusion during the filing process.

10/21- On this day we will film the commercial. The plan is to stick to the storyboard in order to complete the filming and to move on to the editing process. A person will be filming an actor wearing apparel while the others direct the actor to what they have to do. We will also post an individual blog going over what we did.

10/23- On this day we’re going to edit our commercial. We will put all the footage we have into Premiere Pro and edit.

Locations-
Nike Shoes- On school track
Nike Backpack- Going up the media center stairs.
Nike Shorts- The patio outside of the media center aka the “Crop Circles”
Nike Shirt- Outside of Cafeteria

Backup Plan- It is important to have a backup plan for filming process because we only have on day to film. As such, every location that’s outside and could have exposure to rain will be moved to a place with an overhang. For example, the track scene with the Nike shoes, will be moved to the bus loop as if they were jogging out to practice. We want to keep the idea of excessive associated with our commercial. Also, the cafeteria scene would be moved to the senior patio because we want to keep the idea of school and social interaction in the scene. Lastly, if one of our actors is absent and doesn't have the prop with them, we will find someone who in our media studies class with a piece of Nike apparel on to fill the scene.

Research Conventions and Codes

Today is October 7^th, 2019 and today we had to decide the topic for our commercial. The commercial is one of our first projects of the school year and there is a lot criteria we have to meet. For example the commercial has to be 25-30 seconds long, the typical length of an ordinary commercial. Additionally, we learned the commercial would be due October 28^th at 11:59pm and emailed to our class email. Lastly we had to pick from a certain set of topics including Nike, Starbucks, Dublin Donuts, etc. Other forms of topics included anti vaping commercials for the county or commercials for our school such as the programs offered there. After much deliberation, our group decided to do a commercial on Nike. We wanted to include various clothing items that kids wear in their day to day school lives. 

As previously stated, our group choose to create a Nike commercial for our first project. However this didn’t go without much debate. A pro to doing a Nike commercial is it’s a company everyone is familiarized with. Nike being such a large company, everyone in this day and age has hard of them company and likely has a price of apparel from them. Leading into my next point, props will be easy to find for the commercial. Asking around our group, we found that everyone had at least one piece of Nike apparel they could model for the commercial. Lastly, the group as a whole liked the brand image Nike presents. Nike supports education, equality, youth athletics and other various topics through the selling of their apparel. 

Fairly early on in class we had made the division to do Nike as our commercial, so we had extra time to begin planning our commercial. First of all, we researched current Nike commercials and developed an understanding of how they were filmed or produced. Secondly, the group created an idea for how to film the commercial which is to film individual pieces of apparel. The first clip would be someone walking with Nike shoes. The second clip would be someone walking with Nike shorts or pants. The third clip would be someone walking with a Nike shirt. The fourth clip would be someone walking with a Nike backpack. Finally, the last clip would be us  all walking together with the Nike apparel which would then fade to a Nike logo and a closing statement. After creating a brief idea, we then assigned each individual with finding the Nike price they would be wearing.

Introductory

Hello, my name is Blake and I am a sophomore at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida. I am currently taking AICE Media Studies and I am very enthusiastic about developing my film making skills, as well as how it is applicable into our day-to-day lives. I was born in June 2003 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and I am currently 16 years old. During 2nd grade I moved to Parker Colorado, where I found I liked playing baseball, snowboarding, hiking, dirt biking, and other various outdoor activities. Due to the cold weather, my parents decided to move back to Fort Lauderdale and we haven’t moved anywhere since.

As previously stated, I am currently attending Fort Lauderdale High School in the 10th grade. My reason for attending is the Cambridge Program which offers students an opportunity to obtain an extra diploma as well as scholarship opportunities. During my freshman year I took AICE General Paper, AICE Marine Science, and AICE Global Perspectives of which I found all to be rigorous courses. Despite their difficulty, I passed all 3 classes and only needed to pass 4 more classes to obtain my Cambridge diploma. I had set a goal for myself to obtain my diploma my sophomore year, and as such, took 4 AICE classes. They include AICE Thinking Skills, AICE European History, AICE English, and AICE Media Studies. The class that interests me the most however is AICE Media Studies because I will learn how to operate camera equipment, film video, and edit film in the post-production process.

Finally, I enjoy many past-time activities such as baseball, snowboarding, wakeboarding, and others. After school I play baseball for the school team, and I am currently the JV Captain. I get a thrill out of playing the sport with my friends and the feeling you get when you make a great play. The position I play is first base which I find to enjoy the most because you are apart of every play. Another favorite of my pastimes is snowboarding. Typically every winter my family and I travel to the Rocky Mountains to go skiing and snowboarding with our cousins. I love being in the outdoors and with family, which snowboarding is able to do for me. Lastly, I love watching films and videos. My favorite series of films is Star Wars and one of my favorite films is A Dog’s Purpose.