Editing the blog

Today we were going to edit our footage and see if anything needed to be re filmed. However, it seemed as if things were not working our favor today. Last class we ran out of time to dump the footage on the school's computers so we had to make some adjustments. We dumped our footage on Victoria's personal laptop, that way we wouldn't be late for our next class. So when we got to class the first thing we had to do was dump the footage from Victoria's laptop onto the school's computer. We then realized that none of us actually brought a flash drive to school so we could make the transfer. Our next plan of action was finding a flash drive. We asked the teacher first but they said they only had SD card readers. After that we asked three other people before we were able to find someone. We put the footage on the flash drive and put all the footage on a file on the computer.

Once we put the footage into a file on the computer, we returned the flash drive to the person. The next problem was actually trying to dump the footage into Pinnacle Studios. The teacher stated that the first 13 computers did not have Pinnacle Studios sand that people would have to move around. Luckily we were one of the people who had the application on the computer so we just moved on to the next step. This is where we ran into problems. When we clicked on the icon, it took a while to load up and then it said "This application is blocked by your administrator". We went to the teacher and she said " I know I have to unblock it from my computer" While we were waiting, we were discussing the different ways to edit. Whether we wanted to do a jump cut and what kind of music we wanted in the background. After about 10 minutes, the teacher came back and said that the computers were not working with Pinnacle Studios. 

 What this meant was that the schedule that we had set up was behind. We were not able to start our editing process which really sucked. So instead of being down about it we decided to be proactive. We got together as a group and went back to the different editing styles we wanted to do. For the music we came up with putting it in the background but having diegetic sounds in front of the music. 

. However as we move along in the commercial we the music will get louder and the bass in the song will become more prominent. Another thing we also came up with is the kind of cuts we wanted to do into the next scene.We wanted to do a jump cut as well as a split screen. These are just a couple of the ideas that we came up with. We are gonna see what else we can do with the editing process once Pinnacle Studios is up. Hopefully we can edit next class. 

Filming the Commercial

When we got to class the first thing that we had to do was fill out the forms needed to check out the equipment such as check out a camera and tripod. Once we got the equipment, we had to change into our costumes for each scene. So Victoria put on her glasses as well as her Harvard hoodie, I had to change into my dance uniform and boot, and Jefferey had to change into his tracksuit used for performances.  Our first scene was shot on a softball field which was where Jefferey's scene was shot. Then we moved to the senior patio where Victoria's and I's scene was shot. The difference in location was where on the senior patio that our different scenes were shot. When we finished shooting the different takes, we moved back to the classroom where we had to dump the footage onto the computer.
During the acting filming part of the day, we all had different roles. We mostly split up the responsibilities. For example, there wasn't just one person in charge of moving the equipment, we would all carry a piece of equipment. However, my main job was preparing and shooting for my scene. I had to practice the perform choreography that was gonna be done in my scene, so while Victoria was shooting Jefferey's scene I would watch the equipment and practice. Then it was my turn to shoot my scene. Jefferey was in charge of the camera while I was acting. I had to perform myself messing up my routine, such as dropping my baton and forgetting choreography. I then also had to perform doing great after drinking the Gatorade, catching all of the tosses and performing the routine without hitches. The last thing that I did was put up one of the equipments that we used so I could return it to the teacher.
Even though we were able to get all the shots that we needed, we faced some challenges. On our way to the softball field, we realized that we forgot the Gatorade bottle that we needed to film. Knowing this while my partners went to go set up on the field, I went and got back and got the drinks. Another issue was timing. We realized that we had to be back in the classroom by a certain so we would have the chance to dump the footage so we were moving at a very pace. I then understood the reason why directors have a schedule for what time they are going to film the different scenes. The biggest challenge I would say is making sure to film at the same angles and movements in every scene. so it would take multiple takes to get into the same results. When we got back to class we were off schedule, so we had to rush to dump the footage on the computer. However, there were limited SD card readers so it took more time because we had to wait till another group was done dumping. In the end, we were able to film all of our footage and dump it on to a computer in one day. All that's left to do now is the actual editing of what we did. Hopefully, we won't have to reshoot scenes.

Storyboard Blog

Today, we finally managed to complete the storyboard for a Gatorade commercial, a step that will ultimately make the filming process much easier. Storyboarding was quite the group experience. Coming together and allowing our creative juices to flow from our minds, intertwining with one another and spawning even more ideas, resulted in what we saw as the best path to take for this project. In a nutshell, our commercial will go as follows: The commercial will begin with a full Gatorade bottle displayed on the screen placed on the field of grass and instrumental music will start playing. For our score, we decided to use the song “Hot” by Young Thug as it coincided with our vision for the commercial. Then, it will transition to 3 different scenes, each carrying a dull, dim atmosphere. This works to give the impression that the individuals in the scenes are tired, completely deprived of the energy and unable to carry out the tasks at hand. With this, slow transitions will be used in order to have the effect of the sluggishness that our actors will have. Transitions like slow pans and slow tilts. This develops the idea of a problem, which Gatorade will soon provide a solution. After this, each actor will take sips of Gatorade and this will be shown on a three-way split screen. The colors would change to a more vibrant setting and the music will be at a more upbeat tempo. Then, the same tasks that were attempted before will be attempted again, but performed better, illustrating the ‘liquid power’ of the Gatorade. As typical conventions used in Gatorade commercial, faster transitions, and dynamic shots will be used in order to get the attention of the audience. To end the commercial, an empty Gatorade bottle will be placed on the same field at the same spot.

Planning for Gatorade Commercial

10/10
During class, we continued our discussion from the night before about the props, costumes schedule, location, and the back-up plan to film our commercial. Figuring out the props, costumes, and location for the commercial were the easiest to discuss. Going into the planning, we all had our ideas for the commercial and what we wanted it to look like. We were trying to decide what route we want to take for the commercial, if we wanted it to be different from the ‘traditional’ Gatorade commercials or put our own twist to it. Inevitably, we all decided to steer from the norm and make the commercial school oriented. Since all of us partake in activities for school like percussion, auxiliary, and even studying for a big test, we thought our commercial can have a larger target audience if we made it revolve around school. Our group went ahead and decided the slogan that we wanted. Even though Gatorade has their own slogan, we wanted to change it up and come up with our own. We decided on “Liquid power, Liquid drive, Liquid intensity, Gatorade”.

Props

‘Quints’, drum sticks, and a harness for the percussion scenes


A baton for the auxiliary scenes


Books, writing utensils, and glasses for the studying scenes


Gatorade bottles (different sizes and colors) for almost all scenes


Costumes

A black visor, grey band tracksuit, and marching band dinkles for the percussion scenes.


A blue and white leotard that is long sleeve, tan tights, and white gogo boots for the auxiliary scenes.


A crimson sweatshirt and glasses for the studying scenes.


Schedule

10/7- We researched our product and explained what it takes to make a Gatorade commercial.


10/10- Today, we explained our idea and planned out what the costumes, props, and locations.


 10/14- We are going to storyboard, write the script for our commercial, and start to brainstorm creative ideas to how we’re going to film our scenes.


10/21- Our group is going to start filming for our commercial. Go to the locations and figure out how we want to film.\


10/23- Start to edit our scenes, figure out which we are going to keep and have to cut out of the final product. Voice overs and different editing styles.


10/28- Turn in our commercial.

Locations-

For the percussion scenes, we are going to film on the football field.


For the auxiliary scenes, we are going to film on the senior patio.


For the studying scenes, we are going to film on the senior patio at a picnic table .


Back-up plan-


In case of rain, the locations that are filmed outside like the football field and the senior patio, we are going to film in front of the large auditorium under the pavilion for the percussion scene and the auxiliary scene. For the studying scene we would have to move it to somewhere under a cover.


In case of an absence, we would lengthen the time of the scenes to where it can make up for the absence of a group member.


In case of the locations being used by other students, we would move to a location that not many people would think of. Possibly a corner of a building or another field like the softball field.

Codes and Conventions

The product we chose to do a commercial for is Gatorade. We chose Gatorade because we all personally like Gatorade better than Powerade, found it to be more accommodating for the location available for us to film at, and it seemed to be a more fun option to film for. We also chose Gatorade because unlike the other options available to us, we all drink Gatorade rather than Powerade. As members of extracurricular activities such as band, swim team, and auxiliary, we all have our experience with how Gatorade truly works and how it can help us go on to do these activities after a seven-hour school day.

When one hears the word ‘Gatorade’ electrolytes typically come to mind. Gatorade has a variety of commercials revolving around how the electrolytes help replenish your thirst and helps you continue on with your task. Since it is an energy drink, these commercials are usually geared towards athletes, but it can target a broader audience because of the dialogue the commercial uses. Within these commercials, they usually have some fast dialogue happening where they’re talking positively about the drink and how it makes one perform better. This can be geared to athletes, academics, and all those that fall in between. These commercials can also include celebrities like Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Serena Williams, and Misty May-Treanor, all of different races, religions, and ethnicities. Having these different celebrities help with targeting the majority of the audience.

During a Gatorade commercial, they typically use bright colors to try and grab the audience's attention. That’s why you will see a scene of people being outside because outside is associated with exercise and movement. They also use editing styles like ‘action match’, ‘burnouts’, and ‘reaction shots. They do this to carry out the ‘fast pace’ activities related to Gatorade like exercise. Often times there are a lot of voice-overs and dialogue to help move the flow of the commercial as well as bring in another scene.

Editing Lesson Blog

Today in class we went over filming with cameras as well as the basics of editing. The first thing we discussed was the process to get a equipment needed and the how to set up and use the equipment. When someone would like to check out any equipment from the class they must fill out an agreement form, then when they want to return it they must put the form in the return bin. Each time that a person checks out a camera, they have to fill out an agreement form.  In terms of actually using the camera there are multiple things that must be done to use it. First the person has to flip open the screen that shows the video out to turn the camera on. Make sure that the camera is charged (if the person does not see the screen turn on then the camera is dead). To charge the camera, find the lightening cable provided, then find the U-shaped plug on the camera, and plug the cable into the plug. To start recording, press the red button to start and press it again to pause. Every time the paused button is hit, it is called a take and every time the scene is finished a shot was taken. To turn off the camera just close the screen.
Another thing that I learned in class was how to dump the footage taken on the camera and move it to a computer. The program that we will be working with is Pinnacle Studios. So the first step is to  stick the SD card into the SD card reader. Then open Pinnacle Studios on the computer. The next step would be to put the SD card reader in to the USB in the computer. Once that is completed, make a folder on the computer to save your work on to and title it whatever you are working on. Move the footage on the SD card to the folder on the computer, it should be in the DCIM folder within the your folder you created. Once the footage has been stored in the computer you can take out the SD card and return it to the teacher.
The final thing that we went over in class was importing and exporting footage on Pinnacle Studios as well as learning the basics of editing. To import footage in the studio, click on the import button at the top right corner of the screen. Then press start import. You will see the raw footage pop up and the screen and you can begin to edit your footage. To edit raw footage drag the different clips that you want to edit and to the bottom of the screen into the AV track 2 . To add titles to footage drag the wording and put in into AV track 1. To cut a scene move a red triangle over the scene you want to cut, press the razor icon, then press delete. There are also other effects that can be used such as different types of transitions. To save the footage that has been edited hit export, pace it in the format MP4 and then press start export.

Introduction

Welcome to my blog 

This is your introduction to one of the funniest people you will meet in your lifetime. I was born in the Bronx, New York on September 20th, 2002. However, my parents lived in Jamaica so after six months I moved to Jamaica to live with my mom and my two sisters. I attended a private elementary school down there and in 3rd grade my mom decided it was time to make the move to the United States permanently. I went to Welleby Elementary while my sisters attended Piper High School.
The transition was hard,at first having to make new friends, adjusting to the different environment, as well taking my first standardized tests. After my 4th grade year I really started to get the hang of things, I made new friends, started joining clubs and getting to know my community a lot better. During my last year in elementary school I became involved with the student council as well as becoming a safety patrol. 

I believe my years at Westpine Middle School were my best years.I was always doing my work on time, reading book in the library and never wanting to share my work. As I progressed into 7th grade I made a big transition. I was still completing my homework assignments and reading books but I started to care more about my appearance. In 8th grade my social skills definitely improved. I joined a lot of clubs like the math club, and National Juniors Honors Society. Because of my academics I was able to get into a special program where I could take high school classes in 8th grade. So by the time I graduated I had five high school credits.

While in 8th grade I decided that I wanted to become a lawyer so I applied for the Pre- Law magnet program in Fort Lauderdale High School. Went I got in I was really ecstatic, but I did not know the amount of work that was in store of me. I enjoyed 9th grade and 10th grade but I would say that 10th grade was my hardest year academically, emotionally and physically. My grades had started to drop and I lost a lot of weight. But 11th grade year it got better. my grades gradually went back up and to help take my mind off of things I joined my high school band. I am currently in 12th grade and the college process is taking a toll but it has also been my funniest year yet, I have made a group of friends, and have gone out and had fun so many times. Overall I have had my ups and downs but I finally have settled and I am ready for the future ahead of me