First day Editing

The editing process for my music video has started. To start, the editing process is the worst part for me. To get to the editing process as a whole took a while and pushed my group back. To retrieve the videos from my phone, I imported the videos to my computer and the videos would not load. I told my group members about this issue for a possible answer to this solution but we just waited to solve the issue in class. The day of class, I imported the videos first to see if the videos won't load because of the type of computer I had. The videos on the school computer wouldn’t load as well which was very frustrating. I found out that we had to convert these videos into mp4 and the song into mp3 for it work. The thing is we had to convert almost fifty items into mp4 individually. This process took a lot of time. Because of this we were set back. We could not start the editing process the day we wanted to start it. I decided to take it upon myself to do more work when I went home. I finished converting all the videos and added the image that we need for the title. To make sure the videos would show, I tested all of them. They all worked and I could hear the music. This made me feel somewhat better about our music video. In a way I got excited about editing the next class with my group. So as the next day came, the editing process started. First off, the computers took forever to load. After it loaded , I took all the smart steps and created a folder on the computer to transport the videos in the folder. Pinnacle studios, the program we use to edit decided not to load as well. Another group member tried as well and the programs would not load at all. We were then set back again. I stayed after for another ninety minutes to edit the video and talk to my teacher. After the talk I tried a different computer and it started to load finally. Pinnacle studios was working!! I uploaded the videos into the program with the picture with the title picture and music. I started to place everything in order and align everything together. It was perfect until I played the video and the videos would not load fast enough to match the music. My plan is to tackle this issue the next class we edit.

First Day of Filming

The first day of filming was very successful. My crew and I headed out to the beach after school with our friends to start. There was much confusion before the filming process started. Luckily, we worked everything out and show up for the video. The main intention was to execute our vision properly. Na’Mya, one of the group members and I decided we would be the main character of the music video. Because of the location there was a lot of noise. The good thing is we will be able to detach the audio from the actual video and play the song in the background. It was very important that we played the actual song in the background to make sure we were in tune with everything. We also wanted to make we were wording the words correctly and vibing. We started off looking at our storyboard for inspiration on which set to film first. We realized that it makes more sense to just go with the flow. We are not sure if that was the best decision at the moment but it made sense. The song “No Fear” is about being happy, in love, and at peace. I decided to bring this energy to our set so that we would all feel the energy. I’m proud to say that the energy was there and the filming process was very successful. That meant that when we had to take more than two shots we were aggravated or upset, instead we laughed everything off and stayed focus. Though there were two people recording, me and the other actor Na’Mya helped directed as well. We instructed the “directors” on how to properly angle the camera the right way. And because we know they are not pros, we helped them by positioning ourselves to face the camera the way we intend it to. I will say, there was great communication and teamwork on Tuesday. We were able to follow almost everything that was on our storyboard. Though some of the scenes did not match up, we tried our best to match up with everything. Things such camera angles, mis-en-scene, movements, and costume. During the video, there was a point when we freestyled one of our footage. The problem is we are not sure what is in the background. I mean it's not like we can do anything about it though. Because we recorded on one of the group members phone, we all had the footage later. I watched the videos to make sure it stood up to our standard. I truly believe that our vision was executed properly.

Why the filming process hasn't started.

My group and I were not able to record anything for our music video this following week. Personally, I had a lot going on. We originally chose the 26th of this month to record. We chose this day because my group members and I all had something going on. We finalized that date the 21st of this month. The perfect day would have been Saturday however, one of my group members and I had car wash. During the car wash we exchanged ideas. We agreed that it was a good idea to start recording Tuesday because it will give us more time. We will be able to get more ideas to produce a better video. I strongly believe that it's not a smart idea to film after Thanksgiving break because we will have less time to edit. However, there has been a disagreement now because one of the members is busy on Tuesday. If we film on Tuesday, we will have time to edit and get more footage for two days. Basically, we need more time before the due date. If we wait until after the Thanksgiving break, we will be rushing to complete our music video. I do not want to rush this video. I want to make sure it fits the standard we all know it can be.  I strongly believe it is not smart to record after the break and I will be very upset if we do. Considering the fact that this video is a grade and is being sent to Cambridge, we need a good amount of time to perfect our music video. I hate the fact that this process is stressing because it shouldn't be. I took the initiative to create a fair schedule accommodating every member and now they're asking for change. I think it's unfair if anything. Because I want to start recording tomorrow, I will be checking out a camera and a triPod. I intend on going to the beach after school tomorrow with the group members that are available. I will try my best to portray the storyboard my group and I created. The song “No Fear” is an uplifting song so it's very important that we are surrounded by an uplifting atmosphere. If there isn't, I will try my best to make peace since there is none at the moment because of the disagreement about the dates. It's important to me that we continue working together since we know each other so well. I really hope that we all will meet up tomorrow to execute our music video to the best of ability. With very high hopes, our video will be amazing. We will hopefully be able to give off the same vibe the original music video gives off as well. If we do not do it tomorrow, we will just have to do it after break and rush, which is something I'm not looking forward to. 

Storyboard for Music vdeo

C- no costume needed
L- The natural light of the sun since we are at the beach
A- Everyone will be acting throughout the music video to certain parts
M- No makeup will be used
P- Car, Food
S- The beach, ice cream parlor
Transition: dissolve and fade out
Angles: eye level and high angle
Movement: Zoom, tracking shot and Pan
Shots used: establishing shot, two person shot, and three person shot
Editing: insert, eye-line match
Sound- “Close your eyes and take my hand” Dej Loaf -No fear
Eye close, we grab hands

Planning Blog for Music Video

For my group and I project, we will feature our self in the music video with the song “No Fear” by Dej loaf. Each one of us will be responsible for recording a part of our music video. This will take place on Ft. Lauderdale Beach. Places on the beach such as the ice-cream shop, tattoo shop, on the sand and at the park across the street from the beach. We will also have a scene in the car with high hopes. If the beach is not fitting that specific day, we will change location and go to a local

Park. We will test these spots and take multiple footages as well to see what works well for our video throughout the process. We will probably not get every location but we would like to try and get as much footage as possible. For safety purposes, we will get permission first from our parents of course. We will be in a large group to make sure that we are protected at all times, we are aware that is very important that we stay attentive throughout the process and make sure no one is harmed. Our phone will also be on us and well charged incase of an emergency to call 911 or our parents/peers for assistance. In the car we will be wearing our seatbelts as well. Since our video is about having fun and being free, we will be eating ice-cream at the ice-cream shop. We will probably include more other food items depending on how we feel that day to spice up the video. Food makes anyone feel better and since it's a “feel good” song, the food will be a good element. The car that we will be riding around in will be or other prop as well because we want a scene looking out the window while driving past the beach. There will be no specific costume set for our music video. Due to the fact that the weather can change at anytime and we are not sure what we will want to wear the day of filming, it's better we just go with the flow. Permission wise we will ask anyone around if they don’t want to be in the background of our  video and get their consent before recording. We will not be wearing black for obvious reasons.

Schedule

11/13

Choose the song

11/15

Research for our music video and genre

11/19

The planning process starts 

11/21

 Creation of the storyboard 

11/25

Getting camera and Tripod 

11/26

Recording 

12/2

Adding finishing touches 

12/4

EDIT!

12/6

Music Video due date

Music Video Research

Recovering from the commercial, i was able to grow so much as an actor and video editor. The recording process was the most successful because our group was ready and eager in having some good footage. The attire and location was very important as well. In pinnacle studios, i believed i was able to try the many buttons and options in this application. I believe this was the stage that I was confused about the most in. I knew how to import and export however, the cutting process took a while. I also was unsure about getting the music to play when I wanted it to. 

Today in class we chose our song. The song were choosing is “No Fear” by Dej Loaf. We are planning to go to different sceneries. The song is an upbeat song that has good vibes. In our video, we’re going to do things that we enjoy. We plan to go to the beach, and do a car ride, get ice cream and just fun things in general. Our main goal is to have a very good time in the video to best match the music. 

Hip hop/ Rap is the most common genre in music  and is being played on repeat on our radios. The genre has so many elements to it, to the point where there are over twenty other smaller genres in this hip hop/ Rap genre; Small genres such as lyrical rap and alternative rap was exhibited through our song “No Fear”. 

When it comes to the camera angles in the music videos it’s very common to see low angles, long shot, and Dutch. The establishing shot and tracking shot is used in every music video as well as medium long shot. 

The music video itself has a lot of sound but there are things that go on beyond that for the whole video to come to life such as non-diegetic sound, sound bridge, and dialogue.

The editing part of the music videos are very creative, i see a lot of cross cutting, eye-line match, and action match. The most popular editing is graphic match when scenes are matching with each other.

There is also mis-en-scene that goes into making the whole video and it includes things like #1 the genre ; In genre's with hip hop/rap the kind of costumes that they wear are things that are popular at the moment so it can be things like designer outfits (Balenciaga, Christian Louboutin) with accessories such as big chains and shades.

2. The lighting in the music videos are usually dark and flashy lights since they shoot the videos in a house. They also tend to switch scenes and go outside to shoot their videos as well so natural light from the sun is also used

3. Most of the time in music videos it’s usually the artist just singing the song but sometimes there is acting i realized that it usually has to deal with someone being in character and talking on the phone or even acting as if they are having a dance battle like in Chris brown no guidance. 

4.As i look closer i notice that everyone does have on makeup but it tend to always be a nice natural look nothing too crazy.

5. To spice everything up props that are commonly used are cars and stacks of money 

6. When researching I noticed a lot of the same settings but some were really different it varied from roof tops, houses, hotels, and some even on train tracks or in the middle of nowhere on an open road but, most were in an urban setting living the “lavish” lifestyle 

Final Editing for Commercial

Today I was able to finish the Nike commercial. Because of computer issues two classes ago my group and I, project was pushed back. Out of luck, I was able to still finish our project the way I wanted.  After rewatching all the clips, I chose the best clips that would fit into the group’s commercial. This process was hard because majority of the videos were interesting and good. The biggest problem was check marking the longest videos and then not fitting into the thirty seconds limit. There was no need for extra footage and voice overs. Basically, I was able to use all the footages taken the first day that we recorded and acted out from our storyboard. My group and I gathered around as we decided what was best for our video. At the end of the decision-making process, I cut down our video to fit into the limit of thirty seconds or less. 

Because our videos were all dumped in the folder on our desktop, the process in pinnacle studios started as soon as possible. The videos my group and I chose were dragged into AV 2 in order. As I tried to edit our video, I went back to my notebook to look over the notes we were instructed to take. The cutting process took time. It took a while for me to start cutting. The time wasn't on my side as well which made the editing process confusing. Class ended so cutting our commercial had to continue the next class. Next class, I asked for assistance in cutting. Luckily, I was able to grasp onto the lesson quickly and cut down our commercial to exactly thirty second. I wanted to cut it to at least twenty-five seconds so that I could add more to videos or more elements to enhance the commercial. 

After cutting, I added music. With assistance from my teacher I was taught how to transport sounds from YouTube to mp3 and then downloaded to the computer. The mp3 sound that was downloaded was then transported to the folder on our desktop and imported in pinnacle studios. The audio was dragged into AV 3 and proportioned to the actual footage in AV 2. I detached the audio from some of the videos that had talking involved. That was a bad idea, so we had to refresh everything and start all over. After that we were taught how to use audio to our advantage in pinnacle studios. We leveled the audio from low to high and played loud enough audio in scenes that fit perfectly with the audio. Because I was confused by the audio task, my group mate took over and made everything work. To add a little spice, we added the title “Nike” so that the viewers know exactly what the commercial was about. The title was the last task done and I was able to export the video with the best quality properly and email it to my teacher on time. 

Editing the Commercial

Before the editing process started, I reviewed the notes on how to properly edit the videos. Due to the computers not working today the main thing is reviewing the notes. We do our blogs in pinnacle studios but before we get to that we have to dump. Dump-in includes connecting the SD card to the computer and making available on the computer. Because of the amount of computers not available and time restraint, I decided to upload the footage to my thumb drive and google drive. That way, if anything happened we would still have accessibility to our footage. Luckily, I was thinking ahead of time and being reasonable and added these videos to two different sources. This way we will be set the next time that we try to edit our blog. Also, being considerate, of a member is missing they can easily go to google drive to get the video on the website. A more tangible aspect is having the thumb drive so that we can get access to our videos anywhere. 

The editing process. We will be doing our editing in pinnacle studios. The videos that we have either through our desktop, google drive or thumb drive will be uploaded on pinnacle studios. Because the video was not in DCIM, I went to ACVHD then BDMV then stream to view our video. On the screen, I went to edit screen, file then new movie. There I was able to import the footage. After that process the videos are able to view. As I listened to some of the videos, I was able to choose which videos I wanted. They were already in order and set. I just uploaded the videos  to AV 2. In there we were able to view the videos fully and see where we needed to edit it. 

Because of the time and the computers not working, the cutting process did not start. We saved the actual raw footage of everything together so that later on, we could see our improvement in editing. To cut, it was taking a while. In my notes it states that we should start cutting before the scene we don’t want. There is a razor blade that is visible that you click to edit the overall video. For help, I asked my other members for help but we were confused for a while. We resorted back to our notes to understand but it was still confusing. My plan was to do more research and be prepared for the editing process. I wanted to retry the process of cutting out video and somewhat being close to finishing. That was not able to do so because of the computers not working, sadly. With very hopes by next class we will be able to do our editing properly. 

Filming the Commercial

To start off , before the filming process, I made sure I was prepared. Knowing that I was filming the next day, I got all my clothing attire ready. I contacted my group members to make sure they were prepared so that we could film our commercial with no distraction. Considering the fact that we needed every member to film and it wouldn't follow up with the storyboard, it was very important to me that we were all ready. The day of filming has arrived and passed. The process was very smooth with only one big bump but I was still able to put in the work I planned on doing. As I walked to class, I reminded myself  how necessary it is for me film my commercial to the best of my ability. As class started, I changed into my track attire and walk towards the track field. A Lot of students were on the track and that triggered me because from what I learned in class, we cannot have outside noise. To proceed,  I then found a spot that could possibly block out the noise and uninvited actors.

To set up, I got blocks and a hurdle with the other members and placed them in there indicated spots. As I was setting up, I found out that our camera was dead from the directing group member. I had to wait awhile to film. In that time period, I reviewed the story board with actors and voiced what we wanted to say. As the fully charged new camera came about, I assisted in helping fixing it and placing it on the tripod properly. After the set up, I reviewed the story board out loud and got in position. I had to take multiple shots of scene 1. As time continued on, there were many chuckles and mess ups that annoyed me. Sooner or later, I started getting used to the multiple takes and waiting to prevent unnecessary variables. After a couple of takes and revision of the storyboard I was finally done and complete with the effort I put into our commercial.

Though I started the filming process later than the other groups, I was able to still finish on time and feel complete with the videos the director had. I felt like my job was done. As I walked back to class, I looked over the storyboard to make sure that everything my group and I planned, was executed. I changed as soon as I got back which put me behind a lot in class. I decided to help a member dump our videos since there was confusion. To proper dump the videos, I went back to my notebook to review the notes we took on dump in. I was able to help in dump in, though it took a while. After dump in properly, we were given small lecture in class. The statements made in the lecture made sense to me considering the fact that I was thinking the same thing that we were lectured on. I believe that next time, I should just be more prepared, like having a charged camera and making it back to class in time.

StoryBoard

•Angles- eye level, high angle
•What movement used-Zoom, tracking, and pan
•What shots used- Establishing shot, 2 person shot, 3 person shot,  medium shot, POV
•What editing will be used- insert, jump cut, eye-line match
•Transitions- dissolve and fade out

Editing Blog Lesson

Today in class we learned everything possible about the camera, tripod and editing footage. To fully perform this task, we need a canon camera, SD card (use a reader when necessary) and a tripod. Our SD Card will have to be in the camera with the right date so everything will be filed. During our filming phase,we will have to take multiple takes to make sure that we have all the footage needed when we get back to class to edit. We never know what will happen the day of filming. We also don’t know if there is a weird noise in the background or an uninvited person in our film that we didn’t see it at first. That being said, a good amount of shots will have to be taken so our film is executed properly. The tripod has a numerous amount of accessibility to allow us to get the shot we envision on our hand held camera. Tilt and pan was demonstrated and seems pretty interesting. We were instructed to use the materials properly and carefully since it is complex and expensive.

Down to the editing part, we will be using Pinnacle studios 17, 18, or 19. On our desktop, we will need to put the right title for our folder on the desktop(essential that we have a folder on our desktop). The process called “dump in” takes place, this includes getting an SD card reader and placing it into the computer( once you are done with the SD reader, you turn it into the teacher). We open the link necessary to get the clips out which will most likely be titled “DCIM”. The clips will have to be highlighted and transported to folders so that we can upload it pinnacle studios. In pinnacle studios, we will go to edit screen then file then finally we click on new movies. Import: getting your footage from your desktop folder straight to pinnacle. In this stage, you need to click on “import”, then “desktop”, the hit the “plus sign” which will lead you to seeing option to choose from and obviously you choose your topic. To import properly, make sure the footages(raw footages)you want are all checked and click start the import at the bottom of the screen. The clips should then be highlighted and a given time to properly load.
 
 In pinnacle studios on the page where editing takes place, AV 1is for title, AV 2 is for film and AV 3 is for music. To cut film in AV 2 you are supposed to click on the razor blade before the clip you want to edit. If you open “effect editors”, you will be able to edit anything. Things such as speeding up, slowing down, and being reverse are editing techniques that can take place. In AV 3 audio can be added if you add the audio to the same folder your films are in, voice overs are added the same way as well. AV 3 consist of creating a title for the entire film. You will get the option to type in your title by clicking on the “T”and designing it specifically the way you want. Once everything is done, the process to “export” takes place which is basically taking the footage off of Pinnacle and back into the folder. The word
“Type” appears and it has to say MOEG-4, “Preset” appears and it has to say SD best quality, where you will save the film to and rendering will take place.

Research Conventions and Codes

In our commercial, we will be advertising the product Nike. These commercials entail different camera angles, shots, and movements with different edits and mis-en-scene. These commercials usually take place in daylight for natural lighting on a track field.The camera angles usually start from low angles to eye level angles then zooms out to show the actual body and the establishing shot.These directors usually use pan and tracking shots to follow the athletes as they warm up and run.

In these commercials, there are props and costumes such as spikes, water bottles, workout clothes/accessories, hurdles,and blocks.The actors use these props when filming to make the commercial more realistic. The sound in these commercial includes diegetic sounds, voice overs, internal diegetic, ambient sound and no sound when the actor is breathing really loud. In the film Forrest Gump, Jump Cut was used to show a passage of time and the majority of the time, the commercials are usually 30 seconds but the time it takes to run is longer than that The most important thing is to zoom into the Nike sign to emphasize that ,that is what the commercial is about. Medium close up and close up are used a lot but extreme close ups will be necessary if you want to depict sweat and muscles. Specifically, in our commercial we want to show a pov shot for viewers to see what the runner is seeing. The starting and closing includes iris and iris out of the logo for more emphasis.

Planning Blog for Nike Commercial

Today, my group and I started the process of planning our Nike commercial. Our idea is this, there will be three girls running on the track. Two girls who are being extremely active will be wearing Nike attire while the other girl (me) isn’t to emphasize the logo and how athletic the others girls are with their Nike attire. The camera man will be Brandon, tracking us back and forth as we run and work out to get accurate shots and angles of us individually and collectively. We also talked about the props and materials necessary to make this commercial come alive. Hopefully the day we film, it will be sunny out so that the lighting and vision will be executed as we want as well. 

Includes:

Props- blocks, hurdles

Costumes- workout clothes, spikes

Schedule- Planning blog 10/11, Storyboard 10/15, Film Blog 10/22, Editing blog 10/24

Location- track

Back up plan- Building 17 stairs in front of media center

Introductory

My whole life I have been called the wrong name to the point where its normal to me. My real name is Ambrielle with an accent over the E, like Beyoncé however, everyone calls me Ambrielle making the name sound basic. And to say the least, I'm not basic. that kind of sounded conceited and I'm far from that as well. I'm actually a very nice person who cares about others. I have a lot of love for people, but I also have a lot of love for myself which is sometimes very hard to balance at times. Sometimes I wish I wasn't the way I was because in a way it’s like I'm being ran over at times.

Other than being super kind, I'm super inclusive. I feel the need to always have people around or involved in something I am doing. I believe I am like this because of being an only child who never has cousins or family around when I'm home. The feeling of having friends around and involved in each other's lives brings me so much joy. Away from being inclusive, I can be a a little exclusive at times which can be surprising to the people I hang around sometimes. I guess they expect an open book every time, but I feel like that always a misconception with people who are very open with themselves. by the way I only have like 5 friends. 

Internally, I’m an extreme over thinker. I literally over think and plan everything out more than I should, and I hate it. I believe it is because I love security and reassurance but at the same time, I love when things are not planned so that can just go with the flow. Experiences feels better when things are not planned but because of my strange addiction to overthinking and planning, I tend to want things to go the way it was planned in my head more than often. overall, I'm an average American teenager trying to make the best out of life with issues that many other teenagers can relate to.