Video End of the Year Reflection

Runaway

For the music video remake, I worked together with two of my other classmates. We first decided on a plausible music video that we thought we could remake. We chose Runaway by Kanye West although it was a challenge. Once we had picked out our video we began the rest of our preproduction steps. We created a cast and crew list, multiple beat sheets, multiple storyboards, and a lyrics sheet. We then made a schedule for when we would shoot the video. The original video features many dancers and Kanye playing the piano in a suit and tie. One of my partners wore his suit and tie for the video and we were able to get some dancers from our school's dance team for the video. Props for the video were our own such as cash, wine, and Rolexs. We shot the video in our school's courtyard and tried to use the six shot system, lighting, and timing to make the video as best as possible. We also used a Phantom4 drone to record some of our footage of the dancers from a bird's eye view. On a later day we recorded shots of our Kanye riding on top of a jeep using our Phantom4 drone. Once finished recording our footage we edited it in PremierePro and sequenced the video how we wanted. From start to finish the video took about 3 weeks to make. Overall my partners and I were very pleased with the final film. The final edit of the video was on youtube, but was removed due to copyright issues. I think I did a good job of managing my time with this film and that is one of the reasons it is some of my best work. I did as much editing as my group would let me on this project and tried to follow general guidelines like no "jump cuts". I think for future films I can try to be more cinematic while filming and look for more interesting and unique shots.

17 Again

This assignment was to recreate a movie trailer that's plot revolved around high school. We began by picking a trailer. My group chose the film 17 Again. Next we created story boards and laid out every shot. We then created a script of dialog from the real trailer for each shot. We also created a cast list and a list of props that we needed for the film. Finally we began filming each shot that was on the storyboards. We were unable to remake certain shots from the real trailer, because they needed special effects or were to complicated for our budget and time frame. Once we got all the film we needed we began editing our trailer. Each of us edited the film ourselves to created 3 different videos. There was little variation between the videos because we tried to replicate the original trailer. I was not very happy with the final product of mine. We were rushed to film because we did a bad job of our project management and ran out of time. In future projects I will do a better job of managing my time but continue to take my time in the editing process to add the little details. Although I was not happy with the final product, I really enjoyed making this project and hope to gain more experience doing similar projects. I still need to work on my cinematography and the types of shots I get.

Wither

This project was the most challenging project I've had all year. The goal was to create a short film that would have an Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3 and that would last about five minutes. We began by having all four people in our group write a treatment and then a script for a short film. Once finished we decided who's would be the best fit for our time frame and skill level. After picking the script we would use, we began storyboarding the whole short film. We made a preproduction schedule and list of all actors, locations, and props we would be using. Me and one other group member shot and edited the whole film by ourselves. We chose to do our film about a boy named Cameron who becomes depressed and lonely when he moves to a new school. He meets a girl he likes and things look like they're going to get better but after everything that has happened and all the pressure, Cameron takes his own life. It's an interesting twist in the film that I think is unexpected. I was forced the play the role of Cameron when one of our actors fell through. I believe my acting in the film makes it seem more unrealistic and cheesy due to my lack of acting skills. We faced a lot of challenges throughout production including losing an actor, scheduling film times, and getting all the shots we needed. I sequenced most of the film and did my best to make it look good in the editing process. This was one of my favorite projects because of the challenge and the creativity. It forced me to step it up and do my best although I think we still came up short. The length of the video is much shorter than we intended and I think that we lost some of the foreshadowing and the events leading up to the climax that were important to the telling of the story. I wouldn't change much about this film other than the length. I think my cinematography improved and that you can see it in my work.

Animation Personal Project

This project is something I did in After Effects. I started with the picture of the fire pit and added the flames and smoke. Using key frames and masks I was able to create a realistic fire. I really enjoyed this project and I think special effects are really cool. I hope to do more projects like this.

Animation End of the Year Reflection

Reflection

     This year in animation I learned many different things animation techniques. I became very good at using Maya and after effects. I became a lot more familiar with 3D and 2D modeling animations. I also learned to collaborate with my peers through group projects. On a regular basis, I practiced project management during the creation of all my projects. Communication was a big part of the class because you often worked with your peers to get their opinions on projects. Leadership is something I struggled to show this semester, although I did come up with the plot for my animation final group project.
    I learned all how to do 3D modeling though tutorials in Maya and through just using the program more. This has allowed me to become more fluent in the world of animation. Some animation projects were harder than others. Personally I struggle with the 2D animation projects in After Effects. Walk cycles and puppet pin tools are some techniques that I need to practice and get better at. I believe I am best at 3D modeling in Maya. I have become really good at creating things in Maya since I first starting using it.
   If you were to give me an object to create in Maya, I could created a good detailed version of it, light the scene, texture the object, and render out the object. I am pretty familiar with Maya now. The only thing I would change about my accomplishments in this class would be that I would like to become more familiar with After Effects. I have really enjoyed everything I've learned this semester in Animation!
    I've grown a lot in Ecomm since I first began animation. When I did animation as a freshman in e9, everything I did was extremely simple and guided. Now I am using my own creativity to and am coming up with my own style in my projects. My teacher just gives us an assignment and I do it with my own spin on it. I've made and grown a lot of relationships throughout this year and my journey in animation. From start to finish my projects take about 8 hours.

Personal Project Review

For this project we were assigned to create a product in Maya and After Effects. I started by coming up with different product ideas. After choosing Fishe Starz, a starfish shaped gummy candy, and drawing a picture of the label, I began to create the label in After Effects. Once finished with this, I began creating the shape of the container for the product. When the container and label were finished, I put them together in Maya. I did a simple rotation of the product and rendered it. I would take more time on the label and make it more in detail. I would keep the shape of the container because I think it fits the product well. I will use other skills I acquire from to new projects to enhance similar projects in the future. I enjoyed making this project because it allowed me to use my creativity.

Professional Animation Project Review

This article reviews the amazing CGI that the animators of The Hobbit series; it focuses on The Battle of the Five Armies. The series features CGI techniques that allow light bouncing off of one object to effect the color of another object. The animators developed software that would track the invisible rays of light as they bounce and move off of computer models. The story is about a young hobbit who must journey with dwarfs to defeat a dragon and take back their home. They are followed by orcs and other darkness that tests them, including a powerful ring. Something I can apply from this project is the lighting techniques. Good lighting techniques make everything look more realistic. One technique used that I've already learned is smoke and debris techniques. This is very good work and I think it is a big part of what made the movie successful.
http://www.popsci.com/special-effects-2014-hobbit-covers-new-ground

Plausibly Impossible

In this example Mickey is pulled up to a tabletop by a telephone pulling his wire while Mickey rides it. This is plausible because in real life it is similar to someone pulling another person up something with some rope. It is impossible because the telephone could never be alive and Mickey could never become that small.

In this example Mickey is shuffled in with a deck of cards. This is plausible because Mickey is the same size as the cards and could easily be mixed in with the deck. It is impossible because there is no way anyone could be the same size or thickness of a card. It looks pretty cool though.

In this example Mickey is dancing with the queen of hearts. This is plausible because the card has a female personality and men and woman usually dance together. This is impossible because a card could never take on a personality of a human and Mickey could never be the same size as a card.

In this example Mickey needs a sharp object to battle the king of hearts because he is coming at Mickey with a sword. Mickey finds this little sewing needle that is plausible because it is pointing and sharp. It is ideal and similar to what an actual sword could look like in a smaller form. It is also impossible because Mickey would never be fighting a card with a sewing needle.

In this example Mickey is being chased by a lot of cards and needs to combat against them. He stumbles up on this pen that is full of ink. This is plausible to use this as a gun because it has ink as ammunition and ink could work well against paper cards. It is also impossible because a pen could never be used a gun that shot ink at crazy combatting cards.

Professional Runaway Music Video Review

Kanye West has a very abstract style in his music videos. In particular the music video for the song Runaway is quite unique. The director does a very good job of making the music video interesting although the setting never changes and there is little for a plot. The change of angles and the use of the 6-shot system is what accomplishes the interesting flair of the video. The synchronized movement of the ballet to Kanye's music creates a beautiful captivating tone. The director uses many closeups of the dancers, Kanye, and the piano. All of these are things I tried to incorporate into my remake of the video.

Runaway Music Video Remake

For this video I worked together with two of my other classmates. We first decided on a plausible music video that we thought we could remake. We chose Runaway by Kanye West although, it was a challenge. Once we had picked out our video we began the rest of our preproduction stage. We created a cast and crew list, multiple beat sheets, a storyboard, and a lyrics sheet. We then made a schedule for when e would shoot the video. The original video features many dancers and Kanye playing the piano in a suit and tie. One of my partners wore his suit and tie for the video and we were able to get some dancers from our school's dance team for the video. Props for the video were our own such as cash, wine, and Rolex's. We shot the video in our school's courtyard and tried to use the six shot system. We also used a Phantom4 drone to record some of our footage of the dancers. On a later day we recorded shots of our Kanye riding on top of a jeep using our Phantom4 drone. Once finished recording our footage we edited it in PremierePro. This is the final edit.

This is an example of a 3D animation. The creator used a walk-cycle and changed shots a lot. There is a lot of creative detail in this animation. The eyes, hair, computer, shirt, and hands are all very detailed.

The article below explains what you must do to become a video game animator in today's industry.
http://www.animationarena.com/getting-into-video-game-industry.html
To become a video game animator you shouldn't try to start your own game development team, but rather look to join one. To be a good video game animator you must have skills in modern computers and art. It is a good idea to get as much practice as possible. For 3D animation it is best to learn the basics of modeling versus trying to learn how to use different programs. Animation is not only done on computers, but also motion capture. As technology advances, motion capture is becoming more heavily used in gaming development. There are many different universities and schools that can provide an animation education.

How To Create A Table In Maya

First go to the polygons tab and click the cube. 

Next use the scale tool to adjust the size of the cube to make it look more rectangular and like a table top.

Once you have created the table top, you now should reset steps 1 and 2 but this time make it look like legs. 

Finally, adjust the location of the legs using the move tool to the corners of the table top.  Make sure the legs are not sticking up inside of the table top.

You're finished!

Video Semester Reflection

My Video Portfolio

This semester in video production I learned a lot. I gained a lot of experience in shooting film, writing narratives, editing film, creating voiceovers, and coming up with concepts for my videos. This semester I made feature, sports, and news stories. I learned how to use Premiere Pro to edit clips and make videos. I collaborated with my fellow students on multiple videos and communicated my ideas and strengths. My technical skills have slowly grown with time.

My First Feature Story

My first feature story was about two sophomore football players named Ryan Wallace and CJ Vredenburg. First I created a series of 21 questions looking to learn about their experience on the team. Next I shot lots of B-roll of Ryan and CJ playing in their game. I got many different shots and tried to follow the rule of thirds as well as the 180 degree rule. Then I interviewed the players and asked them the questions. Finally, after I had all of my footage, I edited all the clips and arranged them with my voiceover. The project took about a week from start to finish. Some challenges I faced were trying to find a game time that I could be at that would also allow me to meet my deadline. Also because the game was outside, the wind effected my NAT noise of my B-roll. I learned that you should give yourself as much time as possible to record and edit your clips. You shouldn't count on being able to shoot at any given time because sometimes things happen and you have to be flexible. I also learned that if you do not ask the right questions then you're interview answers may not come out as you hope. Some feedback I was given was that there was a good mix of shots of B-roll but that I had some jump cuts that I fixed in the reedit. I think the video turned out quite well and I really enjoyed producing it.

ONW Basketball Feature Story

The goal for this project was to do another feature story about anything we wanted. I chose to do some ONW sophomores named Adam Davis and Brennan Voss who were basketball hopefuls for the upcoming season. The video took about 4 days to shoot and edit. I began by coming u with questions about their personal basketball experiences both in and outside of school. Then I interviewed the subjects and recorded B-roll of them shooting and playing. I moved the camera often to get many different angles but still followed the 180 degree rule and the rule of thirds. Although the video was not originally intended to be so comedic, that is the way it turned out. My subjects were full of exciting and outlandish answers that made the final product interesting and unpredictable. Most of my feedback was positive and my fellow classmates approved of the comedic take on the video. I really enjoyed making the video and I look forward to doing more sports feature stories like it.

My ONW Now Story

My final assignment of the semester was a story for my classes version of ONW Now. My partner and I chose to do a story on two ONW sophomore basketball players named Taylor Mahoney and Nick Johnson. After creating questions we interviewed the subjects. Next we attended one of the team's games and record B-roll. I think this B-roll was probably some of the best that I have ever recorded. We got a lot of different types of shots and the players doing everything they do on the court. Although our interviewees failed to go in depth about their experiences, we still produced a good video with the correct principles of a good feature story. The game was very exciting and I think that's captured in the film.

Summary

I think I enjoyed making first basketball feature story the most. The comedy made it really enjoyable on all ends of the spectrum. I'm not sure I would change is more time for the production of the ONW Now segment. I felt some what rushed and like I was running out of time. I learned how to make a good feature story and how to edit clips in Premiere Pro. I would like to make my videos more lengthy in the future. I look forward to doing more projects like the ones above.

Animation Semester Reflection

My Animation Portfolio

This semester in animation I did many different projects. In this post I want showcase what I've learned through my best projects. I used programs like Autodesk Maya, After Effects, and Photoshop by Adobe Suite.

The Pen

My final project for the semester was to create I pen in Maya. I had a pen that I looked at and matches in Maya. I made sure to get as much detail as possible. I began with the little grip towards the bottom of the pen. I created a cylinder using the polygons tab and changed the number of subdivisions on it in the channel box. There were three small divisions that extruded from the grip so I also extruded the divisions in my animation using the extrude tool. After I created the gip, I moved on to the body of the pen. For this I created a long and skinny cylinder using the polygons tab once again. Next I created another cylinder that was smaller. This was for my bottom where the point is. I went into vertex mode and brought all the vertices at the bottom in so that it created the funnel look. Then I created a very small cone. I used a cube to cut of the bottom of the cone with the booleans-difference tool. Finally I made a small sphere for the ballpoint of the pen. Once I was finished with the pen body, I had to make the clicker and its clip. I made a series of elipses rhino used the loft tool to connect them and make the clip. Next a made a cylinder and pulled in it's top vertices in vertex mode for the bottom portion of the clicker that the clicker goes down into. Finally I made the actual portion that you press into the pen on the clicker. Once finished with the creation of the pen I had to assign it textures. The bottom tip and the body were textured a lambert and the transparency was adjusted so that you could see through the pen like clear plastic. The ballpoint an clip were made a phong with a file seamless metal texture. The grip and clicker were made a charcoal black blinn. That concludes my product.

The Juice Glass

My Juice glass was one of my favorite projects. We used the revolve tool for this project to make the glass symmetrical. First we created half of the glass shape using the curve tool then used the revolve tool. The revolve tool made the rest of the shape for me. The glass turned out very well. I textured it with a very light blue blind to make it shiny and realistic. I also outlined the inside of the glass with the curve tool to make the juice inside of the glass. I texture this with a red ocean shader texture to make it look very real.

The Hammer

My Hammer was another one of my favorite projects. I used the Vertex mode quite often for this project. I pulled the vertices in for the handle and for the hammer head. I used the bevel tool to shape the claw of the hammer and also the extrude tool to pull the claw out. The extrude tool also created the indention on the top of the hammer for the handle and the actual hammer head. I also made a nail using a cone, cylinder, and sphere. For textures I used phong textures to give it that nice shine. I also used some seamless file textures.

Worm Video

My wom video was one of my first real animations in After Effects. I first created the worm itself in Photoshop. I then imported the worm into After Effects. I used the puppet pin tool to make the worm move in and out. I used ease in and ease out techniques as well. Then I used a null to move the worm across the screen. I learned how to use the puppet pin tool and the null tool in After Effects with this project. My first time using the null was a little rough. I made the grassy background using a printing tool in Photoshop. 

Ice Cream Animation 

This ice cream project was another one of my favorites. I really enjoyed the project because there was no tutorial so we had to figure out how to do it ourselves with only a few hints. I used the booleans difference and union tool a lot on this project. I used vertex mode to just the vertices of the ice cream scoops to make it look more realistic.The ice cream scooper was made using a cylinder and a sphere that i boolean-differenced to hollow it's center out to make it look like a scoop. The ice cream holder was made using some cylinders and spheres. The bowl was a cylinder that I hollowed out by putting another cylinder in and boolean differenced it. The textures were phong for the shiny metal loo and lambert seamless file textures for the chocolate  and strawberry ice cream, as well as the vanilla.

Animation Personal Project

In my animation class we were assigned a personal project. The project was suppose to be a short animation about whatever we wanted it to be about. After a long time of thinking I came up with the idea of a cob of corn who accidentally gets popped when he gets to close to a a fire. The cob then became a lonely, sad, and kernel-less piece of corn. As he mopes round the corn field he finally finds some companions who have gone through the same thing he has. Although there was more intended for the story, this is were it ends.

The creation of the project began with sketches and doodles like these.

Once the doodles were completed I scanned them in and opened them in photoshop. I then pieced all the parts of the corn together. Next I added color to the back and white drawings. I imported a carton image of popcorn that I found on google into Photoshop.

After the character was completed I needed a background. I looked on google once again and found a picture of a farm with a silo and a lot of corn stalks.

When I was finished with all of my work in Photoshop, I imported all of my work into Premiere Pro. I began using skills I learned in my animation class to create this final animation. 

I would say for future similar projects I need to set more reasonable goals for myself in terms of what my video should be when it is completely finished. The way I wanted the video to be would have required a large amount of added time that I was not able to give. I would keep the creative mindset when creating my next big animation. I enjoyed this project although I was slightly disappointed with the way it turned out. I look forward to doing more projects like it.

Key Components To A Good Feature Story

It takes a lot to make up a good feature story. Your subject and concept must be well thought out and specific and unique. You also must think of good open ended questions about the subject for your interviewee. Close ups can play a large role in telling your story. Connecting your voice over to shots that go along with it is also a good practice. The voice over should have medium volume with good clear speed. Try to get as much B-roll as possible so you can change shots often which will keep the viewer intrigued. At the beginning you should introduce your topic and subject with descriptive words and phrases. Your shots should put you in the subjects shoes and tell their story from their point of view.  You want to get shots that are unique to your topic and your subject. All of this should combine to show case your subject and story. Towards the end you want to give your story some closure and restate what the viewer should take away from your story. Here is an example of a very well done feature story.

Narrative of Feature Story

On a cool Saturday morning in mid-October, a group of boys made men by the sport, suit up for the reward of their commitment. As they walk onto the field you can feel the competitive atmosphere as friends, family, and fans gather in the stands. The black and white striped uniforms spread to different parts of the field as the players get ready for the kickoff, ready to show their skill against the enemy team. The referee blows air through the little black whistle and a loud signal spreads out through the air. The kicker takes a step and boots the kick off, sailing high and fast down the field. The game has begun and Ryan Wallace is ready to play.

Wallace is a sophomore football player for Olathe Northwest High School. For ONW football is a social output that also allows players to exercise and craft their skills. He describes what its like to be a sophomore football player with the Ravens and what makes up a good team.

“Trusting your teammates whether it’s to catch the ball or throw a good pass” is key to being successful,” he said.

Ryan also gave an outlook of what the season looks like in terms of practices and games.

“We practice everyday after school and if there is a day where we don’t have school we’ll still come in and practice in the morning. We have 9 games in our season, “Wallace said. 

You may be wondering why someone would commit to devoting their time to such a long and psychically challenging season. Ryan says it is because he loves the game and he’s played It for a long time.

CJ Vredenburg is another sophomore football player for Olathe Northwest. He also gave his perspective about the team sport.

“I play football because my family has always played it and it’s a really fun sport,” Vredenburg said. “It takes a lot to form a successful team,” “The most important parts of a good team are knowing each other well and being synchronized.”

It can be hard to balance homework with a large afterschool commitment like football.

 “We get out of practice earlier now than we did earlier this season. Before it was kind of hard because we would get out so late,” he said.

Being on the field with the team helped show the brotherhood of the players. They all worked together on the green turf to score points and win games. Ryan and CJ are just a small part of the team. The season is long and difficult, but whether it’s the sweaty hot practices or the numbing cold games, the sport has made them who they are. They are Raven football players.

Football Feature Story

Feature Story Experience

 When I first began my ONW feature story I was very excited. It was the first time I got to do a story on almost anything I wanted other than the fact that it had to have to do with an ONW student. I quickly picked the topic of football. I decided to focus on what it's like to be a sophomore football player for Olathe Northwest. I started by writing a list of 21 questions I felt were important if I wanted to answer my guiding question correctly. My interviewees were two of my friends that were on the team. Ryan Wallace and CJ Vredenburg gave me all the information about the team and experience that I needed. On a Saturday morning I went to ONW to watch the sophomore team play. I got a lot B-roll of my subjects with my iPhone. I interviewed the subjects a few days after the game. I really enjoyed getting to film the B-roll and being on the sideline with the team. After all the filming I  edited my footage in Adobe Premiere Pro. This has been my favorite project so far in video.

ONW 1:2000

Today I’m talking with Jake Herl. Jake is a sophomore at Olathe northwest that participates in baseball and wrestling. I caught up with Jake about how his summer went. Jake did a lot of things over the summer but, the best thing in his mind was baseball.  Jake told me about his summer baseball experience and how the season went for his team.

         Jake played for the Reds this past summer and enjoyed it through the pain of the losses. He is happy to be playing with the Black Socks this year because he feels it is a better fit for his skill level. He looks to the future as he grows in skill level and power as a player. Jake has played for a long time and wants to play for as long as he can. He hopes to play in college although he is unsure he will make the cut when the time comes. I asked Jake why he likes baseball so much. He said he liked how you could grow both as a team and individually in the sport.

         I found that my voice over was to long and that it was difficult to shorten it. I also found it hard to get a variety of shots during the interview. The majority of my shots were medium shots. I liked the way my video turned out. I wasn’t very happy with the background noise that was present in my video. I was unsure about how to fix that. It was unavoidable with the amount of time I had left to film. I really enjoyed this project because I got to learn more about Jake Herl and his baseball life and got more interviewing experience.