Editing

    Today editing was unsuccessful and frustrating. Lesly came in class and we quickly got started with getting our camera, signing it out, and leaving. I had to change into the same clothes I wore the first filming day, which was taking more time. After this we went straight downstairs to start filming. We continued to film because Lesly was not there on Thursday. This took us a step back because we had to film all of the scenes that had him in it today. Lesly has majority of the scenes, so it took some time. The lighting was bad in front of the media center, so we had to keep moving to different spots. Since we had to film more scenes, we didn’t have time to edit. Also Pinnacle Studios was not working.
   It is frustrating not having enough time to be able to edit. It seems like everything caused us to have a delay. From the lighting to the changes of the storyboard. Another thing was the background , it was so loud. The janitor in the school kept making noise for about 10 minutes. So we were unable to record. Then the camera kept looking titled, so I had to hold it. Then we realized talking in the scene is something we probably wouldn’t be able to do because you could barely hear it. The voice recording would have to be on a voice recorder, but we were already doing a voice over. This made it very hard and I felt conflicted.
    The different changes in the storyboard and not having direction was quite annoying. I decided to just do what I felt was right. Plus having to tell my group mates to stop getting distracted sometimes was quite of a nuisance. Although all of that happened the scenes ended up looking really great and the changes looked even better than our idea from before. Getting back into my normal clothes added an additional waste of time. It also didn’t help that the bathroom had a bunch of girls in it. Then, Lesly thought he lost his phone, so we were all looking for it. The only type of editing we were able to do was dumping. I chose all of our good scenes from the bad ones. After this, I dumped all of the scenes we are going to use and edit into the computer. Now the next time we edit, hopefully Pinnacle Studios is working and we have more time.

Filming

    On Thursday was the day we finally got to film. We signed out our camera, sim card, and tripod and headed outside. Setting up the tripod was a bit hard, but we figured it out. Next, we turned on the camera and decided our first location. We decided to film our first scene in the bus loop. The brand name we picked was "Vans". A group decision was made that we would all wear clothes with that brand name. Anyeska and I had to start filming our scenes that didn't include Lesly because he was not there, so it was a bit hard for us. While shooting different scenes it was a bit difficult because we needed a third person to move the camera in a certain direction for specific shots. So, while trying to film a zoom in shot we asked a friend to do it for us. 

    Making sure you could clearly see the brands name on our clothes with this zoom in shot, this made our commercial look even better. This lets the viewers know what the commercial is supporting. By convincing you to buy the product. We used one of our friends (Nick) as an extra. He played a skateboarder since that is one of the audiences "Vans" appeals to. At first, we were going to pan the camera, but then we decided to not move the camera at all and just keep it in the position it was in. Another thing we changed was instead of doing a wide shot we decided to do a long shot. Nick skated from far away, then towards the camera. He picked up the skateboard after riding it, so it would look like he just came from somewhere else. This scene was filmed many times because we weren't completely sure how we wanted to capture it, but we finally got it.

    After the skating scene we moved on to the next scene. This scene was shot next to the stairs leading to the media center. I played a "Vans model". In this scene I am taking pictures of myself in my Vans outfit looking happy as can be. It's a bit awkward filming in front of a camera and pretending to take pictures of yourself, but it was still fun. It was hard for all of us to be serious because we've never done this before. We also didn't want the commercial to seem as if we were disturbed. Moving on, we did our next scene where the skater, model, and runner meet. This was the hardest scene because we weren't sure what to do when we met in the middle. This is when we came up with the idea of zooming into the vans logo and walking towards the camera from far away. This did not only show the brands logo, but it also implied that we were walking towards something. This follows another scene of where we will be meeting with Lesly's character the next time we film.

Storyboard

The storyboard below, starts off with a wide shot of a boy who is walking and then falls down the stairs. Then, there is a shot of the boy declaring "I can't do anything in these!" with a tilt occurring from his gloomy face to his worn out shoes. All of a sudden, there will be someone running past the boy, which attracts his attention. During that, there will be a voiceover saying "Run" and background music. Next will be someone skating (Voiceover:Skate), and the skater meets up with the model in the Vans outfit (Voiceover: Be yourself in Vans over the background music). All three people representing Vans will meet up and face the boy. They all snap their fingers and a jump cut occurs from his worn out shoes appears to Vans shoes. Finally, he exclaims "Vans Off The Wall!".

Editing Lesson Blog

    Today in AICE Media Studies I learned what steps I need to take to get the equipment in my class. I also learned how to save my work and edit. One of my teachers discussed different agreement forms and sign in sheets we would be using throughout the year. This makes me excited and anxious to start getting our equipment. She instructed us to grab agreement sheets before leaving class, so that way we would be able to start getting a feel of the camera and how to shoot. Without the agreement form we are not able to get a camera we will have to wait, which means less time being able to do our work. If needed instructions are on a white notepad, on the right side of the room, hanging from the wall. We then talked about the information we needed to write on the forms. We have to write the number on the tripod, camera, and sim card. This way if an item is loss or broken the teacher will know which item needs replacement or who lost the item.
    After this the teacher instructed us on how to properly place the sim card in and out of the computer. We learned how to set up the camera on the tripod. Being able to know how to move the camera side to side and up and down is very important. She made sure to let us know how to tighten and loosen the camera, so that the tripod doesn't fly off. The editing app we will be using this year is pinnacle studios and not iMovie. First we film and after we have taken all of our shots. Using the SD meter, we place the SD card in there and put it into the computer. Using the "dump" technique, which means taking footage to the camera unto the computer. Opening Pinnacle Studios we transfer all scenes from our folder unto the app. Importing the scenes is easy just by clicking the shots you need.
    Using raw footage you build an AV Track and drag each scene down to the bottom, so all the scenes you want to edit are there and in order. Each track is a different layer of film. Clicking the scene you want you then get brought to a different screen. Right clicking (razor blade) allows you to cut and take out whatever you don't want. To go to the effects editor you right click and add transitions. I also learned how to add texts in shots. You layer the word track on top of the scene you would like the writing to appear in. For our commercial music needs to be added, so I need to make sure our music is MP3. Then, adding this to my folder I import it to the scene and drag it below the scene. Detached audio is to be deleted because no audio can be heard. To undo something I click undo or the back button. Finally, to save I export to MP4, go full size SD (best quality), start export, save as screen, click desk top,  go to commercial folder, and name the film.

Planning Blog

For our Vans commercial we will be filming at the school's bus loop area. We will have a person walking and falling down the stairs, declaring "I can't do anything in these!"(a tilt shot occurs from his gloomy face to his worn out shoes). Then, the boy looks over and sees three people: someone who is running, someone who is skating, and someone who is walking(dressing in a Vans outfit). A voice over occurs for every person. (" Run, skate, and be yourself in Vans" respectively). After this, they will all meet up at a general area and the scene fades out.

• Props: Vans skateboard.
• Costumes: Van shoes, Vans socks, Vans shirt, Vans pants, and Vans beanie.
• Schedule: 

- Day 1: Planning our Vans commercial. 

- Day 2: Script and story boarding.

- Day 3: Filming.

- Day 4: Editing.

- Day 5: Submitting commercial.

- Day 6: Reflecting on commercial.

• Location List: We will be filming at the school's bus loop area.
• Back-up Plan: We will be filming at the school's car loop or student parking lot. It will be the same plan where a person walks and trips, declaring, "I can't do anything in these!"(pointing at his worn out shoes). Then, the boy looks over and sees three people: someone who is running, someone who is skating, and someone who is walking(stylish in a Vans outfit). A voice over occurs for every person. (" Run, skate, and be yourself in Vans" respectively). After this, they will all meet up at a general area and the scene fades out.

Research Blog: Commercial Conventions

Codes and conventions are used by many different companies as a marketing strategy in order to grab the attention of consumers and make their product seem more interesting. A code is a system of signs that are put together to create a meaning. An example of a code is a technical code which are camera techniques, framing,lighting, exposure etc. Another example of a code is a symbolic code which is a code that consists of objects, setting, body language, clothing, and color. Lastly, there are written codes which are headlines, captions, speech bubbles, and language styles. Conventions are habits of doing things. In short, what people have come to expect. Examples of conventions are: Camera angle and shots, editing, lighting, sound, music, computer graphics, and special effects.


Vans uses codes and conventions in their commercials to make their shoes appear more appealing and pop out more to audiences. One example of this is one of their commercials that use a boy skateboarding at a skate park with vans on. In the commercial they show different conventions. For example, in the commercial the boy is skateboarding and the shot changes to a wide angle shot of the boy skating. Another convention that was used in this commercial is when their is a tracking shot that tracked the boy skating to give the audience a better understanding to the boy's point of view. This use of convention make audiences see the shoes as more appealing and "cool"


We chose Vans because we have an interest in this brand of shoe. Now-a-days this type of shoe is very popular and has caught the eyes of others in the skateboard industry. We all love skateboarding and vans provide the perfect shoes to ride and do tricks. The company sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and motocross teams. The company also has a Vans Warped Tour traveling rock festival that we all enjoy to watch.

Introductory

          Hi my name is Jazmin. I was born on June 11th. My zodiac sign is a Gemini, so that means I am very outgoing and indecisive. My mother was born a day before me, so she considers me her birthday present. Both of my parents were born in Puerto Rico which means I am full Puerto Rican. My culture is something I am surrounded by all the time. The food my dad cooks and clothes I have are filled with the islands flag. My spanish culture defines me and influences my daily life.
         Hobbies I am into are singing and acting. I've been singing since I was about three or four years old. I would grab my grandfathers cane and have a concert for him and my grandmother. Acting has been since I was little too. I love watching movies and have grown up around that atmosphere. I remember my sister being a chicken while watching Day Of the Dead, meanwhile I was fearless. These are just two things I keep very close to my heart.
          Although I am a very positive person and I have a bright outlook on life, they're are many things I dislike. Some things I dislike are avocados and tomatoes. They just taste like flavored water to me and it is really disgusting. I also dislike close minded people who hate on others based on their race, ethnicity, or identity. I think all people should get along and if you're not hurting anybody then you should be free to be yourself.